New-York tribune., 1871-03-24
KU-KLUX.


5sSssC%, Over Though the KuKlux fox the time were
psrtiay intmidated ats tSe Sa'Ks sreat teom alarm
S SSyT more sGsS Tc@hess o, their humber
~ i'm their remarks at times, but there Is AZ
sast abundaut proof that even these were in fear OF
Violence The eOlored man. wane Tyler FOR instance,
sine though engaged in teaching school was actug
Sxnc cut AT nights through fear of being caught III hs
he'd Very naturally he went wen armed; Ia lia osi
however the part Of the blacks was
rUkng characters in and about Meridian. This feeling
alarm finally led TO public meeting Gi Wy sSi@ ia S
Saturday the ih of March The meeting OF the baGEe
cal!ed by Aaron Moore memDSr OF We 49, ~ vier
and minister Of the Gospel, and by Narhe & ISISn,
" was called as al admit, for me ,Puaffon P,nfo,e
S having T9I9b sbo a MS meeting the most ncen
diary language used After having pallentY -
sone thnS SS ere said Which might in the eSersh
of the public mind he msconstrued hut there Was Hot9e
ing tomen disturbance on the contrary, tne n,dr
ton The chief objections on the part of the whites were
ton as NE was sometimes called. Warne Tyler seems TO
have been quite character in his way was believe
and was. at the tme principal OF large coored seVo %
He known as man who While lnenneG 20 dT ais
In bis raosrts on his occasion he made a char
Acterisc speech spoke strongly. the occasion WI
rarted OF the raids of the kukluX from AaaS i Si 10
then obliged TO remain out at night fear Of yoe9te
a. SidS6 er b snf & N a hazard. 1e T and 70 sah the mouth
OF any who insulted' him, he az the sav a. sor
ViseC Joint action fhclr part WIN
ping he raids from Alabama THIS was the u, Sb lime
his Speech ana objections made 10 u at INC % NE
strain referring to The number colored men killed and
20 the fact that gangs had been aDont s nous t them in
He also however. called on the whites 70 JON % thoti ~
some for their protection ne GaS & 40 Rr re-
scntatye with what all admit to be most conclator
snee,b After this the meeting broke up ana soms % Oi
,bip pi of W Dennis marched about Tor time with
dT,in and Ge Perhaps it was oggayauns "t M INC @ ,ip IL
~ it B2s of course unnecessary anu l'"'u '0-' '~ -
vas 81 least ~ innocent amusement
BURNING TIE MAYORS STORE.
On Saturday night little after dark, the store OF
MAYOR Stnrccs was discovered TO he in flames. 1t Is
asserted by The citizens OF Meridian that 1t fred by
incendares among the blacks who thus sought TO wreak
1hcr vengeance on the "Rebel Democracy" by burning
them ont. This s however too ridiculous theory 10
best friend they had in the town. and IL 'he 1aeAs ta
sought revenge they would sSaISeS .SeT %i sd IS
trusted friend. Another story equally rgcuous s that
aat it was heavily insured, and that the
goods were p95htoY p,h repSEfu, tsSt yH5s fred Ry
ac Of the desperate characters by whom the town was
a79 % e osy SHTS t o e GHG Mao SS c
200. would have the double incentive Of revenge ana
tit te He "sS St ~ - fp Fr6p ms n soon svrfad
EtTf3 il "on5uined tie entire block The blacks
turncd out promptly ana WoIAeu VOTE bt IKE aS done
i wes al fire that terribly incendary language IS
sad 70 have been used by Wm Dennis or Clopton ana
marched around thanking God the Rebel property was
and Vr1NIug tldt thc NAMES WOulu tpisliHe
even building in The city. The worst of the case with
hin seems have Deel that nc was at the hre III se
characters among the whites In this state, staggering
about he said 70 several OF MS friends repaS ths cN
store e burn him out PSt damn them a 5aeS GtSr %
S ed 'S "s TO The effect that they wondered if
was coored mems property how many would turn out
So save At This very time, too, some Of the worst
whites were standing 10y in idleness swearing they
would "blow out the BRAINS Of the first damned
niger that daTes touch thing As the crowd
was dispensing this William Dennis and another
eooTed man were Walking together near & Ihe
fire. white man IN yard lust py Nschargeu III, Ms Ps
1ol apparently IN tit Of drunken excitemen The two
Of either PSrfy having Fed At any person
but all fired in the air GhdoubtedS all We TeIe n aruk
fwaggering about drunk like the rest, was little later
e0es col Dennis ont Of the melee, and not daring to
take him home, carried him TO the house Of one PAYNE
AHe later as q Democratic sheet says, "the bell al
the African church pealed forth the usual signal for the
negroes 70 repair there" Ihis says the same paper,
was at once formed and marched to the resi-
dence Of the sheriff, where tender was maze
FOR the arrest Of Billy Clopton Dennis.
will this armed posse Of about 100 hunt Tor the one
poor. drunken, halfked neTo then in hiding to save
uis life Wherever they went they found the blacks Ind
away m Their houses The ringing OF the coi0rod curGh
bell spoken OF as so aggrayaung had done us WorA. ~
was Iung alarm on the report being circulated
around that the crowd had killed William Denlls ana
'.ssmbi5d Few in answer to lie summons, Who mad
been sent 70 advise all TO go to her homes ana remain
indoors The armed posse hunted from house 10 house
until they found Dennis and conveyed him TO the Court
OF the night armed men patroied the streets hoI col
Ured man was 10 be found.
MEETING OF "TIE DEMOCRACY" on MONDAY.
Sunday passed of quietly enough Soon after dark the
Fer sumnouela posse and started the purpose
OF dlsarlaug all he claims both white and black found
upon the street. is said that this found squads
Of blacks upon armed with The facts
appear 70 be that near the church they found two
three armed summoned Dy Tyler 10 aet as gdIG over
tho prisoner Dennis. They were disarmed, with The
promise that their arms would be restored on the next
Early ON the morning of the 9Th, meeting Of the
Democracy held at the COurtlIOGse. Called perhaps
Tor no purposes OF cv II tended 10 stir up the evil pas
Of men already az fever heat. The meeting was
caed through posters put up about one Of these
Meridian 10 Win blood At least il was upon OF
these posters that the dispute that eliminated In
Of fTCe JC sTpoiried 10 waif IN V' nn MaTor s d
notify hu TO leave the town :; but il was referred 10
committee 10 report al future meeting. This TesOiu-
elbows it to have been already determined upon that
Mayor Sturges should be expelled from the town. In
iho time, the hour SET for hearing the OF
WIN Dennis, then under guard stated, at the Court
HOuse, arrived Ii appears that for his detention
had been sworn out and that this warrant also in
Sluded the names Of Wane Tyler and Aaron Moore.
Neither of these parties however had yet been
ted Of The existence Of any such warrant Inc sherh
treated the charges as Of little moment allowing the
parties 10 be s AT rge without even the forms OF ar
rest As uc hour set Tor the nearing approached, the
sheriff his servant, Kzer, TO notify TO make
their appearance Aaron Moore came TO the Court
House Of his own accord where he first heard OF the
warrant, and told he must consider himself under
arrest The messenger Of the sheriff found Narne Tyler
at BIZ scho0ih0use preparing 70 Coehcs NJ Iapor7 OF
tie day Being informed OF the nature OF The case he
xrOInptiy turned the school 10 his assistant and
COinpdned kizer On arriving at me COuTE House The
citizens meeting found IN possession OF the prem
isg 30 that hearing could be had until evening The
warrants, however we're Iesd 70 tSla ~ InJ 81. S.ein
who remarked he had the warrants SATURDAY mght but
knew they would appear when sent for Tue hearing
was postponed and they sauntered about town Tyler
was observed reading OF the posters calling the
Three ocock in the afternoon the time set for the
bearing OF the cases IL was had m the Teguat court