The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-12-14

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most intelligent ofshisso olhaguss 4ol-
loved hiisexamplea Then the excite
nsspt pc the negroes heightened into
frenzy They threatened~a these men and
all Others with death and@destruction.
Inaammatory speeches were made by
their leaders, incendiary pieces were
read from newspapers, and they were
urged on in their hell:sn hatred by the
leaders to make an attack, there being
only about sixty-hve or seventy Demo-
Gratis in the Hall, and .probably,two hun
dred and fifty Republicans, nearly all of
whom were negroes, the white scoundrels
having left when they thought they had
things under way. The whites were we'll
armed, and clustered around Hamilton
and Myers to protect them, and at the
same time let the RAIDS. know that they
would fight to the bitter end, be the con-
sequence what it might. The pluck and
determination of the Democrats soon
quieted the RAIDS down, and order was
restored in the House.
Then comes the darkest part of the,
whole history of this affair. 1t claimed
to be thoroughly authenticated, and we
believee it beyond a question. In the
first place, two wagon loads Of State
rifles were sent to the Penitentiary from
the State armory, together With ammuni-
ton, we presume and hear to arm the
convicts, who were to,be turned loose
upon the people of Columbia. Then
they quietly admitted about one hundred
roughs, who were, at the appointed time,
to attack the Democratic members in the
hours of darkness and massacre them ALL,
God, in his providence, protected us, and
the plot was discovered to Governor
Hampton, who notified us, and took
measures at once to prevent this horrible
outrage on humanity and civilization.
Can you conceive Of a more hellish plot
had it been concocted in the lower re-
gions? The representatives, Of the peo-
pie of South Carolina, to be massacred
by set of savages and bloodhounds to
place this government in the hands of
that infamous wretch, D. II. Chamber
lain! This deed alone will consign him,
not to oblivion, but to that detested I'M:
fanny which has immortalized such fends
as Nero, Caliguea or Robespiere.
The session which commenced Saturday
at twelve, lasted through Sunday until
Monday at twelve o'clock, thus making a
legislative day of forty-eight continuous
hours, most of which time passed of in
comparative quiet.
During these scenes of hardship and
danger, the Executive Committee of the
State, and especially Gen. A. G. Haskell
and Capt. James A. Hoyt, stood by US
nobly; also, two gentlemen from our
County, Messrs. D. S. Mccullough and
RE. Moorhead, who will always be re-
membered with gratitude by the Ander-
son delegation Of 1857, for having
voluntarily stood by us in our hours of
trouble, from the commencement to the
close Of this trying ordeal, a. ..a
On Monday Gen. Wallace. received
official information that over one hun
dred of. the State Constabulary would be
sent into the Hall to put the Democratic
members out, and would be supported by
the United States bayonets. So the
House decided to leave before the peace
was broken and riot sinaugurated, in
conformity to the policy of Coy: .Hamp-
ton through the entire campaign, though
the Speaker entered the solemn protest
of the House of Representatives against
being driven from the Capitol of the
people by Federal bayonets:. Subsequent
events have established beyond a .ques-
ton the wisdom and propriety Of this
move, and if such prudence and firmness
but characterize the policy of the Demo
Gratis here speedy success is inevitable.
In the meantime, a large concourse of
citizens from all parts of the State had
assembled in Columbia, and as the Dem
ocratic members = each carrying his
blanket under his arm-filed out of the
State House, they were met by these
frenzied and almost uncomfortable men.
1t was a. sight long to be remembered,
for every one present felt that in the sight
presented he witnessed the downfall of
American freedom, and the destruction
of purity and honesty in government, and
realized from this on the ascendancy 'of
trickery and scheming in their! stead.
Slowly and sadly we wended our way
back to Carolina Hall, from which place
we had issued four days before in such
high spirits; but, though dispirited, there
was stamped on every tired and sleepy
face a determination which was enconr-
aging at least; and in that memorable
walk was born resolutions in the hearts
of every one which will in the iuture
long be remembered by tyrants and
usurpers. Our action was a surprise to
all outsiders, and justly SO, for they had
been excluded from tho' House, and be-
sides were notinformed as to the military
status inside Of 1.-The Capitol. Many
thoughtless, persons reprobated our ac-
tiou,' and many kilograms were sent all
over the; State that we had withdrawn
from the State House against the earnest
protest of Governor Hampton and his
advisers. This and such like statements
are without the shadowof truth, tor every
step we have so for taken has been in en-
tire accord with the plans arranged by
Gov. Hampton; who is more than ever
our trusted leader. Besides this, we were
assured by direct information, received
before we left the State House, that Pres
ident Grant did not Intend to recognize
either House until it had a constitutional
quorum of sixty-three members, holding
original certificates from the Secretary of