Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-10-02

previous to this demonstration. Ru-
NOR, with her thousand tongues, took
up the matter, and when itreached here
it was very much exaggerated. Among
other things, it was reported that three
white men had alre: " been killed, and
that Prince Rivers was upon the field
with cavalry aud artillery. The quick,
short peals of thunder. with little or
no cloud, of Sunday night, lent con-
firmation to the latter report. Negroes
and whites, armed to the teeth, and
excited to pitch of frenzy, poured to
the place of supposed engagement.
Our town was almost deserted of its
male inhabitants, and tho screams of
women and children. left, as they sup
posed, at the mercy of the negro; the
wild hurrying to and fro of husbands,
sons, fathers and brothers, mounting
in hot haste; the apprehension depict
ed in the countenances of all, and the
dismay and terror of the helpless por-
ton of our community, made up a
scene of terror and distress totally be-
yond our ability to picture. Negro
women poured through the streets,
urging the negro men to the strife, and
shrieking out most CHASTITY and bias
phemous imprecations against the
white race. The cry was death to
all white men who have gone to the
front, and the torch this very night
for the women and the children who
remain behind !'' White women pale
with frightsand anguish, packed up
their silver and valuables, in the vain
hope of saving some little from the
torch which was so freely and fercely
Threatened. And there was indeed
deep cause for fear.
One of many incidents we select q
single one, as showing the animus of
the blacks. George James, huge,
hurley negro man, went laundering
out on the Columbia road, driving q
wagon at furious speed, melting ali
the negroes he met to arm for strife.
In front of DR.. Sanders residence,
upon whose premises lives Mack
Brooks, captain of the militia COM
pany OF this particular locality, this
man halleoed to Mack's wife to get
his pistol ready, that the negroes now
had something more to do than eat
meat and bread. Mrs. Sanders, a
lady Of delicate frame, ill-health and
extreme sensibility, was entirely alone
with her little children. Her husband
was in Charleston. Her terror and
dismay may well be imagined.
On Sunday afternoon, before the
throngs of men, both white and black,
who left our town, had fairly reached
the scene of action, Tenant had be-
come alarmed and consented to dis
perse his troops-some two hundred
and fifty or three hundred in mum ber
This he did only upon the stern and
final representation of Col. A P. But
Ter, who informed him that he (Col.
Butler) could no longer restrain his
men, and that if he did not disperse
in ten minutes he must take the conse.
quences. Col. A. p. Butler is captain
Of the Curryton Sabre Club, and was,
by common consent, in command Of
all the whites who had assembled un-
der arms. These were principally the
Curryton Sabre Club. and the Horns
Creek Club, under the leadership OF
Capt. Ben Mays. Tenant then dis
persed his men. This was between
3 and 5 o'clock on Sunday after.
noon. Large numbers Of white
men and negroes, however. poured in
upon the scene subsequently, and
spent the night upon the ground. In
fact, SO fast had flown the news, the
whole country, from north to south.
and from east to west, was swarming
with bodies of armed men, white an 1
black, on horseback and on foot, while
women and children were flying to-
wards the railroad, to make their es-
cape to GraniteViile, Augusta and Co,
lumbia. During Sunday night our
town was vigilantly patrolled, from
sunset until sunrise, and clubs OF
white men and companies of negro
militia camped on the outskirts.
On Monday the excitement was
| shifted from the Republican Church
section to our own midst. From early
morning until late in the afternoon
armed whites and blacks poured into
town, and the excitement was intense.
The bar-rooms were closed early in the
day, and it was only by the untirine
vigilance and wise cOuusels of several
cd and leading citizens that an actual
! collision was prevented. During the
afternoon Cain. the colored colonel OF
the militia, was induced by these citi
zens to disband his men, or rather &c
send them home-not, however. until
these citizens had promised to prevail
upon the whites to leave simultaneous
ly. And SO this outrageous affair end
ed for the present. On Monday night
the town was again closely patrolled.
And just here it would be proper to
say that the thanks of the public, and
particularly of our own community,
are due to Capt. George B. Lake and
Lieut.. J. 81. Cheatham, and the club
of fine young men under their com
mand, for the alacrity and spirit with
which they responded to the necessi.
ties of the occasion. and for the ad.
mirabls judgmentan and moderation they
evinced throughout.
The times are out of joint, and the
white people of Edgefeld have been
insulted, outraged and threatened be-
yond the power of human pen to des-
cribe; yet, nevertheless, in closing ou1
remarks upon this horrible and degra-
ding episode IN our history, we would
reccomend to our people the careful
consideration of the following passage
from a late speech of that staunch
Democrat and able statesman, George
81. Pendleton, of Ohio: Bear and for
bear. Treat the negro as the law