Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-09-24

\ correspondent of the Hartford t0Hrai,
whose previous letters have shown him to
be BIZ no means disposed to do injustice to
the Democrats Of the State. or to aoquit the
Republicans Of all wrong, gives an account
of the Clinton, Miss. massacre from his own
knowledge and the testimony CT eye Wit
nesses. from which the inference is unayoid-
able that. if the massacre was not
planned fox political purposes, the opportu-
nity afforded by casual outbreak was eager
" seized and used for that end The fol
lowing j. his account 81 tic origin Of the
disturbance
.On Saturday, the Eth OF September
Republican mass meeting was held in grove
about halfa mile from town. At the re
quest Of tie Democracy, tt division Of time
was agreed upon, the Democratic orator to
have the ouening and close Of the debate.
Ahoat yg0 blacks and 100 whites were in
ATTENDANCE Preparations had been made
for a barbecue The speaking began with
an address hv A. K. johnson, representing
! the Democracy. lie was listened To with
attention by oil for the hour which was
/ allotted him 1t then came the turn Of the
! Republican representative, Ii r. Fisher, to
I reply. lie had scarcely concluded his open
1 ins remark, when the disturbance occurred
which resulted in the riot
Yhorc are two versions OF the origin OF 1t.
: - j. that = white man Ell .eayored to IN
Va Ar. Fisher by 81 Ing " that We
'elu peace if 1t wee not for your
, Wou: IL, n1, . 'ais being adj. the larger
IieS' ana upon uen present began 70
porsl3h "' 'nc VINE Ted arrangement,
and being followed by crown lid
fired on them, and inaugurated the
shed. 10 sustain this view, an article in a
Democratic newspaper, the Kinds County |
Ga-etts, i quoted, in r;hich the editor urges |
a committee Of Democrats To attend every |
Republican Meeting, and when anything is
said which is not believed to be true, to |
brand TIE speaker rs q liar. and force him
to retract Gpon the spot. Such an article !
did appear; such committee was appar- |
emily present. The language used by the |
person who interrupted bore a resemblance
10 that advised to be used.
The other version Is this \ force Of
negro police had been appointed, by what
authority Is unknown. to preserve order.
Liquor Is forbidden to he sold in Clinton,
and was forbidden to be sold on the ground
After the interruption referred to previous
", white man was discovered drinking
frcm Il bottle One Of the policemen en-
deavored 10 prevent this. and in trying - do
this, the other resisted and fired his pistol.
and the killing began. To this latter yer
sion your correspondent inclines, from
view Of the ground and 81 investigation Of
the facts. One theory pre-s4ppoSes preme1-
itation, the other accident. Had the trouble
been made by design, more men would have
been present armed. and Tie immediate
slaughter much greater.
Whatever the cause, inli.eriminate firing
began, four negroes and three whites were
killed and many wounded. The crowd Of
colored people dispersed in all directions.
During the evening and night, five hundred
armed white men gathered in the town for
the alleged purpose Of protecting it against
an assault by the negroes, who Were then
uAulA- ia tl-t NNN4~- Win ~ tuNAEuA VI ]
as,auiting anybody, but fearing that they
would themselves be pursued and slain.
They had good ground for their fears. The
next morning three negroes were shot Gown,
without any cause, whatever, in broad day
light, in the streets Of the town, no reason
being assigned for the murders except that
the party which committed them could not
20 home without having killed niger.
Aiterwari, for several days, armed bodies of
men rode through tie county, killing and
sounding negroes whom they happened to
meet or were able to fad
This is the third instance in the present
ampaign in that STATE where 4 conflict has
risen between the whites and blacks. fol-
owed by an iudiscriminaie and wholly IN
slaughter Of many harmless ne
,roes; and it is abou; enough OF that kind
f tLipr