The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1871-07-20
From the Meridian Mercury.
| Government Secret Detective
Han Detected.
MARTIAL LAW AND A MILITARY
MAYOR FOR MERIDIAN.
GOV. ALcoRN NOT asoUND Of THE (RAD.cAL)
GOOSE AND TO BE KU KLUxKD WITH
THE KU KLUx Law BEFORE
THE ELECTION.
Lack OF Votes TO be Made Up i'm the
Coun ting.

4 VI
OF the 9th. had prepared our people for tn
advent of the Z. s. Marshal and his soldie
posse, If that is the name to give them o.
Friday evening last, y. S. Marshal, Shaugh
nessey, accompanied by sundry persons
supposed BY our citizens to be specials
came with him. It was expected that. ol
the morrow, there would be a lively tim
making the fashionable ciYiI-miIitary ar
rests. and folks were putting their houses ii
order Tor compulsory trip to jackson
The exposure of the scheme ia the Mercury
happily frustrated. as we now believe, b,
the exposure, had prepared them for il
There vas feeling, next morning of tn,
klno OF relief that condemned crimina
| reefs upon temporary respite, when w,
heard that Marshal Shaughnessey had gon,
| up the road that night. The confidenC ex
pectation was, that he would return and dC
us in brief time, and so houses were kept ir
order.
The Marshal dropped off some of his party
here, innocent and quiet looking men who
perhaps, expected to pass unnoticed in thi:
city OF strangers. We have one of them In
our eye. and we know that he was one OF
his men, because the Marshal paid his board
bill. Our people, though so used to stran-
gers going and coming yet have an eye out
| for them. This little fellow, peck marke ed
and dressed in sumner blue checks, had eyes
on him from the first. That evening we sa W
a citizen having his doors and windows
closed with extra care, and he whispered in
our ear that he was suspicious that profess
sional burglars had come to town.
! Our little pock-marked gentlemen had
taken up his abode at fashionable hotel not
far from the Mercury Office, and lounged
gracefully about the doors and entrances,
/ keeping well in the shade, like a man OF
| sense. He was closely watched by his fell
low loafers, and his points indnstriously
discussed. At last putting this and that
| together, the conclusion was reached. that
he was a Shaughncssey man. and filled the
manifold offices of Deputy Marshal, Spy and
| Detective.
One of our citizens, of foreign birth, con-
ceived the bold idea of going for him and
wringing the juice out of him, which lie
had a firm belief was rather rich, if he
could get it. Little by little lie made his
way into his confidence with slow approach
es, through whisky, lager and tobacco as a
cover. Without detailing particulars of
the mastery engineering of his approaches !;
suffice it to say, he found himself at last in
the inner citadel of his affections, as radi-
cal thief of the first water, worthy to be
trusted with the sacred and villainOus pur-
poses entrusted to faithful breast to be re-
vealed only to like faithful breasts to keep
and to help TO execute.
We have them now closeted dead of nj ght
close room, key hole stopped with a wad of
paper, 1is-G-viS, to ccnfer confidentially
about the great aims, purposes and schemes
of the great Radical party-how to carry
elections and maintain the supremacy OF
the Radical party in the State. In the gush-
ing confidence of his nature-he is an Irish
man, so said-he was ready TO tell it all to
the only faithful breast, OF the white per-
suasion, he had yet encountered in Merid-
ian. Our man of the engineering ability
wanted to enlarge the circle of trusted
with third party to the deliberations. He
went forth and returned with gentleman
whom he introduced as Col. c.. who had
commanded negro regiment in South. Car
DINA. The circle of trusting souls thus
completed, the business in hand was pro-
ceeded with.
We should have mentioned. that our peck
marked beauty, with the blue-checked sum-
mer clothes on, is said to answer to the
name of Cunningham. To one he preten-
ded that he was lately arrived from Chica-
go. To another, he pretended that he was
drumming for a New Orleans clothing
house. But there were those Who, in dis
cussing him, made bold to assert that they
had seen him for the last four years hang
ing around the negro purliues of the cities
of Jackson and Vicksburg.
Cunningham opened himself unreseryed-
ly. He had been watching things in Me-
ridian. He didn't believe that the Iostmas-
ter was as sound as he ought to be, nor the
sheriff. nor his deputy. The great object
i've point was to carry the election, The
Mayor and city government of Meridian
were in the way. They must be got out of
the way. There must be a pretext got out
of the Meridian riot case to declare martial
law for the city.
But" queried our radical mixer, show
are we to do that Our party commenced
the riot, and are at the bottom of it,"
He went on to say. that was matter of
no consequence. Trump up any charge TO
satisfy the Government. Government was
easily satisfied, and, in effect, it was all the
same as if the charges were true.
That was satisfactory to his friends, who
were receiving new lights.
He said, il was of the highest importance
that the Government should be sustained,
and the party in power. The Government,
he said, had plenty of money to pay for it,
and the necessary work to keep the patriotic
men who now WELD the destinies of the
nation In power must be done. Here, in
Meridian, to carry this county, the present
city government must be turned out. Capt.
Bartholomew, Post Commandant, after the
declaration of martial law, would be made
Military Mayor. He would put on full
corps of negro policemen who would so ter
roriZe over the white people from now until
the election, and set up the negroes, that
they might get majority. Ii, however, in
spite of all this, the white folks should put
a majority in the ballot box, the Republi-
cans and true friends of the country would
have the counting of the ballots, and if it
was all wrong, they could count it all right.
Cunningham expressed dstruSt of Gov.
Alcorn, and gave his two friends the very
interesting secret that the programme of the
party of true loyalty contemplated the ar
resting of the Governor, between now and
getting him out of their way.
Cunningham detailed numerous other Sc
crets that would be of interest, could we
spare the space to them. What we have
written of his disclosures, IL not in word, is
true ia the spirit of them, and could be veri-
fed in the main, by affidavits of responsible
gentlemen of the city of Meridian.
Cunningham. while here, worried a color
ed barber across the street from his hotel.
He would 90 over there and bore him by
efaa To tell him aamRfhinU ahOnf the
Meridian riot. He wanted him to tell him
who shot So and-sO, AID who shot so-and-
so. Ed told him-well, we aid'nt intend to
mention his name, but It won't damage him,
we think-that he was up here on Com
merce, and the riot occurred down on john
son street. Cunningham should have been
his name, he is cute-was 10th to take no
for an answer. He couldn't conceive it pos
sible that so big thing could have occurred
here and q colored individual would not
have known something to tell him against
somebody, of course, meaning against
white man. Ed was so bored by his impor-
tunities that he told US, he left his house
for hours at time. to keep from being bored
we are not sure he did not use curse words.
(If Ed belongs to the church, we ask pardon
for the insinuation.l
Cunningham returned with Shaughnessey
North, yesterday, to Jackson, and, as big
fool as he evidently IL. we think he began y
smell amice" before he left.
We take pleasure in recommending Cum
uing--t TO Sine Jones, Mckee, Mas.
jacobson with whom he was In daily cor
responde nee while here) as a most faithful,
0bedient servant, with the saving clause.
that he belongs 20 the Damphool family and
they must take the consequences of his
DarnphoOlers, If they continue to: employ
him on delicate, secret missions.
We will not close this without discharging
a duty which gives us pleasure. Captain
Bartholomew. to whom. yesterday. we sub
mitted the exposition of Cunningham,
promptly disclaimed any knowledge OF his
deep laid schemes, 90 far as he Is Individual