Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-09-02
THE CITY.
THE RECENT OUTRAGEs.
Another Large Meeting of Citizens at
the COurthOuse-AdOptI of ImpOr-
tant ResOIutiOns-Speech etc.

of colored people on Tuesday, a larg
, crowd of both white and colored assem-
bled al the Courthouse yesterday after
noon at 2 o'clock. On motion of ex' Gov
Foote, ex>Gov. Neil 8. Brown was called
10 the chair and NJ H Lewis, colored, ant
the reporters of the City papers presen
were appointed secretaries.
Gov. Brown before taking his seat sale
that he would have been grati6ed if they hat
called some other person TO preside ovel
the meeting, but as it had been their pleas
ure he responded to it without any hesita,
ton. Would not attempt 10 deliver an ad.
dress, but as there were some persons pres.
ent who had been engaged in the eIami'
nation of witnesses he would detain the au
dience but very short time, and refer to
the existing troubles. The object of the
meeting, which was general meeting, was
TO give expression to our sentiments in re-
gard to some outrages alleged to
have been perpetrated on colored
men in the comfy of Rutherford and 9TH
er placer. They had fed to the city for
protection, and it was alleged that they
were maltrested and cruelty beaten. He
had entered into an investigation to see
how far these charges were sustained and,
after examining four or five witnesses, he
arrived at the conclusion that outrsges and
violence had been perpetrated upon some
and others had been inundated and driven
from their homes Without going minute
ly into the facts of each case, sand without
giving any names of the witnesses
as they were here and alarmed lest the
publication Of their names would cause
some injury to be done to them on their
return home. He would only mention one
| or two cases. One witness testified that he
was taken out of bed at IL o'clock at night,
| and taken about four miles from the house,
where they whipped him numerically
| This was a week ago and he is unable to
walk yet. 1t would shock the moral SEN
sibility of any man 10 see the outrages
committed upon that person. Another
testified that he was stopped on the road,
robbed and stripped naked, his clothes
taken away, and he was left naked in the
woods, and was compelled TO fly from his
1
| threat that if they caught him they would
put him to death. These were but few
| facts elected from the examination. He
felt certain in his own mind that there had
been a considerable amount of vio-
lence perpetrated upon this species of their
race. Who did it, he knew not,
but they were said to be white men and
men Of the colored race. There were now
one hundred in the city who had left their
homes for fear of being killed some of them
brought their families, and this thing was
going on in a county in the State Of Ten
nessee, Stale which processes to have law
and order. He had no language to express
strong enough his detestation for the
men who will take the law in their
own hands and infict violence upon
an unprotected people. 1t is a
gross insult to the Law and to the peace
loving community living in the S ate. If
they intended to have a government at all
this thing ought to be stopped. Whose
business was it to stop it? The Governor
of the State had already sent troops there.
1t is the duty Of the leading tribunals Of
the county and the leading citizens TO turn
their energies 10 the suppression of the
evil. If he vas qualified 10 make a
hell he would make a hell out of
the society that had no restraint
for the law. And such a hell
wo;ld need no fire. The ocean with its
vast capacity for mischief is rendered
harmless toward the land by the iron
coast that surrounds it. The cities and
towns overlooking the sea are permitted TO
rest there in peace and harmony. So
with society; it was protected alone by the
ramparts of law and legal restraints.
That land is happy that obeys the laws
with moral instinct; and that land is next
most happy that is made to obey the law.
The law was their master, as we'll as his
master, ard he was interested that law
being enforced. There was not a man,
whoever he might be, whether rich or poor,
weak or strong, old or young, that the law
was not made for him. Governments had
failed because the law had become impo.
tent. He was peculiarly struck with the
facts he had obtained from this exsmina-
ton. He was no alarmist, but
he had learned enough to know that
the colored population CT Rutherford
county had been marauded, violated and
badly bruised up to an extent that is
shocking. Enough had been gathered TO
call rebuke from the citizens living in
the capital of Tennessee. He was deeply
interested in this matter as one indi'
yidual. If law and order were msintain'
cd he would be happy, but if they were
destroyed they would all be ruined. The
peace of Tennessee can be maintained,
it must and shall be maintained,
cloud applause) if it cost all
the power Of this country. He was there
to mingle his voice with those who spoke
plain. He had no sympathy for any man,
white or colored, that will dare 10 raise
his iron hand against any person, however
obscure he may be. He stood there and
denounced all such men as enemies to the
peace of society; they were his enemies,
he was their enemy. These colored people
are as much entitled 10 protection as any
other citizen, and they have rights
as dear to them az his rights vera
TO him. ThGy till the soil, and
though they sleep in the low cabins, yet
they have their rights in Tennessee and
they are as sacred to them as their rights
were to those who slept in palaces, and he
was for protecting them outside of the
great questions Of patriotism, self-respect
and the dignity of Tennessee. 1t was his
interest 10 protect them and everybody
else. (Applause) Were they never TO
get rid of lhess dIscords? He trusted that
this late trouble would turn "a
ripple that appears uPol the
shore after the large wave has passed
away. He had hoped the time had come
| when the people would bury all these
"reminiscences into oblivion for ever The
plougshare of war has run through US and
over us, and has taken many of our
friends to that ocean from whence tn
traveller never returns. But he woule
dismiss this subject and throw he
veil of oblivion over it. He
intended to take a part with them in
| the firm aud chaste expression of
| opinion denunciatory Of all such conduct,
aud to call upon their friends everywhere
Of all conditions in life, to pnt their faces,
like faces Of steel, against all such conduct.
There was not man in the State whom
he would shield from the law. Il had
been his good fortune never to have a feud
with any individual in his life. He had
managed to get along by means of moral,
persuasion, He believed with Solomon,
| that the rod was a good thing.
| The State of Tennessee has the
rod; her courts have the rod in their hands.
Now if these people don't behave them
selves let them be caught aud punished
with that rod to the utmost extent. The
Executive of the State has signi6ed willing
ness to put all this bad feeling down if It
takes every soldier in the United States
1t can be done and shall be done By all the
laws that are sacred.
John Trimble then moved that a COM
mi,tee ofseven be appointed TO draft res
olutions pertaining 10 the object Of h,
meeting.
The chair, 10 accordance with the shove