Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-04
The ExuI.Inx in Alabama.

~ AolONtu luz iNAtCli udl0h LCllbpollos mia
bama, Sept 9th, 1872, is published in the Wash
iugton Chronicle:
As a Grant and Wilson elector for the fourth
congressional Alabama district, comprising
fourteen of the wealthieSt counties in Alabama,
as the chairman of the fourth republican execu-
tive committee, as an eX-delegate to the Phila-
delphia convention. as an ex-senator, and as
native Albanian, deem it my duty to inform
the public, as well as the administration, of the
awful state of affairs which exist in this portion
Of Alabama.
On the Dist inst, in accordance with a pre-
yious notice, proceeded to Livingston, Sumter
county, Ala, in imy buggy, pulled by two fine
I mules, for the purpose of addressing the repub-
iicans of said county. | went in the daytime,
| bv wav OF Belmount and Buff Port, two infe-
| rior villages of Sumter. These two little vii
| lagos were once houriShng and prosperous, but
the black deeds, such as whipping, hanging and
| killing of the colored people, have caused ruin,
waste and desolation. The storehouses have
| crumbled down, the dwelling houses uninhab-
tied and decaying, the fields, where once were
labor and cultivation, are now grown up in
weeds and broom sage. Iarrived at Livingston
precisely at II O'Clock A. NJ. l found tremen-
dOus assembIage.
Shortly after my arrival, Hon Charles Hay,
member of congress from the fourth Alabama
district, and who has been. renominated by the
republican convention, arrived. A short while
after my arrival, two men, one quite a youth,
llC UluGI QullG duNduGeu Ill ave, WIFI LTbneU-
dous pistols buckled around him. approached
me and said: "lll bet you $40 that such a man
can whip you" Informed them that Twas not
there to fight, but belonged to the republican
party, which is the party of peace and prospect.
ty. Almost every white man had pistols buck
led around him. soon found out that | could
not speak there. Some of those present, hearing
that had expressed the opinion that | could
not speak, insisted on my doing so. / assembled
the stand and told good many humorous an
ecdotes and stopped. l could not have spoken
there.
About six O'Clock P. NJ. | began my journey
home, the same way had Travelled in the morn
ing. After proceeding about fourteen miles, a
colored man met me, very much excited, aud
said, "Mars Will, crowd of white men have
gone down the road to Demopolis, armed" My
family were i'll, and had to 90 home if posi-
BILE On arriving in Belmount | drove short
distance down the Mcdowell road to see an
old schoolmate of mine and ascertain from him
If he had seen or heard anything of those
men, He said he had not | con-
cluded to brave the danger. colored man
let me have two pistols. | instructed my
driver, as it was very dark-the moon not then
being up-to drive very slow, so, should any
one be approaching us, we could hear them, and
prepare to fight. | passed through the "Bigbee
swamp safe, and woke up the ferTyman to put
US across the TOmbigbee river | drove the
buggy in the tiatboat myself, my driver assist
inc the erryman. just as we got half way over
the river the hatboat ran aground on sand
bar. was sitting in the buggy, holding my
mules. All at once there came yOlley of pis-
tol shots. One ball struck my right hand
mule; | heard several hit the buggy; was
holding to my mules; one ball went through
my coat, just above my hip; ! then jumped out
and told them TO shoot me and not kill my
mules. The lerryman abandoned his post and
laid fiat down in the boat, ] went to his post
of duty aud endeayored TO get the fiat off, the
rascals shooting at me all of the time. The
moon was shining almost as bright as day;
saw them and know some of them. This is no
embellished tale. The buggy With pistol holes
through it; the mule shot; my coat perforated
are all here to show for themselves Now,
some will say, why did they not get
me in the swamp? Had ! not gone down the
Mcdowell road short distance, and while there
received warning, they would have gotten me.
Had those rascals not met, when within three or
four hundred yards of me, three men, they would
have gotten me. | have heard since that there
were only four men who shot at me- Had [
known hat, while the shooting was going on,
they would have had a hard time and a very
rough time counted fourteen shots The
terIyman counted seventeen. One of the party
said, ono damn radical shall speak in Sumter
| countyP This was the first time had been in
| Sumter county since the 4th day of July 1870
| | canvassed my native county (Marengo) in 1860
! for Bell and Everett. My first vote was for
| them. | did my duty as a southern man in the
I
| was a republican. | have advocated the validity
| of the reconstruction acts of congress. | have
| been an advocate Of the amendments to the
| United States constitution | have been a strong
| defender of President Grants administration
| For this am called traitor. am a candidate
for no office; have asked no office from the hands
| of President Grant. | support him because he
| is the savior of our Union and the defender of
| The peoples rights.
The spirit of rebellion in Sumter county to-day
| is worse than in 1860. The monstrouS persecu-
| tons upon the colored man-upon republicans
are as great now in Sumter as in 1871. The
| spirit OF knkluXism is only waiting for the cleo
ton of old Horace Greeley. Thank God it will
| have to wait some time on that | have heard
of no Greeley eIeetor being shotat or in the least
| maltreated The Greeley elector for this district
and l, the Grant elcctOr, have met several times.
| Whenever we republicans speak, we always in
wife the democrats to show up their hand. Give
us fair vote in this district; put down lawless-
| ness and crime; let the COlored people, who are
| all for Gen. Grant, have fair showing, and
| Alabama is sure Tor Gen. Grant, for we haze
| $4,000 majority.
|, as citizen, a native citizen of Alabama,
identified in every particular with its interests
| that every other citizen is, would thousand
| times rather have martial law proclaimed here
| than TO live here as it is now.
No man who openly advocates republican
measures and a love for the Union is safe here
so man be democrat, no matter how low,
| how mean, how bad character he has, he can
| speak and do as he wishes and nothing said
nothing done, but all is right
write this over my full name so there can be
| no mistake as to who the author is.
w. B. JONES,
Grant and Wilson elector, 4th Alabama dis
| trict.