Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-10-01


as calculated to break the peace.
We had no confidence that the Cover
nor would voluntarily aid us. There.
fore, letters were addressed to the Legis-
lature urging action. The Legislature
did act by passing resolutions requesting
and urging the Governor to issue hil
proclamation forbidding these armed
demonstrations. The Governor issued
his proclamation, but in a style and with
false charges which greatly confirmed the
worst fears of the whites as to his sym
| pathy with these movements.
But we had the proclamation, and We
hoped that all threatened dangers would
disappear. Now, there was not the
slightest desire, as you seem to think, o.
| interfering with the constitutional right
of black and white ito keep and beal
arms" or to have Republican meetings
-as many and as long as they desire
We only desire to prevent military drills,
and organizations not authorized by law,
and armed assembiages calculated to
break the peace; and these we desired to
prevent by legal authority, executed by
the civil officer. You now have the exact
reason why the sheriff met the approach
ing armed procession, and after exhibiting
the Governors proclamation, told the
leaders they could not hold the meeting
peaceably, but begged them not to at
tempt it in violation of that proclama-
ton.
Camilla is very small village of not
exceeding, would say, three hundred
inhabitants--black and white-men, wo-
men and children.
A large assemblage Of negroes gath
cred from surrounding counties, led by
these white men, and all armed, and to
be excited by infammatory speeches,
and many of them by other causes, placed
the people, families and houses of that
little village in danger of pillage, rape
and burning, with the alternative, if pre-
vented, of fearful "rebel outrages," to
kill negroes and prevent free speech,
scattered all over the North just as the
State election was approaching, which,
it was believed, would determine the
Presidential election
know both Pierce and Murphy, the
two white men who conducted this whole
affair. They are of the most emphatic
specimens of what are termed carpet
baggers. B-fore the passage Of the re-
construction measures, here was no com
plant heard against them These mea
sures disfranchised every intelligent
white citizen who had held Office in that
country. Pierce settled as Bureau
sgent in Lee county, and Murphy in
Dougherty county, adjoining the county
in which Camilla is situated and in the
counties of Lee and Dougherty there are
five negroes to one white. have no idea
that one dozen white Republicans could
be found in the three counties.
Thus, you see at glance the tempta-
tions offered to Pierce and Murphy to
get offices by the large negro votes. Ac.
cordingly since the passage of the recon-
struction measures these men have
sorted with the negroes. Pierce was for
time candidate for Congress at the
last election. He has now received the
nomination for that position from n Con
vention of negroes. Murphy was elected
sheriff at the last election, but was un-
able to give the bond. He is now, / be-
lieve, on the electoral ticket. We have
narrowly escaped several bloody riots in
that region before. Our people here
believed these men, especially the latter,
incited them. They were both distinctly
in view, with others, when we counted
the difficulties in the way of preserving
peace, and when we sought to secure the
proclamation.
But in spite of that proclamation, and
all the remonstrances of our people, aud
the fears of our women and children, they
persisted in holding armed assemblages
Of negroes, and the Camilla riot is the
unfortunate result.
The Camilla riot, properly understood,
will exhibit to the Northern people more
clearly than thousand speeches could;
the exact reason why the Southern whites
are, at present, unwilling to extend uni
versal, indiscriminate suffrage to the
negroes. 1t is because they can be taken
possession Of by very few bad white
men, seeking office at their hands, and
made terrors to society, and destroyers
Of safety for property and security for
families. Many Of the more intelligent
understand and repudiate these inhu-
snces, but the greater number do not.
In these very counties OF Lee and |
Dougherty, in which Pierce and Murphy
'eside, / do personally know (for plant
q both those counties) that in 1866
lfter the surrender, mark you-lands
we're selling at from ten TO twenty dollars
per acre. Immediately after the passage
,f these reconstruction measures, these
'ery lands commenced declining, and
10 know that some Of them have recently
,een sold with cotton as high as it was
n 1861 at one dollar per acre in gold
To have our families and our lives thus
menaced aud our property
is certainly fearful and sad
,ondition. Let every man IN the North
,lsce himself bis family and his properly
y this condition 10 his native country,
nd then, when be makes the most peace
ble efforts possible, in lawful way, TO
vert these dangers, let him hear himself
Ienounced as a ''rebel." ian enemy"
nd "a traitor" aud guilty Of rebel
I1irsges," and he viii have s03e idea Of
be exact condition Of the Southern
whites, mauy of whom did all IN their
,ower, Ike The writer, to prevent seces-
iou, anRho have never seen The day
rhen they ~s-ld not eive their lives 10
reserve rns S1u stituIiou