The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-12-25

H. V. Redfeld, correspondent of the
| Cincinnati Commercial, visited Vlcks-
burg soon after the recent fight there
between the whites and the negroes, for
the purpose of getting at the facts con-
nected with the difficulty. He writes an
interesting letter from Vicksburg on the
| 18th, and gives a full history of the
troubles We will give few extracts
ut is a remarkable fact that there is
not in all Vicksburg a white man but
whose sympathies and whose gun are
upon the side of the whites. They are a
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 unwaverlng Repub-
| lIcans, and not one of them but who
sympathizes with the men of his race in
| this fight why, said ex-Attoruey
General Morris to me, last night, it was
a matter of necessity to drive back those
negroes last Monday. Had they once
got into the city and lodged themselves
in the Courthouse there would have been
ten thousand negroes here in twenty-four
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 of this
city-Owned it to them selves 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 circum-
stances fight could not be avoided
How many negroes were killed have
not been able to learn, out the weight of
testimony places the number at over one
hundred. But three whites were killed
and two or three wounded. 1t is ever So "
Negro rule in Warren County and
Nicksburg has been a scandal and a
| disgrace. Taxes and assessments have
been increased year after year, until the
whites-thst is to say, the taxpayers
| have become desperate, and resorted to
| arms to free themselves from the load
| that was crushing their interests to the
earth. Understand, while the negroes
compose three-fourths of the population,
| the whites own forty-nine fiftieths of the
property. You can readily see to what
| this would lead. The little city of Vicks-
| burg owes nearly million of dollars, and
taxes are from four to six per cent. |
| have not the figures before me to show
| to the reader how the taxpayers of the
county and city have been robbed, but
! they have stood more than would the
people of any Northern city. Prominent
in the uprising against negro rule here
| are Northern men and ex-Federal officers
| who have always been considered Re
publicans. But they are property hold
ers and have interests in common with
the other taxpayers.
DIR. Redlield then gives the cause of the
troubles, which commenced with the fail
ure of Crosby, the negro Sheriff, to give
| good security. The white citizens got
him to resign. We will let Redfeld tell
the story:
But the negro would not so readily
| give up an office worth ten thousand a
year. He went to Jackson. There some
body-supposed to be Cordozo, but Cor
dOzo denies it-wrote him a laundering
address, calling the colored peop.e to
arms to vindicate the majesty of all out
ragged law, and all that sort of thing
| Crosby states, in this address, that he
| had been forced to sign his resignation
by an armed mob, &c. The address has
| been published in the commercial, !
| Thousands of these were printed, and
| Crosby sent runners through the country
| to distribute them, and summon the ne
| groes, in his name, to come to his rescue.
1t was Sunday, and the colOred people
we're easily reached at their country
churches. The appeal was read from the
pulpit. Crosby himself went to the cOun-
| try and summoned all he could reach.
| OF course the negroes knew he was
Sheriff, and that they had to obey when
| he called for posse, as indeed they had
under the ordinary rules governing such
| cases. They gathered what rude arms
| they could, and started by several roads
| to the city to ''enforoe the law" at the
| Sheriff. command. Like sheep they
marched to the slaughter. Just outside
| the city they were met by the white men
| of Vicksburg and killed. Some made
feeble show of fight, but they were with
out officers, leaders or discipline, and
had not white man among them to
direct them. Those who were fortunate
enough to escape did it by sheer leg
| power They ran like deer, and many
we're shot down by the Infuriated whites
hundred of them were killed. and only
two or three white men. 1t is ever So"
1T is my opinion that this is the be-
| ginning of an Irresistible conflict be
tween the white element and the black
element of Mississippi, which will not
end until the whites are on top as they
now are in Georgia. No matter by what
means, they are bound to be the govern
ing power. Withdraw Federal troops,
not to interfere, and negro rule will be
J wiped out in this State in forty-eight
hours, Just as it has been in Nicksburg.
| speak of things as they age, and use
plain language. There is really no such
thing as Republican aud Democratic
| parties here now. 1t is a white party
and negro party. With such division
! the blacks will surely 90 dQwp, unless
| propped up by Federal bayopets; in q
county where they oHtnumber the whites
four to one they could not hold their
ground three hours when the actual test
came. In the State at large, instead OF
having a majority Of four hundred per
cent, as here, they only have an excess
over the whites of about twenty per cent.
He with half an eye and a thmble full
of brains knows what the result will he
| when thf sttug4ls eo#ea, Epa epme it
| will sooner OF later y U"