The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1875-09-16
JAKE MooKMAN.s coNrEs.1oN.,

. JAKE MOORlfANs CoNFEssIoN.
The Story Of the Prineipal witness as to
the Georgia Negro Plot Grant to be
Elected s'Ki.g'-Furthsr Purposes Of the
Negroes.
!. Georgia tAug. ~ Cor. n. Y. Tribune.
Jake Norman is q negro Of rather
dull intellect even for q man of his
race. He is about 45 years Of age, tall
and rather slim, and speaks very in
distinctly, jumbling his words togeth-
er. When asked him to tell me all
he knew about this plot, he began
talking in low tone of voice, rarely
looking up from the floor, and I was
able to understand so little that he
said, and he omitted so many import.
ant links in his while dwell
ing at length on, .unimportant points,
that was finally forced to stop him
and draw the story out by repeated
Questions. I shall not attempt to re-
produce his peculiarities OF, dialect or
iaiom.
Moornan said that he was first lieu
tenant of . company commanded by
jerry Waters, and organized at Buck
eye C0lored Church in Laurens coun.
ty. Laurens sent no delegates to
Waynesboro, but was represented by
Francis Merkerson, of this county.
Norman saw Merkerson before the
Waynesboro meeting. but At that time
he learned nothing of the object of
the meeting. When Herkerson re-
turned he called a meeting at Moor
mans house and made = speech to
those present. Of whom there were
about twenty. He told them that they
must form . "Band of Brothers," and |
must put their names down not to |
steal produce and trade it Of for
whiskey to stand by one another and
to obey what their officers told them.
He also reported that they were all to
vote for Gen. Grant next year and to
make him king. @d
GRANT TO BE KING.
'Now jake" said ], did Merkerson
tell you that he heard about the slec-
ton of Grant to be king, at Washing
ton?"
ayes, sir,".was his reply, ssthat is
what he reported. He said that we
were not to work on the roads any
more under the direction Of white
officers, but were to have our own
officers, and if the white people would
not agree to that, then the black men
were to 60 to one end of tho road to
be repaired, and the white men to the
other, and they were to work in sep
arate gangs. He said we were all to
have forty acres of land"
How did he say ysu were to get ,
It 2"
s'Well, he didn't tell US at that time,
md weldidn't know. The jury ques-
ion was talked about, and he said
hat at the next term Of Court we were J
yoing to haye twelve colered jurors !,
md twelve white ones, and we were
. have our rights"
At this meeting, Moormaa says, the (
lames Of several of the colored people r
we're taken down and their numbers t
we're added to at subsequent meetings a
The second was held at Buckeye a
hurch, q week after the first, and b
ometime later there was q muster, at Ii
vhich there were forty-feur present. Il
fosrman got all his Instructions and fl
nformatioa from Merkerson, who in b
urn said that he received them from
'orday Harris, whe in tura received "
1em from s'General" Norris, and that .
len. p. r. Rivers, of South Carolina, CT
'as the eommander-in-chief Moor
ian and his friends seem to have cl
lought more about the forty acres of ii
nd and the mule than anything else, Of
nd asked Merkersen about it every oi
me they saw him. He told them hi
lat when Gen. Grant was made king rs
le land would all belong to HMM Al
lort, would be government land, and it,
ey would be allowed to take it at dl
prices and on long credit. ht
ething seems to have been said about er
y force being necessary to take it W
It'll about the first of the present SO
onth, when it seemed 70 enter the an
ads of some of them, that the white sh
'ople might object to such An ar Gu
nRement. Merkerson said that they re
ould not that the land would not in
long to them any way when Grant
as king. y
THE ALLEGED ORDER FOR ATTACK.
Jake Norman says that he saw the A'e
ter purporting to haye been written
Corday Harris to Jerry Walters IN
d Harrison Tucker, captains Of COM er
MES, which ordered the attack upon II
} whites to begin last Friday, in We
'rkerson's hands, and saw him de- ina
er it to jerry Walters. He did NOT pla
n the letter read, but Merkerson Bile
d him its contents. The companies pia
re to meet at station No. IL. on the: scall
ntral railroad of Georgia, (Tennille9 the
! 60 thence to No. IL, (Bartow) dog
re to meet Gen. Rivers, of South acr
'olina. From that point they were clo
begin operations, directions being bac
en- as to tho very plantations which car,
re first to be visited. They were SER
70 armed with pitchforks, guns, Fot
g, &c. Norman seems to have sees
little doubt about such proceed bic
?, and several members of his COM or
y decided on the spot that they
uld not 60, and others desired to "a
lk ahout Il Mark ersan. aasd 4ha4l ! O