The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-10-26
From the New York Times.
THE TERROR IN THE SOUTH.
THE CAINHOY. s. C.. ENCOUNTER.


VIOLATION OF THE AGREEMENT FOR A
JOINT DISCUSSION BY THE DEMOCRATS
AFTER THEIR MAN HAD SPOKEN-AN OLD
NEGRO SHOT DEAD BY THEM AT THE OUT
sET-COOLNEsS AND DETERMINATION OF
THE COLORED MEN-PROMPT AND ENER-
4 CELTIC ACTION OF GOV, CHAMBERLAIN.
e CHARLESTON, Oct. 1.-THE fight which
took place between the whites ard blacks at
the political meeting at CainIoy yesterday,
and which resulted in the killing of at least
three men and the wounding of many Others,
was clearly the result of the ''shot, gun poll
CIV" inaugurated by the white rifle clubs at
Hamburg and Ellenton. The immediate
and direct cause OF the unfortunate affair
will never be definitely ascertained, for, as
is usual in such cases, both sides vehemently
protest that their opponents were in the
wroLg. 1t vi be noticed that now. for the
first time ID the history of race conflicts of
the South, the negroes were victorious. They
,'drovcr off the whites withs but slight loss
tothemselyes. From this fact it may be ar
giled not only that they are losing their con-
stitutional fear of white men, but that the
recent outrages upon men of their race in
the upper part of this State have impaired to
them some of the desperate courage of the
stag at bay That they are desperate there
can be 70 doubt, for they have been .perse-
cuted beyond human endurance. As have
already intimated, the reports of the causes
of the riot are various and conflicting. The
The following account is from an impartial
and credible eye witness, and may be relied
upon as substantially correct. 77u,
The steamer Pocasin left Charleston at 8
o'clock yesterday morning to convey num-
Der of Democratic and Republican speakers
nd tba;, fr;o dc RI ~ ioin
vided time meeting, which had been announ-
ccd to take place at Cainlloy, about twenty
five miles from the city. Fearing that trou-
BILE might occur, it was arranged between
Sheriff Bowen and the Democratic leaders
that neither party should bring arms on the
boat. The Democratic speakers. Messrs.
.JeFvey and Ticker. and Mr.. O'Connor, the
Democratic candidate for Congress. were ac-
companied by about two hundred members
of the Butler Guard, and other white men.
who carried no rifles. but We're well supplied
with pistols Sheriff Bowen, w. J. McKin-
ley, and, G.. Gaillard, the Republican speak
ers. had Just fifteen of their friends with
them. Notrouble occurred during the trip
ON the river. and the steamer reached Cain
hoy at noon. Here the Charleston party was
met by number of negroes, and proceeded
quietly to the place OF meeting. where they
! found three or four Hundred colored men as
sembled. They had come from all parts of
( the parish. many of them from wild and re-
mote districts. and most of them were armed
with old shot guns and mnskets. These they
placed upon the ground or against trees A
large number of them they laid in the cofier
of an old building near the speakers stand
This they did with no purpose of secreting
their weapons, as has been claimed, but that
they could easily lay their hands OH them
when the meeting closed. The guns and
muskets were all the private property OF the
freedmen. -,s
There were no militia among them, and
the statement that there was militia COM
panyon the ground is not true. The meet.
ing was opened with the understanding that
each party should be allowed two hours for
speeches Before the regular proceedings.
Sheriff Bowen earnestly requested the peo-
pie to listen to the speakers andto be orderly
8 and quiet. MIR. St. Julien Jervey a well
known Democrat of Charleston was then in
troduced and spoke for nearly an hour with
out interruption OF, disturbance Of any kind.
He was followed by Mr.. J. w. Mckinney,
for the Republican, who had only spoken a
few words when he was Startled bya num-
Der OF tie negroes crying ''Look out, dar
look out. dar!' Mckinney looked around
in the direction indicated by the negroes, and
then in very excited tone exclaimed, point
ing to a number of white men who were
approaching the arms in the old house
''Fhose men have got the gurs They are
going to shoot me and the rest of you" He
then jumped from the stand. The colored
men, greatly alarmed by his words, ran from
the meeting place in all directions. taking
their arms with them. Ten or dozen OF
. the whites secureda number of the guns in
the old house, and pointed them toward the
negroes. Sheriff Bowen. seeing this demon
stration, called on Mr.. O'Conner to keep his
men quiet O'Conner tried to do, asking
the white men to lay down their arms. In-
stead OF doing this, however, they went to
the other end Of the building and formed a
line, and then, without moments warning
one OF these white men discharged his gun,
and a decrepid old negro fell dead. Upon
this the blacks fed behind the trees and
bushes and opened running fire upon the
whites, thirteen or fourteen of whom fell
wounded. Two of them afterwards died,
and one other is missing, and probably he
is dead.
The blacks displayed the most remarkable
GOODNESS, and took up a favorable position
instead OF running wildly and aimlessly
about, as they did at the Vicksburg, New
Gascony, and Hamburg massacres. 1t was
this GOODNESS that saved them from slaughter.
Inc WHITES ulluinS thaG they lhteHueu 10
fight gave up the contest. and retreated ra-
pidly to the village. The negroes then dis
persed in all directions taking their wound
ed with them. On this account it will be
impossible to report their loss. 1t is not
doubted, however, that number Of them
were more Or less dangerously wounded.
Upon reaching the village a number of the
whites who We're members of the rifle club
anu could secure arms StatlOnea themselves
To- meet anv attocl ,u,,;ol n,iaht ba r,odo
mon them None was made howevar
In the evening the hoat retnrned to
Charleston and renorted what had occnrred
There was great daal Of axc;to,oent in tho
c;tv and cononanv of tha Poinatto Guard
nnn,ber;nc oiabtv mon vol armed with
hreech-loading rifles Left for the scene Of the
J;stnrho nco = Tbov Wont will, 10 o,o,,.ad
;ntant;on of n,otact;nr tho wh;tes of Coin-
hoy, but there is no doubt that their real de-
sire was to avenge their wounded friends. 1t
is not expected that there will be any furth-
err organized disturbance. for the negroes
have dispersed and many of them will doubt
loco cook cafatv in tho woods o,,d cv.oronc