New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-07

robbing hen house, that Judge Guigon or
dered the immediate arrest of Gilbert Branch
a negro witness for the defence, as soon as he
had completed his testimony
Gilbert,saw, as usual, man come up to
John in the street at night and give him a
handful of eggs. He didn't know him, nor did
John, nor did the liberal Individual say word
by way OF explanation. He just gave him the
eggs and left - -a
Gilbert was tried Saturday for perjury and
sent to tho penitentiary for three years. This
will be warning to witnesses OF his stripe"
The Virginia Courts have been shipped into
partisan political machine to aid the Demo-
Gratis in overcoming Republican majorities in
the State, by means of Jail and prisons, for it
makes no difference with the supposed defend
ant if be be imprisoned for one year OF ten,
he forever afterwards loses his vote, and while
the courts are in such hands there is no need
Of a Ku-Klux organization here.
The election laws have been SO cunningly
devised, aud the hardships under them are so
difficult to comply with, that hundreds of citi-
zens in every county fail to vote, however much
they may desire to do so, and under the circum-
stances, it is indeed matter of wonder how so
many colored men do vote az ALL will state
one of the main obstacles which keep many
Republicans from the polls. A person who
lived in the city of Norfolk, and voted there in
May last, but failing longer to obtain employ
ment, he came to Richmond and obtained
situation in June. When registration com.
menced, in November, he went to the proper
place in his ward to register. The officer in
charge asked where he voted last, he answered
Norfolk; then said the officer, You must 90
and get your certificate, bring it hcre, and
then you can register. Norfolk is 100
miles from Richmond; expense to go and
return, 81. If he wrote to the Office there
he would not get it, therefore the party must
60 in person. Now the experience of this man,
in Richmond, is that of fifty Others in every
county in the State, and with this and hundred
other cases similar in character, growing out
of opposition to negro suffrage, it is readily
seen why this State remains in the hands of the
old enemy. Among the many cases in which
the enforcement act has been violated, the
following is the only one brought to judgment:
PUNISHED FOR VIOLATIONS OF THE ENFORCE
MENr ACT.-ln the United States Circuit Court
for this district yesterday occurred the first in
stance in this State of sentence under the act
for the enforcement of the fifteenth amend
ment. The accused was DR.. Charles f. Gillou,
a citizen of Chesterfield, who was charged in
four cases with preventing, hndering, and in
timidating Samuel Thompson, Moses Thomp-
son, Randolph Thwsath, and Joseph Branch,
negroes, from exercising, according to their
own judgment, the right of suffrage at an cleo
ton held in Matoaca township, Chesterfield
county, on the 18th of May, 1871. The means
of intimidation alleged to have been used was
threat of ejecting the said negroes from their
houses and lands on the lands of the said
Charles f. Gillou in case they voted the Radi-
cal ticket DR.. Gillou pleaded guilty in all the
cases except that Of Joseph Branch, in which
a nolle prosequi was entered. In the case of
Samuel Thompson the court imposed upon the
prisoner fine of $500 and costs, and in the
other two cases judgment was suspended"
This DR.. Charles F. Gillou is Northern
man, and was an officer in the United States
navy, but has now come down here and gone
to eating dirt after the old style. Nothing
gives Southern man much pleasure as to
be able to fawn Northern man into syco.
plant. O.