Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-02-18

| IlSt. 1bat III INC cOunCy VI OcOHeS, Ill baIu LIS
trict, for several weeks previous to said day oi
election, parties Of armed men, friends and parti
zans Of yours, patrolled all parts of said county,
shooting, intimidating, and otherwise maltreatine
ooored electors of said county that threats were
freely and openly made to discharge all persons
who should vote the Republican ticket or for me,
on said day of election, together with threats Of
personal violence in the event of their so doing
that all means were used and resorted to by your
said friends and partizans to so intimidate and ter
riy said colored electors, that they would not dare
to vote on said day of election knowing said per-
sons, if allowed to vote, would cast their votes for
me- .....- ....
That at each and every election precinct, in said
county of Oconee, there were armed parties of
men, on said day Of election, who, through fraud,
intimidation threats, force and violence, prevent
ed at least one thousand legal voters in said eoun-
ty, all of whom would have voted for me, from
exercising their right of suffrage on said day of
election. s......- ..
That all the students attending the - Luther
an Male College, whether residents Of the State Of
South Carolina, and said county of Oconee or not,
were faudulently and illegally allowed to vote, and
did cast their votes for you that through the
fraud and ilegaty practiced at the different cleo
ton preccts in said county, at least one thousand
fraudulent and illegal votes were cast on said day OF
election bApartes not entitled to vote in said coun-
ty, large majority of whom were non-residents of
said State, that all of said fraudulent and illegal
votes were counted for you, and that through
threats, fraud and violence great many electors
were forced to vote for you, who, if allowed to
make choice, would have voted for me.
22d. That in the county of Chester, in said dis
trict, for some time previous to said day Of cleo
ton, threats to discharge from employment, all
persons who should vote for me on said day Of
election were openly made also threats of personal
violence to said persons if they should so vote
that for many nights prior to said day Of election
parties of your friends all over said county, shot in
to the houses of colored men, firing off guns, and
committing many. other acts to intimidate and
terrify the colored voters Of said county.
That at the different election precincts, in said
county of Chester in said district, through the
fraud, intimidations threats force and violence of
your friends and partzans, at least eight hundred
legal voters in said county we're prevented from
voting on said day of election, all of whom would
have voted for me; and that there was at least
four hundred fraudulent and illegal votes cast for
you in said county on the day of election, all which
were counted for you.
%. That in the county of Spartanburg in said
district for some time prior to said day of election
threats we're openly and publicly made by your
friends and partzans, that any colored elector who
should vote the Republican ticket, or for me- on
said day of election, should be discharged from
employment and should not be allowed to reside
on their land, also threats that any one who should
so vote should be killed; that on the day of said
election, committee of three Of your friends and
partizans went to each election precinct in said
county to open ballots and take down the names Of
those who should vote the Republican ticket or for
me, in order to carry out their threats and intmi
dation, and that force, intimidation and fraud
were used at each of said election precincts to pre-
vent legal voters in said county, who would have
voted for me, from so doing.
That through the fraud, intimidation and Vio-
ence, at least 800 legal voters in said county, all
of whom would have voted for me, were prevented
from casting their votes on said day of election,
and that large number of fraudulent and Illegal
votes were cast for you and all Of which were coun
ted for you.
That at the different election precincts in said
county at least three hundred votes cast for W. D.
Smith were fraudulently counted for you.
That there was no legally appointed managers
of election for said county that the returns Of the
acting managers of election Of the different election
precincts in said county were wholly imperfect and
illegal, and that the return of the Board Of County
Commissioners was not sworn to in accordance
with law. For these reasons claim that the elec-
tion in said county of Spartanburg is null and void
24th. That at each of the different election pre-
cincts in the said counties of Union, Laurens York.
Greenville, Pickens, Oconee, Chester and Spartan
burg in said district, the managers Of election at
said precincts allowed friends and partizans of
yours to be present at the receiving and counting
of the ballots cast on said election, but prohibited
any friends of mine from being present.
That the said managers of election opened all
ballots cast, before said ballots were placed in the
different boxes, and kept separate and distinct
list of the Democratic and Republican electors.
That the said Managers of Election gave certi6-
Gates signed with their names to all colored per-
sons who voted the Democratic ticket with your
name thereon, certifying in said certificate that the
person named therein had so voted, which entitled
him to certain privileges therein specified.
That number of said managers of election were
not sworn according to law; that said managers Of
election did all in their power to retard the voting
at their different precincts, allowing your friends
and partizans to cast their votes first; that when
my friends and partizans came to cast their votes
under the pretence that their names could not be
found, so retarded the voting of said last named
persons that numbers of them, legal and registered
voters, had not succeeded in casting their votes
when the hour of closing the polls arrived.
And that all the fraud illegality, intimdations,
threats violence and outrage practiced by your
friends and partizans throughout the said counties
in said district before and on the day of election
was done by and with your full knowledge and
consent.
25th. That during the month of October, 1868,
on the cars of the Kings Mountain Rail Road in
said district and State, friend of yours said to
you, "Mr. Simpson, you need not be fearful about
the results Of the election we will carry York coun-
ty, if we have to do it by force, to which you as
sented.
26th. That in the spring and summer of the year
1868, an extensive combination and conspiracy Of
persons residing in different parts of the State Of
South Carolina was formed for the purpose Of
compelling the electors of said State to vote for