The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-10-07


The truth about the row at Macon, Ca.
on the dav of election seems 70 be liaaI the
NEGROES attempted ly violent means 10 take
possession Of the polls and failed. The bio"d-
shed was owing entirely to their carrying
ont the incendiary instructions of their
leaders 1t appears that i'll 1870 the polls
were seized in the gray Of the morning by a
crowd of negroes, who strung out lon"
compact double line moving up in close order
10 the pollin. places; and though good
deal upwards Of two thousand votes were
po!Ied dnring lie doy, only obout Str'y c''tc
men qot in their bai!oiS. On the next day
the same thing was attempted, but the VII
luinous scheme was defeated by the tirmncss
of the police and United States soldiers.
The Telegraph and Messenger informs us
that the plan OF the negroes on last WcdncS-
day was a repetition Of that of 1870 The
law gave but one day and one voting place
in town. TO have gained exclusive poS>c,-
sion of the polls and then strung out their
long double line of voters in close order ana
pollcd every one It's slowly rs they choose.
before any considerable number of whites
lad voted, would, if well managed for delay,
have left the whites perhaps IN hour or t""
Of voting time after the negroes had zone.
The following account is given OF the ai.
fYav and its causes in the paper above cited;
"In order to effect this operation success
fully the whole nc@roNotnl% fore" had htch
ST, I..,t nd, ,.t,t
mics, meeting once a week for drill and in
str,lctious, and under orders to Rendezvous
at the City Hall at early dawn. In this snap"
they moved down 10 the poii>--an army
passcd the front Of the courthouse, and I'M
der order TO file left moved round 10 the
polls in the rear. Thea forthwith they he
gan q systematic crowdu% and SuIglng Oh
the smaller crowd, consisting o.! ordinary
and special police and white and c0lorcd
voters, who were there between them and
the polls peacefully carryin" Oh the election.
Soon the crowd hcrIlnc - compact that
some were seen, forced upwards, 10 craW!
over the heads q. the HAAS.
"Thc behavior Of til" negroes was I'LL the
time most H>ornt and uycrbcartlg. Several
QllalrclS and list blows hc-i.n. Brckhas
were hurled with great violence from the
assaulting party. \ negro leader called out
TO fire OH The whites, and Il single shot was
followed by 4 rapid discharge OF some iitiy
or 50. On the side Of the white voters, IL i
believed not 4 shot was fired which did not
come from IN acting policeman.
Immediately after this the aSSa1lllin% ne
grocs fed and then rallied 10 the City Hall
again to listen to inllammatory tml:!n@tlcs
over their failure to carry the election by
storm. Here Mayor HUH addressed them
and advised them to 20 back to the polls in Il
peaceable manner, like other citizens, and
assuring them OF protection and the sane
access to the polls as the whites had. But
under the advice OF their leaders they threw
up the election. declaring that HEY had been
driven from The polls by violence, tricycas
Mey had only bcen 3,ttGiH in az cfnri 10
arrest the poi'S by cioit"cc t"tp Mtty otrn e.
Ctustre PoSScSSt0".
Does not this recital carry the citizens of
Richmond lack to the dark days of 1867,
when by the same means JoE Cox. UNDER
WOOD, LINDSEY, and their associates, We're
elected to represent this city in the ColSti-
tutionl Convention? On th9t occasion, how
ever, the negroes were supported by the
military otherwise, as was the case III
Georgia, brave and outraged people would
have risen in their might and asserted the
privileges OF citizenship, even al the expense
OF bloodShcd.