The following news item was extracted from the New Era, Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas: February 11, 1865 SHOCKING AFFAIR- WOMEN TORTURED- ROBBERY, MURDER & ARSON- A "REVEREND" IN IRONS, etc., etc. Six heavily ironed prisoners came up on the Lotus day before yesterday from Clarksville, among whom was G W Hutchinson, formerly Chaplain of the 1st Kansas Colored Infantry. The names of the other five are, W B Farmer, Company A, 1st Arkansas Cavalry, R H Atwell, Company F, 2nd Kansas Cavalry, John Sharks, Company A 2nd Arkansas Infantry, John Hudson, citizen, and C O Kimball, citizen, formerly of the 2nd Kansas Cavalry and more recently in the 2nd Arkansas Infantry. Ex-Chaplain Hutchinson, who resigned his position in the army some time last spring, in order to follow the real bent of his inclinations with more leisure, stands charged with heavy swindling operations upon the Government and people. How far his is incriminated with the deeds of the other prisoners can not be ascertained yet until a more thorough investigation of the whole case. The other prisoners stand charged with torturing four respectable ladies over a slow fire till they were horribly mutilated about their heads, shoulders and feet and with ravishing them, from the effects of which one died and the others are made cripples for life. One of the prisoners also stands charged with additional crimes upon the body of one of the victims which pen would shudder to record. The object of the cruel wretches was to obtain some money, a considerable amount of which these ladies were supposed to have in their possession. They lived about 75 miles below this place, in the vicinity of Clarksville. Three of the unfortunate victims are now at the latter place under medical treatment. Their houses were also burned down. Information was received here day before yesterday, that seven other persons had been put in irons at Clarksville, charged with being accomplices in the above crimes. We give the details of this horrid affair as we received them from the officer who conducted the preliminary investigation at Clarksville. A full trial will undoubtedly develop all the facts in the case and justice be fully meted out. Ex-Chaplain Hutchinson and C O Kimball were removed to Little Rock, yesterday, on board the Lotus. Fran Alverson Warren e-mail: [email protected] 479-369-2703 http://www.crawfordcountyarkansas.net/