The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1868-11-28
The Trouble at Mason's Depot.
The sheriRs Account.

Our readers are aware Of the fact that
w. J. Smith visited Mason's Depot, in Tip
ton county, not long since, for the purpose
of taking testimony preparatory to contest
ing the election of Hon. J. w Leftwich
Here is what Sheriff Slaughter says about
the whole affair:
CovNGToN, November Il, 1868.
Last Friday Rams Mccall, Horace Bur-
chett and - Reynolds (all colored and
residing in this county, went to Memphis
/ to confer with the Loyal Leaguers of your
city IN regard to the meeting afterwards held
/ on Tuesday at Mason's Depot They were
instructed to notify all the negroes IN Tip
ton and Fayette counties that on the follow
| ing Tuesday there would be another cleo
ton; that they must come prepared to vote
for Gen. W. j. Smith, and bring their arms
with them, as resistance was anticipated
from the whites. The negroes in Upton
county were notified by emissaries from the
Memphis Loyal Leagues on Sunday and
Monday to be present at Mason's Depot
Tuesday morning. The negroes Obeyed the
order, many coming as far as twenty five
| miles, leaving their homes Monday night or
Tuesday morning before daylight marching
IN squads-In several instances thirty or
forty IN bOdy-and many armed with mus
kets and shot-guns. The white people of
this county had no knowledge or notice of
this intended meeting of negroes at the
depot, nor did 1 know anything of it until
Monday night, when l received q message
from Masons Depot apprising me of the
fact.
As an officer of the law, and in discharge
of my duty to preserve the peace of the
county, l appointed Mr. SpeIlman, Of
MasOn's Depot, my special deputy, with in
structions to preserve the peace until my ar
rival In going from CovingtOn to Masons
Depot, Tuesday morning, / passed squads
of negro men, who informed me that they
were going to the depot, but plead ignorance
as to the object of their visit. AS I ap-
preached the depot the number of negroes
on the way increased, large crowds being
OVertaken at short intervals, many armed
Within five miles of the place l met ESQUIRE
Rice, Registration Commissioner of the
county, who informed me that as many as
one hundred negrOes-many armed-had
passed that point on their way to town, and
stating that if l went there | would get into
difficulty. Satisfied that there would be an
unlawful meeting at Mason's, l DISPATCHED
a messenger to COvington to summon posse
without delay requesting them to come on
and assist me In preserving the peace. In
company with one man / then proceeded to
MasOn's, arriving about ten 0 clock a. N.
found about fifteen hundred negroes in
the town; several hundred had come armed,
aud many had been disarmed- by citizens
The white citizens were indignant and very
much excited, but made no violent demon
stratiOns. I may as nell frankly state here,
| that but for my entreaties to preSerUe the
peace The I0klteS to0uId hare hung General
Smith, who was in the midst of the crowd,
asking the negroes for whom they voted
Judge Waldron, of your city, was admins
/ tering the oath to squads. He caused them
to swear that they lived in Upton county,
and that they voted at Mason's Depot for
Gen. w. J. Smith for Congress. DIR. J. E.
Carpenter, of Memphis, and another white
man unknown to me, wrote the afidavits. A
| gray-bearded man, whose name, l under
stand, is DR.. A. B. NeWkirk performed the
Office OF calling up the negroes to be sworn.
! Among them was an old gray-haired negro,
who, when asked for whom he voted, did not
answer; whereupOn Newkirk whispered ::
" say for Gen. Smith" The old negro then
SAID, in clear voice: General Smith, and
| was sworn.
To give you a correct idea Of the state of
! feeling among the negroes it Is necessary to
mention only one instance: Colonel Duncan,
of the firm of r. T. Maclin & Co., of Ma
mons Depot, while behind the counter in his
own store, was told by halfdrunken negro
that if told by General Smith to shoot him
| (Duncan) he should do it. With few ex-
| ceptions the negroes acre quiet and nell be-
| hGUed though wholly under the influence of
smith and his gang. They did exactly as
they were told to do, swearing to any afhda-
Wit presented to them.
| 1t was to preserve the peace and protect
! the people of Masons Depot that 1 sum-
moned posse of the best men of Upton
/ hpl hat cirs
tilted the action, and having been petitiOned
by nearly all the citizens Of the place to
! take these steps.
The statement in a Memphis radical pa
per, that violence was offered to General
Smith, is false in every particular. He ac-
cOmplished the object of his visit without
| interruption and left on the one p. m, train.
l remained IN the town until halfpast one
| 0 clock at which time nearly all the negroes
! were gone. The posse summoned from Gov
ington by me had not arrived at MasOn's
when / left. l have not been able to learn
| that any negroes were disturbed on the way
| home In conclusion, l would say to Gen.
Smith and his friends that whenever they
desire, as in the past TO have public meet
| ings of any kind In the county, to come, and
they will be protected; but if they ever
come under such circumstances as those
above given, without notice, and IN a man
| HeE CdlCuldOeu 10 PROVOKE FlOleHCo, OhSy may
expect the vengeance of an outraged and
! incensed public. D. q. SLAUGHTER,
Sheriff of Upton County.
Why don't Smith go to Grand Junction
and investigate few things which trans
pired there on the day of election Possibly
-and this possibility does not admit of a
doubt-he knows more about the armed
squad of negroes who came into that place
and took possession of the polls than he
desires to tell We think so.