New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-03-17
THE PERI or THE HOUR.

day, fily supplements the Report OF inc ool''e
Comr,iftee of Investigation, and proves tie
Rebel spirit still rampant and murdelous'
Mississippi is q strongly Republican State;
Meridian is Republican city; and yet her
Republican Mayor is hunted out like wolf,
though he is neither charged with any ohense
nor suspected of any wrong. Remember that
we had the Rebel bulletin OF this atrOcity
BY telegraph several days since, and,
while il stated the fact that he had been driven
away. it did not even intimate any other rea-
son for this than his Northern birth and Re
publican politics. Mr.. Surgis's own account of
the matter chocolates it, but is not in conflict
with that telegraphed by the confedemted
murdeIcrs. They, indeed, assert that negro
shot Judge BTamlctte and would fain create
the impression that this was the beginning OF
the fray to which Mayor Sturgis responds as
follows:
"Thc Ku-Klux win eudcavOr omakc the people Of The
North believe that Judge tBrametto was killed BY
negro They may make believe 10 but do not be
heve that any OF the arrested negroes had any weapon
other than pOckelnire, present at the trial
for time ana sat close to the accused and saw
none. But in direct line from the SAcrifs Office door
10 TIE main hall there sat one of those negroes and
believe, although saw not the shooting, that one or
many Of the Knslux in carrying ont their design, shot
Judge Bramletc. After the negro was shot, he jumped
ont OF the tw05tOry window after which he was killed
| Gen. Dennis coOred was shot Ia the Courtroom.
after which he was thrown from the two-story
window on TO the brick pavement below, ana as that
did not Kill him. they then cut his throat After they had
killed j. 4. Moore they went and burned his house. and
so they continued their helish baIbares. They sur
rounded my brothers. house They were all armed with
doubeblrrelcd shot guns anlas was told, 300 IN nun
her Many good citizens of Meridian pleaded for me- "a
ypa as maj n ii-kt
not from choice, but from necessity They appointed
committee after committee q wait upon me- md to In
form me that l must leave 10y 10 o'clock next diy.
| Their principal commanders visited me l wanted TO
know the why's and whercforc' bat hey said they came
not to argue any question Of rghto verdict had been
rendered They treated me respectfully, but said that
their uhmatun was that must take . Nolthcrh-bound
train. yielded At about 12l O'Clock at night, perhaps
so came and escorted me to the cars
We are sure that no impartial judge can
doubt that this is the truth, and that the pre-
| tense that negro Shot Judge Bramlettc-for
which no pretext is alleged and no conceiva-
bic motive is even suggestcd-i5 a naked lie,
! invented to screen the Ku-Klux murdercrs
FROM general execratiOn Ii might rs plausibly
be contended that the negroes ran Off Mayor
Sturgis.
How is it that a large portion of The Ameri-
can People regard such crimes with an indf
ference which is equivalent to approval?
We answer: Many people including ma
iority OF those living in this City, are Ku-
Klux at heart. The crimes recently perDe-
tratad at Meridian repeat with variations
those perpetrAted here in July, 1858. Then, as
now, hatred of Republicans, especially Of
! Blacks. and sympathy with Che SlaVehOidcFS'
EebellioD, gave the impulse to crimes which
would have disuaccd SodOm. In repeated
instances, negroes were hunted from street
10 street by m0bs Of Democratic saw
ages, intent on their murder for no possible
reason but their color. In one case (amOng
many Black man was hung till dead, and a
fire built under him to roast him az he swung
dead on the gallOws and swarms Of
children, with older persons, shouted in e.ulta-
ton as the flames burnt OFF his clothes and
blisterod his flesh. Mr.. Eldridse's joke as to
the Ku-Klux in New-HampshHe was far nearer
the truth than he would wish to have believed.
The animus of partisan Democracy to-day,
whether at the North or at the South, is hate
Of the Black race and determination to re-
duce them as nearly to Slavery as is still pos
! si1c.
How is it that such a party can win local
and temporary triulnphs2
!
| Millions who are in sympathy with the New
| York rioters Of 1853 and the Southern Ku-
| KIux Of 1871 are other Millions who are
! ignorant of the essential facts. Some Of these
cannot read others are absorbed in business
or other cares; many read only journals which
| habitually and dcsigHcdly mislead them. The
! Wo,}Fs obstinate refusal to publish the charge
of Judge Pryor at Frankfort, with the corObor
atng leader of The Louisville C0uTier-JOuradl
showing what are the Ku-Klux manifestations
in Kentucky, is q fair specimen Of the class
Here is the most emphatic attestatOn by
Democratic authority that ali we say of Ku-
Klux Outrages is true; but what avails this
when half the American People are not allowed
to see iii In order that Democratic victories
may be won, it is necessary that Democratic
journals should suppress all alluson to the
most mOmentous and appalling events Of the
day.
| The Ecening P0St-which still allows itself to
be called Republican, in order that it may
most efiectually serve tie enemy-is cxultingy
quoted by The World as saying of Cen But
! lcr's anti-Ku-Klux bill:
''In the first place. it piece OF special legislation
subiecting eleven States to system Of criminal juiis
dicon entirely different from any that exists would
be tolerated in the other States. 1t makes that crime
in South Carolina which IL crime ia New-YOrk. II
makes certain Oenscs punishable by different tribunal
and with incomparably greater severity IN Louisiana
than in Massachusetts, Congress has no more pOccr
do MS Q h1S 10 make dtgcrent sets Of customs tar
os for d0ent States But again. the whole subject is
ono over which Congress has ursdstOn. There SnO
n line in The Constitution u authorize ne General GOreri-
et IN aiutqtn cicit oidCr ia The States. The State
soties may indeed, call on the President to aid them
In ,7Dre.ng instruction. Bat when he gives this aid,