Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1875-10-09

FughfE. Brown IN tIf IADli OF ~.dIlNE 20
tue negroes thai his race had been mui dcred
throughout .i.s ssippi; thai the grass Was
growing over the -fOduu ut tbeu murdered
dead q that ne "a A. here 90 protect and de-
feu1 them; that he asked ige whites 'uu
odds and juat they should obey the Jaw. In
these speech Brown UHeI my name freely -
charged Jnat WIS Demo Ia', an old -lsYe-
holder, and tlat no {, lofed ma" s0ould put
bis trust IA me. This ~ community OF
pi tnterS, and Rot p9huclans; they care but
little for the Offices OF the county, as 20 who
shall hold them. IL they VIII Out discharge
ths duties. Hy interest IN the community
ca rsed me to take part IA the effort 70 al!Sy
excitement. I sent messengers, and spoke
freely tn the negroes, uIs.ug luem not 10
b.iteve Brown, Dut 10 feel assured Of the
# endship Of The whites; pointed them 10 the
fact tn I every planter was anxious 10 obta! II
hands tU gather the crops; that we dld rot
su Kill negroes bat that
We were constantly acding,s by I'M
poT.atiOu, negroes to our population.
crown, denOuncing all such statements as
hypOcrltcal, urged the negroes 10 Luld Ihtlh-
selves in read mess. On the night or the second
o! October, being called on inaue an m
Dr0WHl address to the people at the count
mouse, anu Juere in his presence arrAgned
Brown Tor his incsuulsry speeches lie denied
one OF nv statements, TO which replied wi Ia
point. Tue meeting closed without any
further demonstTa ions. soon after this q
rumOr prevailed that Brown intended to bring
the negroes with their arms, to town Monday
n ght for the purpose Of denOGnclng me. 40
one cared for what Brown might say of me,
but the citizens urged BIN not 10 make au
armed demonstration on the town. lie finally
agreed that he would not do so on Monday
night, The time he had proposed, but that he
wGul1 bTing his clans, without arms, on the
q ~ rulloNlng. No one objected 70 this. ON
TUESDAY, the day appointed Tor the pro-
posed denunclauon on the part or bro"n'
in ntnTmstion came that armed neg oeS were
moving toward the town in large bodies
m ss.uE threats Of violence. There We're not
over q huI d red white men in the town, and
half OF these were without aims. Citizens
went TO Brown urging him I send the ad-
Naucing column back. a paper was brought
10 me Tor my signature, Offering 10 Brown
IN services OF a posse 70 Keep the peace.
/ Sigutd it, and was told that the negroes
would be Induced TO return TO their homes.
had sea eC myself in my office on the SuppOSl-
UUD That all was quiet and don't tbiuk 1t
was more than thirty minutes when runner
came TO me with the statement that heavy
COlumn Of excited negroes had already
re ched the bOrder Of oar town. seized my
gun. G nd made haSie for the courthouse, and
whoa had reached that spot the front of the
advancing column was IN iu ! view. cOulu
not guess their numbers, Dut there were several
huUdTCd. l h8Stened To rally our forces.
Each and all OF our white citizens, without
regard to party, iell into line. General Chat
mers was IN the town-had his baggage in
hand ready TO leave for one Of his courts, but
he exchanged d the saddiebag for the pistol, and
was suon in command OF our little squad. Mr..
White, Our BAPTIST divine, was soon on horse
bac (, urging our people to stand firm. Dick
Cooper, one of MOrgan's captains, was soon on
the warpath, our forces now numbering per-
haDs SeVenty-tiVe men. The negroes had now
hal ted for a Darley: a few were willing TO de
pose to sack tho town. The negroes were rap
Idly reinforcing. Chalmers sent courier,
demanding they should retire their forces
within fifteen minutes or he would charge
upon them. Iuey leil back "A mile and hait,
bat were still reinforcing. We thought it ad-
visable to drive them back, and they fell
back to a bridge about two miles south,
and there took strong position. In the
meantime cur forces had been augmented to
about a hundred men with arms. \ Skin
mish began at the bridge, which ended in the
flight of the negroes Brown escaped, his
general fled; no one was hurt. OF the move
ments subsequently you are already advised.
There cou.d not nave been more unprO.
vOked war on the whites Of our town. There
has been for the past three years no Demo
cratic organization in this county. Not a
single imprudent speech has been made by
anV white man in the county, so far as l
know. Not negro had b en- killed By a
white man in this county since the close of
the war. And when Sheriff Browns hepubli-
can friends, now nine months since, obtained
release from his bond on plea, well
taken, that he wrongfGlly held four thou
sand seven hundred and twenty-five dollars
of the money of the taX-Payers-in his hands,
and that he was endeavoring TO enforce q
fraudulent demand on The county treasurer, q
Republican, for six thousand hVe hundred
dollars more, the Democrats of the county,
in the hope that they might control the shel-
if il the Interest of peace, made up his bond
by an array OF some half dozen of the most
wealthy names in the county. Brown, l am
told, hut cannot vOuch for the truth, he'd, be-
fore his hostile speeches in the county, an
ranged for bOndsmeu outside the county, and
Il appears he had snticipa' Ell this surrender
by his present securities. The masses OF the
negroes in the county appear well. disposed
they are not DISPOSED to make war ON the
whites. From my plantations, up to this
time, but en- men have left heir work. Tn.
less urged by intiammGtOTy speeches, and
tueir fears excited by the faIsehOOdS put in
clrculation topcbing hostile motives o1 the
white, there would ne no trouble here, We,
1 think, are now able to man
age tits affair without help from
abroad. The men in command are
u q
to stay at home, and no harm shall Oetall
them, There is not white man in tha cCun-
ty, so far As / know, who seeks to do any yiO-
lence, but all are anxious for peace. I think
the worst is over, and tqat within a briet pc
riod a I VIII be quiet. very respectfully,
81. l., ALCURN."
PEAsE'5 LAST EFFORT.
After Pease and his forces We're routed in
the running fight, Tuesday afternoon, he
sought the wood, and next Gay reached Jones'
town, where he endeaVOrgd to organize a force
of nesrOes and renew his attack. he was or
gaming his forces WREN the teleg cams were
sent Wedn sSday. and IS said to have induced
kwO hundred aud fifty II gross to JON him in
Ms purpose. lie declared they would show u %
quarter, but murder women, men and chill
dren, in retaliation for the negroes who had
been killed. HIS language was Of tile most
viudiCslve nature, and by no means in excess
OF the fee ings he cherished against the whites.
rhe presence Of armed Fl-ndS 81 FriarS
P,iuJ nad al4ayed the fears Of the citizens, and
permitted them to 20 in search of armed bod
les Of TiOtOUS negroes, who il several parts OF
the county wes threatening 10 burn the resi-
denCeS Of planters and murder their families.
For, let it be remembered that i've hundred
negroes, well armed and under FeaSG'S COM
mand. had attacked the town and offered
the white men fifteen minutes time IN which to
leave the place. The prompt action OF Gen.
eTal Chalmeisr and his subsequent charge
upon the negroes, prevented the attempted
eXecutioo of PeaSe's purpose 10 murder he
whites ana TanSack the place 90 person
who has inquired as we have into this affair
can doubt the intention of the negroes For
instance, Sheriff MannlnZ, o. TUuicd county,
who is an undOubted Repub'icaT and an ar
dent supporter of AmeS and Grant, disap-
proves of Browns conduct in the matter, and
admits that PeaSe and his negroes would listen
to no compromise nor receive any counsel
from HTO @n or smith. Now, our COnVersa-
lion with sheriff Manning justties Us in the
publication Of the following:
a FAMILY FIGHT.
During the second conference Of Tuesday the
nominee for circuit court clerk tSmith) cOun-
seIled peace to the mob, but his counsel was
not heeded. Smith, who IS superintendent Of
education or Coahoma county, and Is now
senator from this and Bolivar county, came
to Mississippi from UberliD, Ohio, about four
years ago. He is an educated negro, and up
10 ayear ago, when he came to Cuahoma, re-
sided in Bolivar county. The negroes dislike
him because of his northern nativity, and
hence his counsel was rec ived with great Op-
position. Instead of securing peace, he Te.
ceIYed a species Of PeGSe, for the negroes
knocked him down and subjected him TO in
dguant taunts am cuffs. Shel if Brown also
made an Intellectual effort to pacify the ne
groes. He, too, was handled ROUGHLY, for
Pease, liket the English fiunl1ey in the Trou-
bad0urs; wanted blood and gore.
SHERIFF MANNING'S MISSION
to FriSrs Point was in the interest of peace,
but he arrived too late 10 accomplish his OBJ
jeCt. Peas6 was on the war-path; the negroes
had already come into town and been driven
away by the white men. Sheriff Manning
said he had ct Austin a number Of guns,
which he had brought there during the dis.
tuTbances of last year. Before leaving Austin
he locked up these guns, and told all the ne
grOes and white men he saw not TO go into
CO8hO+4a CQuntw o. 10 take part in TIC re- )
there. "Wednesday afternoon he anu another
gentlemen went within a few miles OF jones'
town, where PeRse was recruiting the negroes,
but as Il grew dark the officer and his COM
panlOn returned to FrlarS Point, being un-
willing to proceed further for fear OF an at
tack by the negroes.
GHERIEF MANNING'S OPINION.
as eicited in an interview, is as follows
QueStlOn-Sheritf ManDlng, you are Re
publican; now towhat cause do you attribute
this ulsturbance2
AnsWgr-Well, III tell you, it is all owing
10 The selection of y. G. Smith for clerk Oh the
chanceTy and circuit court.
Questlon-Why do you think ne was select
Answer-Smitha
QueStiOn-Nes sir.
AnsWer-Wel, Its Just this: Sheriff Brown
told me he wanted friend in the clerk s
Office, and that George Alcorn, the present in
cumGe4t, was ncy Gls Trend.
QUestiOp-Nhy do the negroes entertain
such opPO itiOu TO Smith?
AnSWer-Because he Is a carpetbag dar key.
Questi0n-Do you thi2k the present dis
turDance is likely to be renewed before. the
elecuOn2
Auswer-No, sir; think they are at an end.
QueStiCn-NOw what course would you have