New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-10-08

examination of witnesses for the prosecution
conducting the direct examination himself.
Or course the family of the deceased, VIII
were present at the time of the killing, bein
all females and the only witnesses givin
positive evidence, We're at the time great
alarmed and Mortified, and after being sub
Jected to rigid cross examination by counse
Tor the defence, their evidence is somewha
conflicting; though in the main would be al
mlssible and OF some weight before an intel
ligent jury. The wife Of the deceased afford
probably the best evidence. She testifies t.
the fact of the attack on the cabin by arme,
men who fired through the cracks in the wall
and who finally burst the door open, comm.
in with a lighted candle, Selling her hus band
taking him out distance of forty yards, an,
then, while two of the number held him thu
balance OF the party INDUCED in the pastim
OF Kidding his body will, buck shot No
being quite satisfied with this treatment
after the body was Frustrated and lifeless
the head was beaten to pulp. This is pos
tive evidence, in opposition to which Their,
Is no rebuttal. This witness also identie,
and points out in open court the parties ac
cused as being among the number Engaged
in the killing of her husband.
To give you & faint idea of the way Justice
| CD is administered in that section, let me
give you the result of this trial taken from
the Mercury, Democratic newspaper:
After short argument by the counsel, tht
court announced that after sitting pat ent !,
for two or three days, and sitting the evidence
thoroughly, there is not single scintilla O
evidence to show that the parties are guilty.
and therefore the defendants are honOrabI,
discharged.
Also, the following from the Meridian
Star, Oem.:)
The four men-Wiiis Merritt, James Bare
neld, Fayette and William Sims, who have
been undergoing preliminary examination
before Justice Morris, for the past few DAYS.
charged with the killing of Simon Edwards
were discharged from custody on Thursday
evening. A searching examination was con-
tlnued for three days without producing the
sii3htest evidence pointing to them as the
guilty parties. The court, after deliberately
weighing the evidence, gave them an hon.
orable discharge.
These four men, who were arrested and
charged with this heinous crime, upon the
affidavit OF negro, are said to be among our
most respectable citizens, and it is to be re-
GREETED that honest white men should be put
to so much trouble and expense upon the
affidavit of an ignorant negro.
Not only are murders and whppings re-
sorted to, to effect change in the politics Of
the negroes, but other means also, as will be
seen from the following ''notice," which was
taken from a sign-board on the crossroads
near Livingston, Ala, and handed me by a
democrat. 1t is one of many of like import,
and is evidently intended to appeal to the
we'll known superstitiOus dread of the more
ignorant colored people:
WARNING!
ca picture of coffn.)
1.-The invisible monarch rules in Sumter,
and watches the doings of his people from a
little star above you. All 'niggers,' white
and black, will take warning from the fate
OF Billings and Ivey. They were killed by
unknown hands, which will never be known.
Those hands will destroy again. Colored
men, who want to live in peace and be pro-
tected, can do it, by inquiring where they can
sign the WHITE MANS CONSTITUTION. In
quire,' and our monarch will send man to
X h! , who will have the roll Never vote
fuse and die. Signed at the Spirit Land, at
the hour of death, and by the graves of the
dead. W..
As still further clue to the doinos of this
murderous band of democrats, l append an
editorial taken from the Meridian Mercury,
which paper has an extensive circulation
among these west Alabama law breakers
There are symptoms of disposition on the
part OF negroes to seek to make peace with
the whites. The attitude the whites have
taken after the failure of every plan and de
wee to win the negro over to cooperate with
them for general welfare, has had the effect
to bring them to proper realization of the
position they occupy in society, and sharp
CDcu their visions n cnfol, eli ~,
only road they can travel with ease and
safdp in the pursuit of happiness. The true
position OF the whites to occupy now, is one
OF independence and stern opposition to the
btack race line so long and rnnOusly opposed
TO them, and never again to make Overtures,
but be ever ready to entertain one kindly and
considerably when made by the other party
with an honest purpose.
Therefore it is, that every compact be-
tween the races to secure peace and good
will and good neighborship, should have
condition precedent that the blacks must un-
condtionaly abandon their vicious and ruin
GUS politics, at least, so far as state and
county governments are concerned. If thew
want to vote for Grant for a third term. we
would not recommend that they be asked to
stipulate against it. But in home, county,
and state government, no advances from the
negro party should be listened to that do not
propose to unite with the intelligent, honor
able and honest white men in putting the
government in the hands of honest and ca
pable men and driving out the public rob-
bers. There should be no peace between
the white and black man so long as the latter
continues to rob himself, or permits himself
to be used as the tool of robbers. We think we
see that like peace overtures to one which
was made by the negroes about Toomsuba
will become the fashion. Our advice would
be, to not move an inch from the color line to
invite or to meet them, but when they come
honestly to treat them fairly and with kind
ness, but with firmness to demand every
proper and needed condition.
PICKENs COUNTY.
This is county in West Alabama. where
the white men publicly boast that no white
man ever cast a republican vote and lived
through the year. In the days of the former
reign of kukluxism, it was regarded as a per-
feet hole of murder and crime. The report
of the congressional investigating committee
fully elucidates the former glory of Pickens
county. To-day it is worse than ever, and
the white man or colOred man who would
dare to make republican speech in the
county, would be shot down like mad dog
in one of our public thoroughfares. There are
hundreds of negroes in this county who have
never voted, who are worse slaves than when
the CHAINS and the handouts were the insig-
mia of their condition, and the sharp lash of
brutal slave driver was the reward of day
of toll. They have heard of freedom and lib
erty, but never tasted its sweets. Untouched
by the civilizing influences of railroads and
rivers, they are still living and working for
al ctnr 4 H.. I