The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-12-22
v1cKsBURe v1C1ssITUDEs.
THE WHOLE STORY.

BILTTY OF REINSTAT1NG THE OUSIED OFfl-
CIALs-THE CASE OF CROSBY, THE NEGRO
SHERIFF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF HIS
ELECTIoN--BATTLEs FOUGHT AND THEIR
REsULT-ovER THE BATTLE FIELDS.
DIR. III. V. Redfeld, the correspondent of
the Cincinnati Commercial, travelling in the
South, has written a series OF letters from
that country, remarkable alike for their evil
dent candor, insight and fearlessness of ex-
preston. Having just arrived at Vicks-
burg, he has written the following letter,
which may be said to cover the whole
ground of the recent riots and political agi-
tation in that city, and it is, besides, very
graphic recital of the events narrated. 1t Is
dated the 18th inst, and is given entire. as
follows: Mr.. Corral, of the New York
Times, and myself arrived in this famous
CITY Yesterday. We find the war over for
the present so far as actual fighting is con-
cerned, but bad state OF feeling between the
races. There will be no more fighting
unless the governor and the legislature
which meets in an extra session next Thurs
day, attempt tO-reinstate the Ousted negro
officials, in which case there will be war
pure and simple. No power can put back
| into Office the negro officials whom the
whites have turned out. except the army OF
the United States The state is as powerless
| to do il as would be an omnibus load OF new
born babes. Governor Ames and the legis-
| lature can ONLY rally the negro militia-not
| fifty white men in the state would respond
and this negro militia would be as worth
! less as sheep in cOntending with the well
| armed and well appointed white men of
VicksbuTg. The people here are In arms.
Every white man has his Winchester rifle or
/ his needle gun, or both, and he means hight,
ana he will fight if anv attempt Is made TO
reinstate the negro sheriff into office. 1t is
remarkable fact that there is not in all
| Wick sburg a white man but whose sympa-
! thies and whose gun are upon the side Of
the whites. They are unit, and will fight
| in solid column If any attempt is made TO
| restore the deposed negroes to office. While
| here have met many white republicans,
| whom / have known in the past as un-
wavering republicans, and not one of them
| but who sympathzes with the men of his
race in this SIGHT. "Why," said ex-Attorney-
| Gen. Morris 10 me- last night, ''it was mat
ter of necessity to drive back those negroes
last Monday. Had they once got into the
city and lodged themselves in The court
house, there would have been 10000 negroes
here in "a hours, What then? We should
have had terrible scenes of bloodshed right
in our streets, and perhaps a thousand men
killed in a night. No, sir, the whites-the
men who own the property IN this city
owed it to themselves TO drive back those
negroes. They killed more than they needed
to- as is ALWAYS the case when white blood IS
aroused and this is TO be regretted,
but under the circumstar ces fight could
not be avoided" How many negroes were
killed have not been able 10 learn, but the
weights of testimony places the number at
over one hundred. But three whites were
killed, and two or three wounded. 1t is
ever so. y gang of plantation negroes, not
I officered and directed by white men, are rs
incapable OF standing against the white men
OF Vicksburg as are SO many sheep. There
are in this city one thousand white men
who can whip out, kill, gobble up and drive
off all the negroes that Ames and his legis-
lature could bring against them. The war
is the outskirts OF the city was
SIMPLY A SLAUGHTER
of lot of poor negroes, who came to town
under the sherif7s order, to "enforce the
law" They were armed, but indifIerently
; so, and at the first and second fires they
scattered and ran like sheep, and were sho
: down as they ran. The whites have tn,
best arms IN existence, and, under any cir
cumstances whatever, the attempt to pit ne
| groes against them is crime. don't care
what the circumstances are-whe is right OF
| who is wrong-the negroes are no match To-
the whites, and they go into slaughter pei
when thew 90 TO battle. There are in thi
county four negroes to one white, bu
| in case of armed conflict, although
! in so great majority, the ne
| groes. would be disarme6, killed
, | OH. anu Wlp0Q OUT AA lOTbN-Oiklb nc
member that in the whole county there il
not single white man but who is on th
| white mans side. Under such circumstances
what unutteI able folly il will be to attempt
. by force to reiustate negro officials wnC
| have been deposed of their offices. The lon,
, and the short of the conflict here is just this
The whites have made up their minds tha
they will not longer be ruled and robbed b,
+ | a lot of ignorant negro officials, put into OF
| flee by the enormous negro voting majority
5 who vote in solid column, and they won't
That is the whole story. In this the white
are a unit. Negro Enle in Warren count,
E and 4icksburg mas been a scands
L ! and u disgrace. Taxes and assess
/ ments have been increased year afte
1 year, until the whites-that is to say, tn
eJ taxpayers-have become desperate, and re
y } sorted to arms to free themselves from tn
load that was crushing their interests to Tn
earth. Understand, while the negroes com
pose three-fourths of the population, tn
whites own torty-nine fittieths of tn
= property. You can readily see 10 what thi
q would lead. The little city of Vicksbur
e owes nearly a million of dollars. and take
s are from four to six per cent. have nc
q the figures betore me to show TO the reade
. | how the taxpayers of the county and cit
a have been robbed, but they have stood NOR
! tkan would the people OF any nOrther
: CITY. Prominent in the uprising agains
= negro rule here are northern men and es
4 te%eral officers VINO have always been cor
d sidered republicans. But they are propert
! holders, and have interests in common wit
q the,Other taxpayers.
CROSBY.
: The attempt OF the negro sheriff. Crosby
/ to collect the taxes this year without suff
cient bond, was the immediate cause of th
riot, revolution, rebellion, uprising, war {
: races, or whatever You choose to call il
}: The thing had been brewing since the cit
: election last summer, when the race feelIn
a was aroused TO fever heat. In that election
mind you, but three white men voted wit
9 tho negroes. But 1 have not time, betor
$ the closing of the mail to go into detaile
g statement. That Crosby was elected sheri
4 hu vary larna maiOrifu no nna Aisnnfo.