Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-08-13
THE S0MERYILLE AFFAIR.
A Full and DispassiOnate AZ
count of How il Originated

4
| synoIsis of the causes which led TO the ate
| troubles in Fayette county, and the events
which occurred in Somerville last week
wish TO say nothing calculated 10 infame
the passions and intensity the prejudices Of
either party, but merely TO give a dispas-
| sionate statement of every important event
connected with the late bitter contest.
WHO WERE THE AGGRESsoRs.
1t was the policy ofthe Conservative par
ty and the SOmercdle Falcon, in IFS outses,
| TO make 10 contest of political nature, il
| its August election. The Republicans, wlo
hold al the offices in the county, had Civ
en- fair satisfaction, and we announced that
we would hold no convention, but would
| support men ON account OF their merits
/ alone, and this state of affairs in our parry
was well known to every member Of the
Radical party. In the face Of all this they
met in convention and boldly pro-
| claimed the doctrines of civil rights
| and social equality, and declared that
i they would support no man for ollie
4 W NO udreu TO defiy tueIn all the prIvIIoSSs
| guaranteed to them in the Civil Rights
bill, and these declarations were followed
| by incendiary speeches on the part of negro
leaders, and finally the white people were
forced, against their will, to enter contest
necessarily bitter and vindictive. The ne
groes forced their white leaders to draw
the lines on color basis, and hundreds Of
men who had not voted since the war
were drawn into the canvass. myself de-
pIored the necessity Of such conflict, and
gladly would / have avoided it, could L
have done so without staining my honor as
a citizen of Fayette county and of Tennes-
see. can truthfully say that we were on
the defensive all the time, and were never
the aggressOas. / make this statement in
regard to the Conservative party, and not
to individuals composing it. On this basis
was the contest carried on until the week
of the election.
WHY WE CALLED ON MEMPHIS FOR AS
| sIsTANCE.
| During the entire canvass we were re-
peatedly confronted with threats from the
negroes that they intended to burn out and
murder the whites Of the county, and that
hencaforth, they would fill from their own
race all the offices from Judge down to
constable. On one occasion J. G. Reeves,
the Radical Sheriff, told me that the lead
ing negroes had repeatedly proposed to him
to exterIninate the whites and burn down
their houses, but that he had used his
whole influence to check this malicious
and reckless spirit. | am ready TO give
Mr.. Reeves full credit for telling the truth
In regard to this matter. believe that he
would deplOre riot as much as any man
in the county. 4 few days before the election
Oliver CRANBERRY, "a leadingnegro, accidental.
" dropped note, which was picked up by
a white man, and found to contain direc-
tions to the negroes of certain district TO
go to the polls armed with concealed weap-
Ons, as they expected 10 have some stun"
on that occasion. Other demonstrations of
an equally aggressive nature were made in
all parts Of the county, which simply went
to prove to all unbiased minds that there
was we'll organized and armed force Of
negroes ready to play the part Of mob at
a moments warning. So great was the eX-
element that for two or three days previous
to the election, the business houses Of
Somerville were all closed and momenta-
rily expecting a collision with the whites
and the backs.
THE FIRST FIGHT.
On election day a negro named Cash
Warren cursed a young man named Edgar
Hernden aud told him that the negroes had
ssplenty of lead and would use it if the
whites attempted to challenge illegal black
voters. The next day the difficulty was
renewed, when Cash Warren was shot
severely, though not mortality. The parties
who did the shooting, though acting in self
defense, were arrested and required TO give
bond for their appearance at court. This
event occurred about about 10 O'Clock. In
a few minutes negro runners were seen
going in all directions to the country dis
tricts to spread the news, as was believed,
that one of their color had been shot.
TIE SECOND FIGHT.
About two o'clock on Sunday rImor
reached town that 200 armed negroes had
fired on Mr.. 7. Il. Allen, six miles south OF
town. and were marching rapidly on SOmer-
vile to avence the death of Cash Warren.
Sheriff Reeves heard the report, and was in
the act of starting to meet the negroes and
stop them, when he encountered young
Oscar Burton, who was well armed, and
who said ne was going to meet the negro
mob. Tho Sheriff attempted to arrest and
disarm him, which resulted in the shoot
ing of himself, and his two brothers, Al
bert and Paul, while young Burton him
self was shot thirteen times. With the
: Sheriff and his most trIIsty deputies shot
down, il was plain there was no one
! to quell negro mob, if one existed,
save the white man himself, and that with.
| out any formal legal authority, the citizens
of the town, armed with such weapons as
! they could OBJ ain, prepared as best they
could to ward of the threatened attack.
Our force numbered about seventy-five men
: all told, while il was believed that several
hundred negroes were near town in body.
In this emergency, consultation of some
of our best citizens was held, when it was
) decided to call on Memphis for help.
was requested to write dispatch for that
{ purpose, which did, as the public already
? know. While l wrote the said dispatch at
! the earnest suggestion of influential eitl-
zens of Somerville, am fully willing TO
stand alone responsible for its origin.
Ill was actuated only by a desire to
: preserve the peace and suppress
riot and disorder. l am satisfied
that the presence Of an armed force at the
r most critical juneture of affairs had most
e happy moral effect on the ignorant and nm.
} principled black leaders y 40. with tbei,
| circumscribed Knowledge, believed the
white people to be wholly in their power
|, ond their mercy. Had any one witnessed
the deep Joy manifested by the women and
children of SOmerville on the arrival of the
companies from Memphis, he would nc
, longer have doubted that help was needed
and wanted, and that the people were in
the midst of deep and important crisis
In their behalf, l can truly say that they
! will never forget the promptness with
which the young men of Memphis respond
ed to their call for assistance.
, THE RADICAL LEADERS.
/ am satisfied that the Radical leaders
were opposed to a riot, and used their ia
fluence to prevent it. Especially is this
true of Sheriff j. e.. Reeves.
THE EAST TENNEssEEANs.
, If other proof were necessary to substanti-
ate the assertions in regard to the negroes
? of Fayette county, the simple fact that five
hundred Republican East Tennessee voters
now residing there voted solidly with the
= Conservative party, would set at rest all
: doubts on the subject. Many of them
We're gallant soldiers in the Federal army,
and nine-tenths of them are uncompro-
missing Republicans, but so obnoxious were
the negroes that they were forced into our
ranks. To them the white people of Fay
cite county owe debt of gratitude they
can never repay. To them they are indebt
ed for the election of the whiteman's ticket
! last Thursday.
In reviewing the history Of the late un-
r fortunate canvass in my county, in which |