Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1876-11-30
= trer,cio,s and vcnomps Letter Con-


"a Eerocious and Vcncmous Letter Con-
cernlns scgefold.
We copy The following letter frolA the
Norwalk Reflector. published at Norwolk,
Huron County, Ohio Iii supposed to
be written by Mrs. Kellog, wife of the Of
fcer who commanded the company of I.
S. troops that soperintendel the voting at
Macedonia Church. In tho Reflector it
is headed by horrible and bloody captions
in huge. glaring type:
EpGErIELD, S. c., Nov. 10, 1876.
Is there God in Israel? l know not
where 10 begin to lei! YOU Of what has
been going on here du.ing the past few
DAYS. You never heard OF dreamed OF
such performances as | have witnessed,
and YOU will never see anything like 1t
unless you should happen to be South du-
ring an election / pray the Lord yoa
may never see it and that l may never
again. believe l could endure to see
battle, where all could have far ptGy, and
where might take part myself; but 1t
mas made my blood boil to see the poor
colored people SO imposed upon as they
hare been, and for all | can see, at'oayS
acW6c The red d-shirters commenced gath
ering in on Monday, singly and III compa-
MES, armed TO the teeth with shot guns,
rifles aud pistols, and the yelling began.
They made night hideous with their yells
and shoutc. 1t was enough to frghten
the dead from their graves, and you can
easily imagine that the colored people
trembled. They (the colcred people, com
menced coming in, some poor creature
coming alone across lots, frightened, b-t
knowing that troops were here and ex-
pecting they wcuid be allowed to vote.
r. was officer Of The day, so staid al night
at the Barracks OF course l did not
sleep much, for could moi. Some one
was knocking at our Doors nearl, all night,
bat no one opened them. The white peo-
pie yelled all night long and the Rifle
Clubs" rode the streets all night like mad
men, firing pistols and doing everything
to -frigt,ten- the negroes. -
Finally morning came and the polls
describe. The rihemen surrounded the
boxes, armed, and the coior6d people could
not approach the box; ten O'Clock came
and no colored men had voted 4J the school
house, and tie na.shal called for troops
Rs. company was detailed to 60. When
he got to the school house there were nun
dreds of colored people trying to vote and
four or Eve hundred white people trying
to keep them from it. Two or three hun
dred lammed in on horseback; close ar( una
the door, with pistols drawn and cooked,
swearing and cursing. T. called upon
them 10 keep quiet and orderly and asl;ed
Gen. Gary, who was IN the midst Of the
mob, to help him to preserve order. He
himself Gen. Gary was then trying oget
out his pistol, saying, " II there Is going
TO be a row, there viii be a lively one
Lit. H., who was in another part OF the
crowd, ordered the soldiers to )opd their
pieces and fix their baycnets, which they
proceeded to do \ manager OF The cleo
lion a Southern Democrat, when he Saw
the guns being loaded, said, " viii Try
to Qaiet them" and vent into the crowd
ouisiie, Lui came back and saidhc could
do nothing with them They weip threat
ening the negroes with drawn pistols at
their heads and knocking them over with
pistols and clubs. This is 10 hear-Say.
r. saw it all, and with cooked plstolswith-
in three feet of his head, pointing frSm all
directions, he tried TO quell the disturb
ance; hot colored man had voted yet,
nor dared to. r. saw these poor creatures
being buliied; one was struck after he
arrived
Three had blood brought on them, ard
if the negroes had turned and struck back
If they had darcd 70 resent any of these
insults or injuries, il would have been
terrible tine. They were trying t. pro-
woke some poor negro to strike bach, but
the weak, deeNceless creatures took II aii
they dared not strike. Finally, when me
brave. der@cratic chiveirv e! saw CHAT
the officers were determined to keep The
peace and that they were prepared to do
it, amiis, oatts and curses, they te.! back
ana le: the coored people 80 up,
Bat the oath had 70 be administered 10
each oGe, and scvetal hours had ELAPSED.
and wacn I ght came. ard he BOX was
ciose,l, from lcuy 10 SIX hundred hAters
stood there wi:h ballots IN hand unsE,Is :;
cast. Ih=m. Some of them had CONG
nllgs aud stood <tIiereS.il Day WITHOUT
ing to eat. some rrobab!y had walked all
ni9at tho night before, and there they
stood, kept from their rights by threaten
inc. u.uraerous Democrats.
Buc there Was another ro:Iing place ut
The Court Hoasc, only few :cds away.
Ehen the chivairy found that ihe negroes
could vote at the School House q good
share cane back tc the Court House,
where they had already surrounded the
box. ana seemed determined & keep the
negroes away. The coloreG people Of.
course stayed at the School House, hopirg
that oil would gec chance ar hour or
SO before the boxes were to close, they saw
that ii would be Impossible ior all to vote
there, so they turned their heads towards
the Court House IllearI tie horsemen,
the Bloody Shirters, the Ritlemen. in other
words. the Democrats. COME riding past
as if their lives were in dancer, yelling
AM screaming going to The Court lsousc.
Shorty afterwards | saw the colocd peo-
pie, to TIE number OF two hurdred |
Judge, comin4 quietly oag he Sidewalk,
on Their way to the Court House to Try
and vote In a few moments saw ,hcm
returning, saving that they couli not q!
to The Court House. Then Ilcar them
sav, (ny window was 0pen) they are all
dlasn up in line, ana Gen. Butler s.,..s if