The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-08-05
THE SOLID SOUTH.


The expectation of realizing Mr.. Samuel
Jones Tilden's election to the Presidency is
based upon the hope of carrying New York
and the certainty of the electoral vote of
the solid South. The idea of sectionalism,
in its worst phase, is never entertained in
connection with the boast of an "undi-
vided South when Democratic journals
indulge the prospective pleasure of Presi
dental success thus obtained, and the unin-
formed reader of truthful partisan Demo-
cratic organs, little dream of the meaning
! conveyed in the expression, "The Solid
South" Yet under it to-day are being
perpetrated the greatest outrages that can
disgrace civilized nation. 1t means polit-
ical ostracism and disregard of life, dis
reimbursement and death. 1t means polti-
cal persecution of the most infamous type,
involving an indiscriminate warfare upon
the weak and defenseess. 1t means the
establishment and enforced recognition of
the "color line, across which they, upon
whom the Creator has set his black badge,
cannot pass to citizenship, or to the reali-
cation of its benefits and blessings. 1t
means the perpetuation Of the era of hatred
and illwill, and the maintenance of local
servlity, compared to which the former
slavery of the colored men was indeed
paradise.
To the white man himself, who dares the
holding an opinion, and who demands in
right the protection of the government
under which he lives, it means equally
with the negro, murder and assassination.
No candid man can but deplore the condi-
ton of affairs existing to-day in Louisi
ana, Mississippi and South Carolina. The
White Line" leaders hold those States
in the Democratic line by the force of the
bowie-knife and the bludgeon. They have
inaugurated and successfully maintained,
in those States, reign of blood and ter
rorsm, the effect of which upon the nation
at large cannot be counteracted by the idle
cry of the "bloody shirt" or set aside by
the hollow cry of a "kuklux scare" Take
one political murder in Mississippi, that of
William Haffa, akin to those attempted
and accomplished in Louisiana. and of
which Senator Twitchell is Il well-known
instance. Jas. Redpath has recently given
to the country, through the columns of the
New York Times, the story of William T.
Haffa's violent death. His crime was that
of being Republican.
| The Baltimore nd ut hay tlv
done great injustice Senator Bayard in Representing:
him vehementiy declaring in the presence of th-
widow of Mr.. Hfaa the Repub lean tyr. that he
would not believe her story under oath. He never
even saw her.
| l possess her affidavit made in Mississippi: have
read her testimony beoe the committee, and heard
the story from her own lips in her home in Philadelphia.
will give in her own words. for 10 skill and
genius could tell the sad story we'll. could any
story show in more lurd light the fendish temper of
| the Mississippi bLnditt
Let me first introduce it briefly.
VIM. ?. 1Iafa a man of sputless character. Of
sngularly mild and inotensye manners, hc beloved
by the colored people and respcc" by all the unpren
diced whites. He was not fighting lie did not
go TO Mississippi for office hut raise anil
Six years ago last February, he leased plantation
Iiafa and their children had lived there quietly work
ing. never interfering in politics, the of the
land called on them and asked them whether they
friends of the white man or the - niger. lie said
(as any honest Northern would have SAID Ia such
question: that he was friend to every one who
| worthy of friendship, whether white or black.
| of the - niger
After this interview he was threatcdcd more than
once The coored people soon afterw;rd nominated
him for Justice of the Peace. Gov. Acorn the
appointment and refused to eject him when the Demo
cratic leaders asked that he should lee removed on the
ground that no Northern should come down and
rule them. The majority Of the people-the hla,li>-
| desired his appointment, and of either color
could complain of his character. He served out his
term of two years He was renominatcd and again
| elected
The local Democratic leaders then waited on him.
took him out of the hous" and dashed him without
mercy with cowhidc: and when hi, wife besuu.;t
them for mercy clung to him one of the ruff ms
who joint of the plantation. threw her of
SO violently that She laid mp month from the
injuries she received She has never To tLiS dy fIl
recovered from the shock. Mr.. Half, rrnain"d he
was threatened again: his boy shot at: hi own
life was put repeatedly in peril. He d>armei
w"nidhe 'ssassina member of enc OF the families in
| the district
After these occurrences both NJ. nafr and his VI f.
taught colored schools. As the blacks them
they had influence over their votes. THIS Lead
and front of their offending. They also taught til"
! blacks in Sunday schools.
The kukluX suppressed and there WITS peace in
Mississippi until last summer when the campaign of
intimidation and assassination in,ugurate. Bound
to carry the State any costa boast made every
where and openly-the fate of Mr.. Hafa was sealed
He would not leave He cou Id mot be driven OF. He
must die.
| And now 1 stand aside % let the widow speak
we were aroused by the furious barking of our dog
on the morning of the 9th Of September.
Iholercd, who is there and no answer repeat
ed it, and there And then Mr.. IIaffa
got up and said. Who is there
They said, We will let You know who is there
melting 10 that effect.
And said Ny God they have the yard full of men
presume there were from fifty L. scvrut y-iive
baricadng tho whole If the house And thew had not
only armed themselves with two weapons hut
some of them had half dozen. They had them
bucklcd around tt.cn besides the mu,krt tha; they
carried They tried to unfasen the door -ct in. but
put my foot between tie door and tn sill kept
the door closed. My daughter helped Findin.
they could not get in they finally took of the
rails and broke the door down. and part of the furni
tire. And We We're holcring all the time Murder
Murder. No one came TO our assistance. They Cuu'd
hear me hocr murder for about two miles aS iHr
neighbor' told me uf,erwiri. Finally Moser the agent
OF the Singer sewing ma hine. up To me and
choked me and held revolver close my head. Be
fore he choked me said: am afraid ii you vii!
choke me and spare my hushand-tlat j. all Moselv
said to me, when l called h ; several times:
Sh-sh! had a nursing baby then. and il LYNN.
on The bed screaming After was chok'd so that l
could not h"llcr any longer my daughter came and
she left me and went over to her father.
The men outside broke shutter off the window and
fired at Mr.. llafa, and my little boy told sincc-he
said he would take oath any time-that it WIS Jimmy
Whitehead who fired of the shots Mr. IIafa and
Sid Whitehead the owner If the land that rented
He had threatened Mr.. Hailas life several times which
the children knew of. They fired twice. and c
him, AMI he asked me TO take him to the bed; my
daughter and | assisted him to the bed We had no
Mamma want water. As soon rs could get a light
i gave him water and laid him down aud ran
assistance and sent my little boy colorrd
people, and they came rushing over. FINALLY Sid
physician. He sad it use, that he would die
anyhow. Mr. Haiia said, Mamma, am going to die:
and he asked God to have mercy his soul and then
he laid his head on my shoulder and expired
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Political Notes.
1nx hnl Ia, ,Ennk