St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-11-03

| tdI anu were taken uoNl 10 hobblll =
station. Here they found Simon Cokcr.
already named, an honest. pcaceabIc
man. Well-known to me personally us Il
member of the Legislature from Barn
well county. sitting on the railroad
| platform with his wife and Il colored
! female school teacher. Cokcr WIS then
awaiting the train from Ellrnton in or
| der to go to lcmmaSSec. where he could
telegraph me the condition of things in
his vicinity. The rifle club men fore
eel him into the boX-car. took him back
to Ellentou. and after Il brief parlcN
shot him in IN open field III full pres
ence of the passengers on the train, IL d
of the rifle clubs, robhing his dead body
of his watch. money. shirt studs and
ring. 4 number of color.d men we've
also killed, at and near Robbins sta
ton, by another detachment of the
rifle clubs on the same day. but the
number cannot Yet he fixed.
Late i'll the day on Monday. the 18th,
the main body of the rifle clubs, with
large reintOrcemcntS. returned to
Rou>e'S bridge, and during Monday
night completely surrounded the swamp
i'll which the crowd of colored persons
were hiding to the number of ~ or 90
throwing out Il line of picketS armcd
with breech-loading rifles. Early on
the morning of Tuesday. the 10Th. one
of the leaders of the rifle clubs. Il prom
inrnt white man living in this vicinity
told his confidential colored servant
that 'thcy had got the miggcr> in Il
bunch at Rou>c'S bridge. and got them
surrounded. and 10y God they intended
to Kill the last one of them"
About So'clock. the officers ot the
rifle clubs gave orders To their force tu
advance. and they had actually advamc-
ed to within 100 yards of the spot where
the colored people were huddlcd to
gcthcr i'll the swamp awaiting their
doom. one or two of them having been
actually shot 10y the >klImi>hclS. when
Capt Lloyd of the 18th mtcd States
infantry. appeared on the scene with u
small command of United States sol
dieIS. The guns of the rife clubs were
leNeled at his command. under the be
lief a> the rife clubs Informed him.
that Il black militia company waS com
Ing t" relieve the col"red people in the
swamp. ON discovering that they were
dispatched to enquire of Capt. LloN d
what he proposed To do. The officer
responded that he had no orders except
to keep the peace. \ consultation
then took place between the chief of
the rifle clubs and Capt. Lloyd. in
which it WAS agreed that the rifle clubs
would di>pcr>c. Tchrcupon under the
protection of the United States troops.
the colnrrd people came out from then
hiding place and clustered around the
soldiers with expressions of gratitude
not To ht described.
THE CLUES pI>rERSE WITH THREATS.
The rifle club men did not affect to
conceal thcir chagrin AT the inteIvcl-
tion of the United States troops. and
loudly and repeatedly declared in the
presence of the troops that they had in
tended to kill the last one of the mig
gers. The rifle clubs now broke camp
and apparently started homeward. bur
their tracks could Ice followed and di~-
tinguishrd 10y the bodies of dead ne
groe> whom they chanccd to meet CT
whom they succeeded in hunting down
/ The rifle clubs which had assembled at
Rou>t'S bridge for this final Slaughter
We're estimated 10y the amy officer :
pIc>rnt. to number at least 500 mcn.
fully armed and equipped tor war. and
collected from the counties of Edmeticld
/ Aiken and BaInWcll. Before lcaNiu.
| Rou>c'> bridge. the leaders of the rifle
/ clubs Informed the colorcd people that
/ 1.-THE Yankees had saved them. this
| time, but they would get them. the mrNl
! time. AT the same time the lille clubs
declared that "thcy intended Ia cam
/ the election and kill every c"lured re
/ publican who would not vote the dem
oCIatlc ticket.
ATROCITl OF THE TERRORISM.
| The testimony before me clearly
/ shows that the preIcNt heretofore a.
/ signed 10y the rifle clubs toI their As
Srmbiug the assault of the TWO cololcI
robbers upon Miss Harley. Il fact whicl
assigned III my former letter. alrcad
referred to. ;I> the cause or occasion If
the not is utterly untnundrd The
rifle clubs assembled in pursuance of {
wcllmatured plan known and publish
ed in the three counties, to put dow Il
/ the niggcrS" 10y intlcting such violence.
upon them. and 10y such demonstrations
OF force. a> to cause the leaders to flee
| dlltl lllt lll't>S ol lllt lolloNtl> To lblt1D
voting OF vote the democratic ticket.
| | have now merely dcSclihcd in out
line the domestic violence and in>urIcr-
| ton as ii was actually developed at E.
lcntun and within Il radius of ID miles
thcretrom. But in truth this WAS only
one phase or center of the violence and
inSurrection. 1t virtually over>pread
the counties of Aiken ard Barnwcll.
| producing Il reign of terror which dc
populated large sections of those couu-
ties of all colorcd males. InveStiga-
tions in progress Indicate unmiStakabll
that the actual murders committed eN-
ceed the estimates heretofore form, Il
10y me or by those most familiar with
the facts. Scores of colorcd men alc
still missing in addition to those al
ready known to have been killed.
NOT CAUSED BY MI>GovERNMENT.
These are some of the leading cVi-
dcuccS of the domestic violence and in
surlcctiOn which were the occasion of
my call upon the president for militaI
aid. The facts presented are clearly
proved, and the conclusions reach, d
are, think, sustained by the facts.
They make Il case amply warrantin9
my call, and the presidents response.
TO have done less would have been to
abandon the chief functions of govern
memt, and to have permitted domestic ic
violence and inSurrection To accomplish
results against which the constitution
of the United States was designed 10
guard ct1cctuallN.
There Is one pretcNt somewhat wide
| lH suggested III excuse oI mitigation of
the otfcnseS which | have described,
namely, that those who engaged in This