The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-01-27

/ 1he 8UMm0Wer 1E0oDAcS-
Eafor Clarion: Presuming that the late
troubles i'm the county Of SunfiOtxer are very
imperfecfly understood By those living at q
distance from the scenes being enacted there
and the causes which have led to them, and
having a personal knowledge Of some OF
them, 1 propose making BRIEF unvarnish-
ed statement Of facts, which know to be
true.
4 But presume that it is most prudent to
premise that 1 had no hand in the outrages
committed, and am not acitizen of the coun-
ty- But my business for the last four months
has called me there nearly all the time. and
from personal knowledge and reliable infor-
nation, think understand the situation
Sometime last summer the notorious Com
bash made his appearance in that county
and soon commenced filling series of APP
pointments for public speaking.
He filed his appointments without moIes-
tation by the white citizens, notwithstand-
ing his efforts were well calculated to irq-
flame and embitter the ignorant and untu-
tored negroes against the white population
This course, as was no doubt expected-ii
not desired-by those whose tool he certain
ly was, inspired feeling of indignation on
the part of the white population, and yet ii
was borne and no demonstrations were made
TO put q stop 70 IL by force.
In the mean time Combash professed to be-
lieve that his life was in danger, and he sue
ceeded in arousing In the negro all his worst
passions, he collected them from the planta-
tons armed and equipped, formed into
squads and companies, differed them, and
then commenced series of marching and
countermarching in armed bands of infuri-
ated negroes, accompanied by constant re-
port of fire arms day and night sometimes
yelling like horde of savages in passing
houses. and by every means OF menace SEEM
ed determined TO arouse the white people to
some set of violence. For weeks / was an
eye witness to this inhuman and outrageous
conduct. liz is true that there were men
anxious to interfere by armed force and re-
pei these insults, but were constantly adj
vised by cooler heads TO bear ii, and do moth
ing that would bring about a conflict, and
thus by these restraints peace was maintain
ed fer several weeks amid all these exciting
causes.
!. Jpon one occasion an armed force collect
ed and went to the store of James Minter
with the avowed purpose of numbering and
burning him out When they arrived Mr..
Milter appeared and asked for the names of
the leaders, and the cry was "kill the ID
scorndrel and burn him out" Owing prob
ably to his cool self-possession and frmness
they retired without executing their pur-
pose As l understand the avowed object
was, that as Mintel had mortgages on their
crops for supplies furnished if they could
Kill him and burn his papers, their debts
would be thus lquidated. This is one of a
series of outrages and menaces committed
BY these mobs and yet they were borne with
meekness and submission which was con-
strued by these misled bands no doubt to
amount to cowardice and fear.
At any rate Gombash backed as he was by
hundreds of armed negroes and encouraged
! by (at least) the non-interference of the
military and civil authorities of the county,
and the non resistance of the whites became
so much emboldened that he at last threat
ened to commence general work Of de-
struction by burning houses and Staying
women and children, and for this purpose
called upon his armed hosts to rally to his
assistance. The turn out was becoming gen.
eral in Sunfiower and the western part OF
Carroll, when DIR. Gibson and others, seeing
that longer forbearance would cease to be a
virtue called around them party of friends
and determined to arrest Combash and have
him confined, and thus prevent a conflict OF
arms between the races. just here, let the
simple inquiry be made, why did not the au-
thorities of the county who alone had the
power and the influence, stop these outra-
geous proceedings before they eliminated
in bloodshed? And again let it be asked,
must the citizens of this country submit To
such outrages, and be denied the universal
privilege accorded to every living thing, the
|, | right of self protection, solely because they
had the misfortune to be born white? When
DIR. Gibson and his party, with the design
only to arrest COmbash and prevent him
from executing his threats, followed him uI
to Boyd's store where the negroes were raj
, | lying, and appeared in front of the house he
was supposed TO be in, two of the negroes
, | more courageous than the others stepped out
and fired at the crowd, Gibson's party re-
turned the fire, and several negroes were
/ Wounded-two MORALLY. 1t is beyond the
, possibility of doubt that the negroes fired
first and the killing was due alone to thai
fact.
| DIR. Gibson, and those acting with him
honestly believed that the time had come
when it was their religious duty to quell the
: Infatuated mob whose threats of burning
and murder had alarmed every one, and es-
! pecially as the Sunflower authorities were
! either insufficient or indisposed to interfere
: to arrest them in their course. After the af-
fair at Boyds store, men of high respecta-
bility demonstrated with the Sunfiower Off
} cials-which, indeed, had been done before
J and by their wise and prudent counsel;
succeeded in restoring peace.
. But it seems that Gibson and his friends
were to have no peace, while Combash, who
was the sole instigator of the whole trouble
, is permitted to go ScOtt-fTee and not hanC
raised TO check him in his career of madness
and mischief. / will not attempt to speal
in relation to the murder of Gibson, and thu
, indignities offered to his dead body, ard t.
: his weeping family, for all have heard con
4 corning it only have from reports in cireu
lation, and an account of which is foreign
TO the purpose Oh THIS article.
Suffice it to say, in this connection tina
{ Gibson and his friends have at all times ex
!. pressed willingness to be tried by an in
d telligent jury of their peers before the civi
: courts Of the country sworn to enforce tn
; laws OF the State. They hold that If the,
: have violated the law at all it is the law O
d the State to which they hold themselve
7. amenable, and hence their unwillingness q
: be arrested and tried by q military commits
sion. l have endeavored calmly and dis
i. passionately to lay before you some Of tn
: facts relating to these unfortunate occurren
ees, facts gathered from my own observa
ton and from other eye witnesses, who's
0 word would not be doubted i'm any court il
:, the world where they are known, and vii
here take occasion to assert that each an
II every fact here stated can be established
q denied-by the most undoubted testimony.
Z. In conclusion, will not disguise the fac
that some of our citizens, when together i
; conversation, and perhaps onsther occasion
Is did make use of Incorporate and uncalle
for language, but nothing did they do ths
would justify the resort to arms of Combas
I and his followers, which, il not winked {
by the authorities, was at least not prevent
m ed by them. NJ.
" Trouble at the White House.
Ie Verify the world moves fast and the grea