Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1870-04-11
IT, c..sssse. Of re..e--ee.

II
Erideaoe of 6orer1sor Seaser-KH- KlHz Ossirag,s
Ss fh Mafe. dc.
TIE question az reconstrucsing Tennesscs vas
resumed on Saturday before the Reconstruction
Committee, and GOV. Senter, Of that State. ap-
peared and gave his evidence regarding the 20
iitcSl and social condition Of affair IN the
State. There Was a full attendance OF the com
mittee, thirteen members being present. while
go many outsiders appeared thsf Il was founh
necessary 90 exclude them from the committee
loom Governor Senter began his testimony by
stating that the main point which presented
ITSELF 20 his mind was whether the citizens OF
Tennessee were safe under the laws aS now ad-
ministered, and ON this point he declared that
outrages had been freque that he had -ent
. special message 10 the Legislature asking Tor
power TO apply The remedy. He asked mis- be
cause the outrages IN December and January
last were more hetnous than any heretofore. the
particulars Of which he recited. Among these
were the killing Of i've or six cOlored men who
had been rescued from the custody OF the civil
officers in the county OF Obicn; the hreak-
ing into . citizens house at smyrna, on the
Nashville and Chattanooga railroad, and taking
therefrom a negro servant and shooting him
dead, the killing OF white man named Marvel,
who was hung as was afterwards chsrged, by
party OF colored men, who reported that he had
outraged the wife of a colored man, but the
Governor added that he believed this charge
was an afterthpught OF the parties implicated;
Marvel WAS Union man and had been q Fede-
ISi soldier. The next was outrage IN Hun
ungton, Carroll county, when an old man named
coleman was murdered under very sggrsvsting
circumstanees by Regroes. The latter were
committed TO jail, from which they were taken
by men disguised in masks. robes etc and shot
within tew hundred yards Of the jail. The
next was the hanging OF two negroes, taken from
the jail in Lebanon county in December. These
cases coming 20 the knowledge of the Governor
he said he was compelled 10 take official notice
1 Of then h and lssss messAgs 70 the Legislaturs
he stated, among other things, his inability 10
preserve the peace, and asked for such legisla-
ton as would enable him 20 reprcs violence.
but that this application WAS fruitless; that. al
though il was before the Legislature for a whole
month, they adjourned without Ioing anything.
other outrages, such AZ whipping cOl0red men.
driving them from their homes, refusing 10 paw
them for their labor, &c, had been reported 10
him, and yet IL was found impossible 60 detect
the perpetrators. The Legislature had repealed
certain laws giving the Executive power 90 call
out the militia, or rather the power 20 equip and
provision q military force in Tennessee; also.
the Law known as the ku-Klux law aud Law
authoring sherIffs 10 call out posse. Since that
time, however, they had passed a Law, perhaps
more stringent than the one repealed, in regard
% men who appear In public in masks. IL was
due, he said, to say that the Legislature did not
represent the mas of the people, the better
class OF whom deprecated these outrsges, but
who had not been sufficiently aroused 20 pre-
vent them.
Members Of the committee put these ques-
toHs:
BY Gen. Farnsworth.-was there any con
niying by men IN power-by yoarself-for thai
II the milk IN the cocoarut-snd other Of
fcers in Tennessee At the fra-ds charged In the
last election? Answer.-There " - not. There
Was none ON my part. Question.-or by officers
appointed by you" Answer.-None that know
of. Question.-what remedy do ysu propose
for this state of things? Answer propose
nothing Ifyou will give me troops I'm Tennes-
see will keep order. Question.-Don't you be-
lieve that the bad feeling in the State has in a
great measure been inhamed by the disfran-
chisement OF 20 many white people, Answer
That, of course, has had its effect Question
Don't you think the enfrsnchisement OF the
white people of the State tends TO ellay that
swer.-Reason would say IL did. should think
il ought to.
BY Mr.. Beck:-was II on account OF the fail
ure Of the Legislature to give you the power you
wanted that you wrote 20 the President asking
military aid? Answer.-Not on account OF that
failure, but because Of the evils which existed,
and which they had given no power TO remedy.
QuestiOn.-Would the future peace and good or
der OF the State be promoted or impaired by
Withdrawing from men who have now the right
of suffrage that right, and disfrsnchise them az
they were IN 1856, in your oplnios? Answer
The question If one that might be right hard 20
answer; but, as I said before. reason would
teach that the eenfrsnchisemento of all men would
tend TO produce peace in the country. Ques-
uon.-Has II been your view, both on the stump
and in the course OF your conduct, 10 encourage
that idea? Answer.-Yes. I was led 20 that
conclusion from the amount Of money Tennes-
they were disfranchised. Though we have no mi
litia Law on our statute books the Governor has
power TO call out the militia, but NO power 20
equip or provision them.
BY Fernando Wood.-What proportion OF the
entire population Of the State have participated
I'm these ku-kluN outrages? Apswer-The
only statement we have had that WAS looked
upon as authentic was made by Gen. Forrest
that there we're forty thousand hu-kluN in
Tennessee. Question.-Gen. Forrest Is not gen
orally looked upon "a a reliable man in his state
ments, he q? Answer.-He Is a shooting man.
and reckon l had better not say much about
mat but my conclusion II, reasoning upon the
subject, that there must he a very stringent or
ganiZation, not only well organized, bat well
differed, from the fact that they have commit
tel these outrages and neither money nor law
has been able to reach them.
After some further questions. the rest OF
Governor SenteT's examination was postponed
till Tuesday ,to-mOrrOw.D