Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-20
So call it a loan, Cakes, etc,
THE FLORIDA TROUBLE-RADICAI


The following telegram was sent TO the
associated press and published in the paper;
Of March IA:
WASHINGTON, March 13.-The Attor-
ney General has received the following tel
egram:
JACKSONVILLE, FLA, March II: Hon.
George II. Williams A serious affray at
Lake City, Fla. Postmaster and county
officers driven from town. Am making an
investigation, in connection with District
Attorney, United States Marshal and Com
missioner. Ringleader arrested. VIII re-
port in a few days.
II. T.. WHITLEY,
Chief United States Secret Service,
The evident purpose of this telegram
was to make the impression that this law
less demonstration was an outbreak Of cit
liens of Florida who are not Republicans.
Shots were fred into several houses by the
mob, but, fortunately, no one was killed or
wounded, and DO one appears to have been
driven from his home. The Washington
Republican of the 18th inst. publishes q
statement fIom Judge Holt, of Lake City,
who was one of tie party fired upon, in
which he says:
sThey went from one house to the other,
firing volley after volley where they thought
the occupants were sleeping. They all dis
appeared when the O'Clock train whistled.
The day before Bushsmember of the As
sembly from Columbia county and lately
sheriff, told Keene that the next night Gov.
Day, Waldron, and himself would be as
sassinated, and for him to look out. He
said that fellow named Bethea, a noted
desperate chap, was at the bottom of it. 1t
was well known, however, that Bethea was
IN Texas, and Bush ought to have known
it. Besides, Bethes was an intimate friend
of Keene. On the night Of the assault
Bush called up the clerk ola store in Lake
City and purchased several boxes Of pistol
cartridges. 1t was about midnight, or just
before the firing. Bush was elected to the
Legislature last fall on the Republican
ticket, and is now the Conover candidate
for United States marshal in place of Co
nant. We know pretty well who were con-
Cerned in it.
"rhe testimony before the United States
Commissioners will bring it out. Every
body seems satisfied that Bush, DR.. John
son, the State Treasurer, aud Duval Selph
were at the bottom Cf it. Bush is a de-
faulter for several thousand dollars as tax
collector; johnson has been running the
county commissioners, and specialized on
county scrip to the amount of $4,000.
They were both afraid of some exposures
Gov. Hart has appointed men to all the
county offices who were hostile to Bush and
johnson. Both of them were leading men
in the Legislature in the interest of Con-
overs election as United States Senator.
Conover was formerly State Treasurer, aud
this accounts for the milk In the cocOanut.
All the parties attacked are Southern Re-
publicans; three of them natives of Florida.
Bush is a Georgian and johnson q North
Carolinian. Bush was one of the
Ellisville Ku-KluX, and suddenly
changed over to the Republicans. Duval
Selph was formally one of Governor Reeds
secret service men 10 ferret out the Ku
Klux. Reed gave him great deal Of mon
CIV. All the while he was one OF the Ku-
Klux himself. / don't believe that any
Democrats were concerned in the affair. 1t
was Bush and his few followers who pro-
fess to be Republicans only for the purpose
of carrying out their schemes"
Here is the testimony of one of the par
ties attacked that it was a Republican af-
fair throughout, and that Democrats had
nothing to do with it. There is little doubt
that great many of the f'Ku-klux outra-
ges," of which the country has heard so
much, were gotten up just as this Florida
affair was, and then used as an electioneer-
ing trick against the Democrats,