The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-07-24
That "NegrO Excursion"

We have received the following letter in
reference to more of The Cecil Democrat s
SANDER of the colored men. We advise
The Democrat to lay on, like McDuff, till it
or the niger ''cries hold, enough The
last clause of the letter we have omitted,
it being foreign to the subject involved:
CEcILToN, July 21st 1869.
-Mr. Editor 1t is very seldom that see
The Cecil Democrat, but curiosity led me to
look over last Saturdays paper, and there
| found an article, headed, NEGRO Excur-
sion-hIore of the Irrepressble Conflict
A White Man Badly Beaten by Negro"
which pretended to give an account of an
excursion of colored people, on board the
steamer "Thomas Collier,'' from "Sassa-
fras Neck, and part of Kent county," to
Baltimore City, on the 10th inst.
The facts, gathered from friend and foe
of the colored man, prove that the account
given in that article, is wilful misrepre-
sentation of the truth, and an unjust SLAM
der upon this oppressed and uniustly de-
spised people, on that occasion. While it
is the desire of all right-minded christian
people to have law and order obs erved, on
all occasions, we do not think it would be
an encouragement to violate law or order,
to say that there ought to be some little al
lowance made for them by the classical and
dignitied editor of The Democrat, instead
of seizing every pretext to misrepresent
and pervert the facts, as he has done in this
case.
He first charges them with clartering a
boat, and then going round and selling
tickets to more persons than the boat would
carry, and then leaving before the hour of
starting, which is not Il fact The boat did
not leave the wharf at Fredericktown, I'M
til after the hour named for starting and
those left were not on the wharf at the time
of starting. Again he says: upon the
departure from Baltimore, another trick
was resorted to. The boat started again
ahead of time, and many more excursion
lists were left to get home as best they
could The fact that members of the fam
lilies of the men who chartered the boat
being left (Which was the case) would prove
that charge not correct. Again he says -
"To cap the climax of present ills, the
Brass Band which they had secured at
great expense and transported from Will
mington became disguised, and being al
ready paid off. took French leave in Balti-
r,ora :, Tho Ropd ,y,c opnorod ,,-;tI, tho
understanding they were to leave on arriv-
ing in Baltimore. On arriving at Fred
ericktown on their return, he says Gas
soon as the wharf was touched, the crowd
a free fight ensued." We have it from
witnesses, as credible as the editor himself,
if not "a little more so,' that the excur-
sionists were debarking and retiring from
the boat in as quiet and orderly a manner
as could be wished ON such an occasion,
until the fracas brought on by these "Sev-
eral white men of the neighborhood at
tracted by the novel display, We're confused
witnesses of the encounter Now, this
encounter was brought on, from accounts,
by these very Several white men," who
had arranged to have 4 fight as soon as the
boat arrived, long before the boat got back Z;
and it can be proven also, that persons had
been invited to remain until the excursion
lists came back, to see the fun and further
that all these "Several white men" were
armed with club, and, as he says, SIN
the darkness it was difficult to discriminate
friend from foe, and blows were aimed pro-
misculously.' Who can tell that Captain
Scotch was not struck by one of these
"Several white men?'' but O! what a
good opportunity it is to blame a niger
with beating white man, and giving the
white man chance of trying his pistol on
the black rascal.
So much for his alarming heading, "Ne-
gro Excursion-More of the Irrepressible
Conflict" etc. No excuse for the poor he
gro, who may chance to strike white man
i'll self-defence; but a white man may send
word to a negro man that he will shoot him
the first place he sees him, and does shoot
him dead it is but an accident in this dig
nitied and christian editor opinion. What
a jewel is consistency JUSTICE.