The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1874-09-23
The THREATENED TROUBLES TN EDGE.

| 1oeHtsHetJ OF the zIQ, furnishes the fol.
lowing particulars OF the disturbances
in the vicinity of Reese's store. Edge
field County, on Saturday and Sunday
last: Z
| Last Sunday afternoon, about 4
O'Clock. O courier arrived in Augusta
from Reese's store, on the Martintown
road. in Edgefield County, 8. O.. ten
miles from Augusta, with y note from
Gen. NJ. Q. Butler to prominent
citizen of Augusta, stating that the
negroes IN that vicinity were in arms,
threatening to burn and kill. Assist
| ance from Augusta was asked for to
quell the riot. In short time after
the receipt Of the note about thirty
Young men volunteered i to proceed to
the assistance Of the South Carroll
mans. just before dark, however, a
courier, MIR. Henry Hammond, arrived
from tho scene of the disturbance,
with the information that the negroes
had surrendered. This did away with
tho necessity for assistance from Au-
gustn. AS fur as we nave been able to
learn, the particulars of tho disturb
ance are as follows:
1ooU ubout l. ~ CkUch, OGH1,
| nj. O. Butler discovered force of
about seventy-fivo negroes, all nrmed,
crossing Stevens Creek in tho direc.
ton of ;eeses store. Suspecting thut
IN evil movement on their part was on
foot, Con. Butler rode over to Reeso's
sture and gave the ulnrm. In an al
most incredibly short space Of time u
large force Of whites assembled, fully
armed and ready for action. Included
in this force was tho Sabre Club under
command of Col. A. T.. Hutler, u Gu
valry company aud un infautry com.
pany. Iu addition to these, large
number OF citizens not belonging to
any organization were in arms, II was
nscertainsd that the negroes, some 800
strong, We're i'll the woods near Reesu's
at re, under command Of Nod Tenant,
notorious negro militia captain end u
delegute to the recent Radical Conven
| tiou which nominated Cham 5ealuin for
Governor of South Carolina. A COM
mltteo OF citizens was sent to cOnfur
With Tenant, III order to ascertain the
| cause of tho assembling of tho ne-
grocs. Tenant met the committee III
| the woods, and III answer to their in
quiries, stated that some parties had
hred into his house the night previous,
| and he had therefore called ont the
militia for his protection. He was
very insolent and defiant. Holding
out one of hia hnnds full of curtrldges,
he said be attended to kill and burn
| everything in the neighborhood. Sec
ing that nothing could be accomplished
with the negroes by persua, i've mea-
snres, the com mitteo proceeded back
10 their comrades and reported the re-
suit Of their conference. The aspect
of affairs being so serious, courier
was despatched to Augusta. Gen. NJ.
@. Butler also sent word TO the DARK
Corner and other sections Of Edgeiield
County. of the threatening situation,
and requesting the people to send
assistance. Ibis would have been
Forthcoming III short time if the
negroes had not receded from their
| warlike position. The whites also
sent for the United States troops at
Edgeiield, but these refused to tuke
eny action in the matter, as they had
no orders to interfere.
Late in the afternoon Tenant sent q
courier to Colonel Butler. proposing
to disbnnd the negroes ii tho whites
would first dispersc. Col. Butler re.
piled, IN show you whether we will
disband or not" and rode Off in the
direction of tho whito forces. Seeing
the determined attitude Of the whites,
Tenant deemed discretion the better
part Of valor. He therefore called Col.
Butler back and surrendered mt disore.
ton. Tenant WAS Immediately put
under arrest for trial on the charge OF
riot. The whites, us u matter OF pre-
caution, remained under arms aud
were still guarding the locality ut last
accounts. The white people about
Keese's Mill totally disbclieve Tenants
story about tho firing upon his house
They say that if such firing wus done
it was done by Tenant himself, in or.
der to get some pretext for rising Of
the colored people. Tenant is known
to be very desperate negro and
turbulent character. 1t is thought,
however. thut III the present instance
he was melted to his insurrcctiunary
course by tho notorious j. IL. Nc.
Dewitt, the whito Radical implicated
i'll tho Ridge Springs disturbance.
The whites are fully prepared for any
emergency, aud The negroes will make
nothing by incendiary movements.
The people are organized in sufficient
force to resist any wnrllke tlemonstra-
ton on tho part of the blacks, and