Brownlow's Knoxville Whig. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1866-1869, 1867-07-17
THE CONSERVATIVES THREATEN
United States Troops Sent to Franklin to
Keep the Peace
Full Particulars of the Riot on Saturday
KiChf

/
Keep the Peace
Full Particulars of the Riot on Saturday
| Night.
| On Saturday last Hon. John Trimble.
candidate for Congress from this district
and Mr. Elliott, candidate for the State
Senate from Rutherford, went down to
Franklin, nineteen miles from Nashville, on
| the Nashville and Decatur Railroad, where
Mr. Trimble had regular appointment to
speak. Mr.. Trimble was met at the depot
at Franklin by delegation from the color
ed league, who with flags and banners and
martial music, escorted the honorable gen
tleman into town. There was considerable
| excitement among the colored people, and
| they were out in considerable force, evident
ly determined to have a rousing time and a
grand Radical turnout.
The meeting was appointed to commence
at one o'clock, and the colored people col
lected at their headquarters and with their
flags and banners, headed with martial
music, marched down upon the square and
up to the court house door Here the pro-
cession halted, but what? This demands a
slight DEPRESSION to answer. Some two or
three weeks ago, the Republican candidate
for Floater for this District spoke at Frank
I'm. The colored people, in their usual en-
thuslastic style, turned out to attend the
meeting with their fife and drum and ban
ners, they were met before their entrance
into the court house by the Sheriff of the
county, whose name we unfortunately do
not possess, who prohibited them from
taking their music, their banners, notices
or the national flag in the hall. The crowd
sent in to Mr.. Bean to know if they should
leave their banners outside OF bring them
In. Ho roPliod IL made no difference. tboxz
could as well leave them at the entrance as
bring them inside. The crowd ACCORDINGLY
entered the hall, bare of the emblems which
they had carried in the march and without
their music.
1t was under this prohibition that the
present procession halted at the door of the
town hall. On consultation with leading
gentlemen of the party, it was PROMPTLY de.
cided to bring in their flags and banners
The colored people accordingly, with the
drums beating and their banners uncovered
before the Gesler of Sheriff who had for
hidden the stars and stripes to be carri-
ed into the building, marched up the steps
into the hall At the head of the stairs was
collected crowd of Conservatives scowling
with sinister glances upon the undismayed
throng who dared to disobey the mandate of /
the Sheriff. 1t is not at all unlikely, indeed
there is strong probability that this gang of |
men had collected there to dispute the en-
trance Of the procession in case they persis-
ted in bringing in their flags. Be this as it
may, the crowd of white men parted, and |
the column marched into the hall.
There were present about five hundred
colored men and about seventy-fve or a
hundred white, q large number Of the lat
ter being Conservatives
Mr.. McFall spoke first, and was followed
by Mr.. Elliott Mr.. Trimble closing the
meeting with a stirring and earnest adj
dress.
The meeting closed about four o'clock |
everything passing off peaceablya and no in
corruption being made After the adjourn
ment there was much excitement among the
who were evidently greatly
exasperated One young man was heard to
say, " will kill my man before night
Revolvers were plenty, and there was a
great deal of gesticulation and bragadocio t
among the crowd Of Conservatives. L
Meanwhile the great colored leader of /
the Conservative party in Tennessee, we
mean Joe Williams, had passed through the '
town from Spring Hill, where he had har-
ranged small crowd of Conservatives, to
n ashville. After this great political light 6
had got about a mile and half this side of
in buggy, the Conservatives I
that it would be a grand and par {
.icularly felicitous stroke to get 10 to deliv I
III speech on this, an exclusively radical {
occasion. A white man was accordingly {
mounted and sent post haste after 10. who Y
vas jogging quietly on toward the city, in i
with a colored man named Abe {
Mason. Williams was overhauied and :
brought back to town. 1t was perhaps an Q
lour and half after Mr.. TimbIe had clos
n his address, and the Republican meeting r
lad adjourned that 10. Williams posted up d
n front of the court house on the steps, S
to speak. A crowd speedily p
objected probably as large as that which q n
title earlier had filled the court house. The c
olored men who formed the procession be- o
ore referred to, were many OF them there
aving separated after marching about town a.
Or a short time at the conclusion Of Mr. p
'rinibles speech. No interruption took a
lace for fully half an hour, all listenin n
nth as much attention as the botherdash Of
this political harlequin is capable Of elic- 81
ing. The colored people had planned a 81
orch light procession to finish up the day Oh
accordingly, as above remarked, after the d
colored Conservative leader" had been IA
peaking about half an hour the music Of III
he procession of the morning withdrew ii
ON the crowd some distance and struck th
P to call the colored Republicans together st
u the purpose Of making preparations for Gu
le evening display AT the tap of the w
rum, the Republican negroes moved tn
from their position before the oc
art house, and proceeded to form for the po
urpose Of marching down the street. The In
were, Of course, greatly ex an
iperated at this defamation Of their he
'owd, and vented their feeling in curses ev'
I'D and deep sh'
An ,x-rebel Colonel named House, bit wo
T and malignant Conservative, whose am
osity against the Federal Government IS tho
st as fierce now as when he commanded a the
uad Of grey coats, stepped up TO Mr.. j. cri
ISIS, 6 quiet peaccable, law abiding citizen, ter
d accused him Of having melted the ne off
oes 10 beat thssr drums and draw AWAY eo,,
Q crowd Mr. Bliss denied the cbargs ~
d asserted the falsity Of the scouaation' IL,
iereuPon House, surrounded bv n gano, : !
his aids and abettors, lourishel bis re - ~,
lyer, struck Bliss in the face, at the same
a I, calling upon him to fight The latter 9th
ohed That unarmed, and in such crowd, Ma