Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-10-29


murders, about one of which there is
much doubt, happened in Mississippi,
if they occurred at all. 1t is nonsense
to suppose that negroes would be muir
dered in Mississippi for political effect
in this State, and [ have not heard of
any "war of races" across the border.
Mr.. Hays next introduces Ku. Klux
warning" which was taken from q
signboard near Livingston and "hand-
ed" him by a Democrat. This swarm
ing" refers to the murder of Ivy, which
occurred on the same day that Mr.. HAYS
reached Washington, and was not known
in the vicinity of Livingston until day
or two later. It could not, therefore,
have been "handed" to Mr.. Hays in
Alabama, and it is hardly probable that
Democrat would send it to him In
Washington. The people here believe
that the warning" was purely Re-
publican invention.
Mr.. Hays describes terrible state of
affairs In Pickens county. He says that
the white men there publicly boast that
no white man ever cast Republican
vote and lived through the year /, that
the present reign of the Ku-Elux is
worse than ever before that the white
or coiored man who would dare make a
Republican speech in the county would
be shot down like mad dog that the
negroes are in worse condition than in
the days of slavery. He cites two cases,
one OF four negroes, supposed to be
emissaries," hanged In Carrollton
during the third week of August, and
the other of the discovery on the Goth
of last August, of the bodies of three
men, two colored and one white, float
ing down the Tombigbee river dashed
to some logs and placarded, "To No
bile with the compliments OF Pickens
county" 1 have been unable to learn
anything about the four colored men
who are said to have been hanged, but
the story about the bodies floating down
the Tomhigbee river has a suspicious
similarity to a story illustrated in the
Days Doings shortly before MIR. Hays
letter was written. The picture repre-
sented raft with some collins floating
down the Mississippi river, labeled,
TO New Orleans" It is a notorious
fact that there are white Republicans
in Pickens county who hold office there /;
that United States Marshal Healy is
authority for the statement that there
are no Ku-Klux now in this State, and
that Republican meetings are advertised
il that county.
THE "oUTRAGEs IN HALE COUNTY.
Mr.. Hays next enumerates some
"outrages " in Hale county. He says
that negro benevolent society was or
dered by white men on the night of
August rs to hold no meetings that
masked men, on the same night, visited
the house of a negro, James Bliss, who,
seeing them, had left, aud that he has
fled the country, and that Major James
G.. Stokes, who made Republican
speech in Greensboro, "was warned
CATER his room in the hotel had been
entered at o'clock at night by band
of plstoled and armed rufians that he
must not visit the county again or make
Radical speeches." / have before me
the affidavits of the officers of both the
negro Benevolent societies in Green's
boro, denying that they have ever been
disturbed in their meetings, or warned
to discontinue them the affidavit of
DIR. t. r. Ward, of Hale county, in
whose employ the negro Bliss formerly
was, embracing a statement by Bliss
himself. denying that he had been run
out of the county, and explaining that
he did not return for want of money,
and had therefore gone to work to OBJ
tain it. have also the affidavits of the
hotel keeper at Greensboro, and of the
Judge of Probate, the Mayor, the Post
master, the United States Commits
sioner, and others, both Republicans
and Democrats, denying the truth of
the whole story about the warning of
Major Stokes.
know nothing about the outrage
which Mr.. Hays described in Russell,
Macon or Coffee counties, though the
truth of his reports is positively denied
on the authority of men who are
more worthy of belief than he is.
THE CHocTAw COUNTY MASSACRE"
The following is part of what Mr..
Hays says about Choctaw county
On or about the LIST of August the news
papers of Alabama were filled with accounts
of large bodies Of armed negroes congregat-
ing in Choctaw county for the purpose OF COM
mencing war upon the whites. or course the
excitement was intense. Hundreds of whites
| from different sections swiftly hurried to the
|
arrived no firearmed negroes could be found
Yet something must be done to make an ex-
ample. SO company Of whites ambushed a
party of negroes returning from church,
killed 10 and wounded Ii.
Mr.. Hays derived this information
from Jack Turner. the supposed leader
of the negroes who were ambushed, and
whom he met in Montgomery, at the
State Convention. The full history of
this affair, derived from affidavits be-
fore me, is as follows: A negro named
Huff Cheney he'd divulged to the white
people some secret which he learned In
a meeting of the negroes. In punish
ment for this the negroes, led by Jack
Turner, took Cheney out and gave him
600 lashes. Cheney then made COM
plant against the negroes, and warrants
were issued for their arrest. e. A.
Glover, Deputy Sheriff of the county,
started on the 18th of August with q
posse of five men to execute the war
rant. They found Turner in the road,
armed with gun and a pistol, and he
signed a bond agreeing to appear al
court. The Sheriff arrested another OF
; the negroes, against whom he had a
, ! warrant ar a school house and while