The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1875-02-17
From Correspondence of Inter-0cean.
4 s'DemOcratic Triumph in Texas.
Houston, TEXAS. Feb. 8. 1877:

1loocAoAN, Cp. y, Aotc.
We have just returned from Texas
kama, where we witnessed an election
of county officers and the choice of a
county site. Texaskana lies half in
Texas and half in Arkansas. The day,
and the intimidations occurring with
it, were but a repetition of what is
constantly taking place all over Texas.
The election was conducted In a hall,
and the stairway leading to it was
completely crowded with white men.
The instant that negro appeared
with his ballot he would be saluted
with.
Hold on, niger; let us see that
ticket"
If he declined to give it to them he
was unceremoniously hustled down
stairs and received very explicit in
structlOns not to come up again. If,
on the contrary, the poor fellow awed
by their pretentious manner into be-
lieving that they we're entitled to see
his ticket, handed it to them, the
names were either all scratched of,
and others placed there. or a new tick
ct was substituted, when he was al
lowed to pass on and vote.
We noticed one case in particular
There lives just over the Alabama
border an old negro commonly called
"Old Uncle Ben and, like his name
sake so we'll known in song,
Had no eyes for to see.
Being halted on the stairs and asked
it he was going to vote the Conserva-
tive ticket, he boldly replied that he
was not, whereupon the poor old
blind man was pushed down into the
street, and there surrounded by a
crowd of white politicians. who tried
in vain to convince the old negro that
they and they only had always been
his friends; he was firm in his deter
mination to vote the Republican tick
ct. Then another man approached
the group, and was informed of the
facts in the case.
Uncle Ben said he, whose land
do you live on?''
The reply was Yours, Mr."
well, then, unless you vote the
Conservative ticket you must leave to-
morrow"
In vain the old man besought them
to let him go home and not vote at all;
but no, he must vote, so amid the
jeers and SCOTS of the crowd in attend
ance, he was half dragged, half push
ed. up the stairs, and there he deposi-
ted his Conservative ticket.
The whole election was gigantic
fraud: No names were registered un-
til the people appeared to vote on
election day. At nearly every corner
one could see street fight, and knives
and revolvers were freely used. The
negroes kept in ignorance by these
very men, were handed Conservative
tickets, though they were informed
they were Republican. Such and
many more were the devices used to
secure a political triumph.
Yesterday a Democratic deputy
sheriff from Brazoria county who had
been taking prisoners to the State
Prison at Huntsville, came on the
passenger train of the International
and Great Northern Railroad at
Phelps, and soon after entering made
the remark that ''he could run that
car and that he wanted it all 10 him
self, at the same time taking out two
revolvers and laying one across each
knee The inmates, seeing that the
man was intoxicated, fed into the
baggage car, the women and children
shrieking and crying in their alarm
All left the coach when the officer of
the law made up his mind to run
another car" and going into the first
class one, he drove all that were there
into the sleeping car. In this manner
the train came into Houston. and the
man after attempting to kill two men
was overcome Three revolvers and
pair of handouts We're taken from
him. But Texas justice does not APP
ply to Democratic officials, and SO this
would be murderer is set at liberty to
commit new offenses.
Civil. RIGHTS.