The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1871-12-15

character is '4-
oNEoE THE PRINCIPAL REASONS
OF the association Of men together in
bands to protect themselves and pro.
tect their women from this descrip.
tion Of outrage, which is invariably
punished with death. In Noxubee,
Lowndes and Winston counties, and
all the north eastern counties Of Miss.
issippi, there were some disturbances,
many violations of the law arising
from the general causes which have
already been spoken of-the disposi
tion Of the negroes to plunder, the
disposition to use violence toward.
tbe'whites. to which they are eneour
aged by their preponderating mum
hers, and by the policy Of the Ra1ica
government of the State in the hand.
of Governor Aloorn, al ded and
ABsTTED BY THE PRESENCE OF UNI
TED STATES TROOPS,
and very vindictive prosecution
against the white people instituted
under the recent act Of Congress in
regard to the Kuklux. Indictments
have been found against 800 persons
in the United States conrts upon
very
FLIMsY PRErExTs
In the great majority of instances.
Some few of them are cases in which
the parties deserve to be prosecuted
and punished, but where there is one
of that kind there are fifty which
grow out Of. triaing affairs, renccn.
tres and brawls between negroes and
white women. But the
TRUCULENT CHARACTER
of the negro, under the inspiration
of the persecutio instituted against
the white people there, is very well
illustrated by an occurrence whic b
took place at village called Art
esia, on the Mobile and Ohio railroad.
During the late election canvass
600 or 700 negroes gathered in the
little village, and a white man, NAM
ed Hugh Lee, who was stranger in
the town and employed on the
railroad, walked up to see what was
going on. The negroes had been
parading with arms in their hands,
and one Of them accidentally dis
cherged his piece in the air, or it
may have been fred as a sort of sa.
lutte in tho way of applause, as po-
[itical speech was being made at the
time,' and they were crowded near
the speaker. It was either fred
with such intent, or it was discharg-
ed accidentally. The negroes we're
alarmed momentarily at the dis
charge Of the gun, and one Of them
cried out "there he is," pointing to
the white man. They thereupon cut
the stranger down with a sabre, and
perforated him with gun-shot wounds,
killing him instantly; they left him
upon the ground. These negroes
we're most Of them drunk, and under
he guidance of two or three carpet
baggers. Some of the leaders were
arrested and carried to Jail, and
mob Of negroes was raised at Colum-
BUS, about fourteen miles distant, to
AXE them out. But the leaders we're
discharged from prison, and immedi-
stely proceedings were instituted
lgainst the sheriff and his force, who
lad made the arrests, for violating
he enforcement law of Congress;a and
hey were carried off to Oxford,
where they were compelled to give
,ail before the United States Judge
or arresting the murderers of that
man.
THE ENFORCEMENT ACT.
R-How does the enforcement act
perate?
Gen Bit deprives the States of
heir jurisdiction in criminal cases
rdinarily punished by the State
avs. It intrudes itself into States,
axes jurisdiction of all classes of
rime committed in the States which
1ere formerly punished by State laws
o that the Federal courts in the
south are COW crowded with every
description of criminal litigation
gainst tho white people. Persons
re brought under the law by.a sim
!e allegation that there is eombi-
alton to deprive the people Of their
ights guaranteed to them by the
institutional amendme nts. In this
nstance it was for an attempt to de-
rive negroes Of the right to murder
'hite men. There could have been
o other effect, for they were arreste
,r the murder of Hugh Lee, who is