The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-06-18
TroubIe in sparta.

L WY W tho ChCOt tbAt thSI0 nbu Occu -
serious difficulty between the citizens OF
| Sparta, Hancock County, and the ne
groea on Tuesday evening; that conflict
between the races had ehsued, caused by
o negro incendiary melting an armed
body OF his race to burn the town; that
in the fight five negroes and one white
man had been killed; that upon the
Sheriff of the County endeavoripg to
arrest party of the white men, who
had been engaged in the affair, the lat
ter had seized the cotton fnctory in
Sparta, and, converting it into o fort,
had set the Sheriff and his posse coniiatus
at defiance; and that thousand other
terrible things had happened besides.
The news created q good deal of excite
ment aud anxiety in this city; because it
was believed that if the report proved to
be true, it would be seized upon by the
scalnwags rs fit material out of which to
manufacture political capital and ncsist
them in their scheme to remand Georgia
to military despotism. Fortunately,
however. We have been enabled TO obtain
true account of the whole affair, and
the story OF the morning proves to be n
ridiculous cdndrd circulated by members
of Ames' New Orleans Circus troupe,
who were in Sparta at the time tho dis.
left the town for this city as soon as the
shooting took place, unwilling to become
involved In any difficulty, and who were
either misinformcd as to the true history
OF the transaction, or exaggerated it very
much-unintentionally, we suppose-iu
the telling.
Anxious to present to the many read
ers of the Chronicle aud Sentinel a correct
statement Of all the facts connected with
this affair, we had an interview with
we'll known gentleman of this city, who
came down on the Georgia Railroad yes
terday evening, and from him obtained
full particulars of the occurrence. The
gentleman referred to was in the town of
Sparta when the affray took place, and
may be considered the very best au-
thority on tho subject. From our in
formant's statement it will be seen that
politics had nothing whatever to do with
the matter, and if the Bullock News
Agency iii Atlanta will telegraph the facts
ns they occurred, we think that it will
Battle even the Washington Chronicle or
the Tribune to torture them into DO
lit:cal bearing.
1t appears that, on last Tuesday after
noon. AmcS' Circus wis performing near
the depot OF the Macon and Augusta
H~'road, IN The town os Sparta, and, Of
course, n large crowd OF negroes had
come ~ f:om the couutry TO wituosa She
exhibition. Among otiurrs who were at-
t:Actcd 10 the place. WAS a negro man
uamco Washington Person. IL Hotoriors
%co:nlrci auu desperate. who haa for
hmt r!SS been knnwl as ihc tinnle.Ler
IN hc.'rly cvr,y act OF rasca!ity commit
ted i'll HancOcs County, and another
ncS;o PANIED Eli Eatnes, tho colored
Representative in The legislature from
that County, who was expelled l:,i,l wear,
WHO Is also reported TO be bold, IN, Dn-
liant necnu,nry, and II constant s'irrer-up
OF stuic between the white and colorcd
races.
Tho circus exhibition opened Mt .
clock Ill the afternoon, aud the canvas
waS soon filed with II large crowd of both
white people nnd negroes. Two hours
later. at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, n
crowd of negroes, in Which were both
Barnes and Picrson, assembled outside
OF the canvas, when the latter got into
an altercntion with two white men stand
ing near. Some words passed between
the parties, when Pierson pronounced
one OF the white men to be Cd id
liar. At this the man drew his pistol
and fired, the ball penetrating tho heart
of Pierson, killing him instantly. Upon
seeing the fall of their leader, the negroes
fired volley into the two whites, but
did no execution. A ball, however, from
one of their pistols struck negro named
Marshall, who happened to be in the
way, in the abdomen, iDflicting NOR
tai wound. The ball which struck Mar
shall WAS supposed to have come from a
pistol held in the hands of Eli Barnes,
the expelled negro representative.
The white men, rs soon as Pierson fell,
fled from Sparta into the country, pur-
sued by the negroes. The pursuit had
not been conducted very great distance
when, it is said, the white men rallied
and fired volley into the pursuers,
which, though no one was injured,
caused the negroes, i'll turn, to take to
their heels.
Soon after the negroes were killed, Mr..
Rogers, the Sheriff of the County, sum-
moned posse comifotus of tho citizens,
and went out to arrest the supposed
guilty parties. This posse was still out
when our informant left Sparta yesterday
morning. Our informant also states
hat s.Ip