The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1873-10-30
Ames Recurd Is Military Governor
(contiausG.
His Outrage ON the Freedom OF
Speech I'm 1he Person Of n
Co1Ored MAN.

1t has been shown in. our columns how
Ames removed DIR. Cohea and DR.. Catch
ings from the offices of Sheriff and of
Probate Judge of Rankin county, respec-
lively, both good officers, men of quail
fcation and unimpeachable integrity and
eligible under the Reconstruction Acts
and how he appointed Corliss and Nc
Gowan in the places, who committed high
crimes in their offices, and we're released
by the interference of Ames' military
tools. eBut there is chapter in the
Rankin county record of the upstart
shoulderstrap unwritten as yet in the pre-
sent canvass We refer to his outrage
on the freedom of speech in the person of
a colored citizen by the name of J. r.
| Highgate, teacher of freedman school.
The outrage was perpetrated in the open
day and was witnessed by hundreds of
citizens of both races. Civil authority
had been set aside by the shoulderstrap
who now seeks the office of Governor by
the votes of our people. Highgate was
a peaceable citizen. He was arrested
and subjected to cruel treatment for ex-
pressing the opinion that Corliss, Ames
pet, was thief-a fact publicly known in
the county and subsequently confessed by
Corliss himself, who, after his public
robbery, fed the community and has
never returned from that day to this.
The ofense of Highgate was nothing
more than his repeating what had been
virtually confessed by the Pilot. Ames
was applied to for redress by the injured
party for the ruffianism which was prac-
ticed under cover of his authority; but
the petition was treated with indiffer-
ence; and Ames thus confessed himself
the really responsible party. 1t shows
the character of the man to note that he
who had justified this outrage on High
gate, after seating himself in the u. S.
Senate as representative from Missis-
sippi, made it his daily occupation to
: charge the white people of the State with
r systematic lawlessness and bloodshed:
D STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, /
KINDS COUNTY.
Personally appeared before me, Geo. A.
Smythe, United States Commissioner, j. r.
? Highgate, a colored man, and teacher of a
freedman school in Madison c3anty, and
g State of Mississippi, who being sworn, says
, that being on visit to Brandon, Rankin
county, and said State: He was, on Friday,
: the 9th day of August, 1869, inticed to the
camp of the garrison at that place by man
dressed in citizens clothes, who afterwards
4 proved to be Brevet-Maj. RosencrantZ OF
n the 10th u. s. Infantry, commanding the de-
tachmeut of United States soldiers at that
e post, Having been asked If he had called
Mai. Corliss, Sheriff of Rankin county, a
thief, and having replied that he had done
: so privately, but in no public speech, he
was made to stand upon a barrel under
guard, and that the guard was ordered, in
e his belief to shoot him if he attempted to
, escape. He further swears, that when he
asked for breakfast and was refused, that he
e denounced Maj RosencrantZ as no gentle
] man, and that MAJ. KosencrantZ then had
l his hands tied behind his back and a gag
lightly tied that it gave him great pain, and
! was kept on him for fifteen minutes or
f longer. He further swears, that after the
gag had been taken off, and when he again
began to talk, the guard was ordered to
r bayonet him, which he lthe guard refused
: to do, and was replaced by another.
lie IuGIDeE SN0dTS, I1db nc was dTIcSltQ
about o'clock A. NJ, and kept standing
upon the barrel frem that time until 4
] O'Clock P. NJ, without being permitted TO
have any thing to eat. And that this was
for no other reason, to his knowledge than
because he expressed the belief that Maj
] CorIiss, the Sheriff of Rankin county, is
f guilty of the charge of stealing Rankin
county funds, for which he is now under
arrest, and so believing mad called him 4
r thief.
Sworn and subscribed to, this, the 2Sth of
August, 1862 j. X. HIGHGATE.
GEo. A. SMYTHE, L. S. Com.
Ames' Arbitrary Arrest of Cfti-
zens of KemPer County.
>, The facts of this arbitrary proceeding
, by which a number of the citizens of
Kemper county were dragged from their
homes and imprisoned without warrant,
or Judicial proceeding of any kind, in a
military camp, were thus stated in the
Meridian Mercury, at the time the out
rage was perpetrated:
The county of Kemper has been invaded
by federal soldiers, with all the pomp and
parade of glorious war. We have heard of
no hostile forces in Kemper to oppose them,
neither bush whaekers, guerillas nor regu-
lars. These troops are divided into small
squads and take by-paths, come suddenly
upon citizens, such, no doubt, as have been
spotted for them by little Radical clique
OF the county, and, with arms presented,
demand surrender, which, in most cases,
has been promptly made. Up to latest
: counts, in this way they succeeded in ar
resting ten of the citizens of the county, to-
wit: J. H. Ball. Jimmy Terry, Frank Ross,
Tom Wilson, two of the Newels, Pulaski
Gray, one or more of the Parkers, and one
of the Edwardses.
Ten prisoners have been brought into
camps at Lauderdale, and are held in close
confinement under guard. They are not
allowed to speak to anybody. At least, we
know a party who went to Lauderdale to
see them, and learning from outsiders that
it would be useless TO, did not make the
effort
When the news that these arrests were
being made was received here, to the~in-
quiry, what for? we heard it glihly assert
ed that negro had been killed. That is
very likely, but we have not been able to
learn of time, place and circumstances. We
have no reason to believe, from anything
| we know OF the condition of Kemper, that
if a crime has been committed. the criminal
could not have been proceeded against sue
cessfully in the ordinary way of affidavit
and civil process.
The foregoing are examples of the way
in which Ames played the tyrant over
an unofending and defenseless people as
Military Commander in 1869. With an
efrontery which is without parallel, he
is now seeking their votes for Governor
Let them remember him at the polls!
| -$<-o-%~-
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER THE FRA.
!
THE PEARL RIVER NAVHGA.
TEON FRAUD.