The Murder of Charles Mount, 1865

the following appeared in the New Jersey Mirror on 1 Jun 1865:
A man calling himself John Deacon, was committed to Jail in this town (Mount Holly), on the 23d ult., charged with an atrocious assault upon Charles Mount, a colored man, living in Burlington, thereby causing his death.

The circumstances of the case are as follows:
On the 15th instant, Mount had a difficulty with a man named Samuel Wilson, which resulted in a fight between them. While the struggle was going on, and when Mount was upon the ground, Deacon deliberately went up and kicked him severely in the neck. The injury at the moment, was not thought to be serious, but shortly after Wilson and Mount were separated, it was found that the neck of the latter commenced swelling, and he continued to grow worse from the effects of the wound, and died on Thursday evening the 18th. An Inquest was summoned by the Coroner, J. Kingdon, and after a long and careful investigation, a verdict was rendered that Mount came to his death by injuries inflicted upon him by John Deacon.

Deacon left Burlington the same night of the difficulty, and no information could be obtained of his whereabouts. On the evening of the 22d, when the night-line reached Burlington, two young men employed upon the train--Almeth White and William Aird--hastily jumped from the cars and informed a police officer that Deacon was on the train, when he was immediately arrested, and after an examination, was committed to Jail to await his trial at the next term of the Court.

Deacon was a comparative stranger in Burlington, and had been living in Philadelphia, for about a year past. He had previously resided in Mobile, and at the breaking out of the rebellion, joined the Southern army. He deserted from the rebels and after coming North, took the oath of allegiance. He was seen by several persons to kick Mount, and before doing so, was heard to remark that he would "like to get a punch at the d____ nigger--that he was down on all niggers," with other similar expressions. It is not believed that he knew Mount or had any personal feeling toward him, but from the language he used both before and after he kicked him, it is supposed that his hatred of the colored race generally, induced him to inflict the injuries upon Mount, and which will doubtless send him to the State Prison for a term of years. He will perhaps learn that colored men have some rights which white men are bound to respect.

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