The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-10-21
TerroriZed South Carolina.
CONTINuEn ER0NI EIRST PACE

CONTINUED FROM FIRST PAGE.
parations for the meeting, did not meet
these gentlemen, and no arrangement was
made.
At II o'clock l left the hotel, and pro-
ceeded to the grove. On arriving found
the mounted white men who had assembled
in town, with a large number of other
white men, occupying one entire half of
the space around the stand, and one end of
the stand already broken down by the
white men who had crowded upon it.
stepped upon the stand in company with
Judge Mackey and Senator Cain, the Re
publican County Chairman. Simultaneous
ly General Butler and General Gary mount
ed the stand with a number of their fol-
lowers. The white men vociferously cheer
ed Gen. Butler and Gen. Gary as they APP
peared upon the stand, and the speaking
was actually opened by Gen. Butler, who
returned his thanks to his followers for
their presence and their tribute to him.
He was followed, in response to deafeuing
calls from his party, by Gen. Gary, who
announced in emphatic and plain terms
that they-he and his party-had come
there to be heard and that they should be
heard; that the radical leaders had failed
to make any arrangement for a division of
the time in speaking, but that he and his
friends should be heard, with or without
our consent, and he added with great sig
nificance of tone and manner, that eff any
trouble took place in consequence the re-
sponsibiity and consequences would be
upon the radical leaders, During all this
time no Republican had been allowed to
speak. A glance at the crowd of white
men, who by this time covered the stand
and swarmed around nearly three sides of
it, besides climbing into the trees above
our heads, all, so far as l could observe,
HEAVILY ARMED WITH PISTOLS
displayed in many instances on the trout
of their persons, and even held in their
hands, convinced me that any attempt to
refuse the demand made, or even to aban.
don the meeting, would result in collision
L
therefore advised Senator Cain that we had
no alternative but to yield to the demand,
and after moments consultation | an
nounced that we would divide the time,
giving half hour each to three speakers
from each party. Senator Cain then pro-
posed to call the meeting to order and to
announce the speakers, but Gen. Gary de-
clared that they wanted no chairman, and
accordingly | stepped forward, under these
circumstances to address the melting
From the beginning to the end of my half
hour | was interrupted by the crowd of
white men with .jeers and insults of every
kind. Twice during my remarks the con-
fusion and interruption was so complete
that after vainy appealing to the crowd to
allow me to be heard, General Butler had
the decency to come forward and so far
restore order as to barely permit me to re-
sumo my remarks. OF the whole half hour
allotted to me certainly was not permitted
to occupy more than twenty minutes with
any remarks such as / should naturally
have made on such an occasion. In truth
/ spoke under great constraint and con-
seriousness that any word might precipitate
bloody collision, which l had no means
of preventing or controlling. | was de-
nounced by voices from the crowd as a
companion thief with McDevitt; was told
would never come to Edgefield again; was
oil "a wit hn Hn,, iot
to kill the white people, excite the North
and get United States troops to carry the
election, and with a variety of other crimes
of which these are but specimens.
l was followed by General Butler, who
occupied his time without interruption.
His speech was
EXCEEDINGLY VIOLENT AND BITTERLY
PERSONAL
towards me, on account principally of my
report Of the Hamburg massacre. Judge
Mackey followed General Butler, and he in
turn was followed by General Gary. Near
ly the whole of General Gary's speech was
directed against me. In bitterness and
violence of personal abuse, l have certainly
never heard or known its parallel. Nothing
short of a verbatim report could give an
idea of its character. His attacks were not
confined to my official character, but ex-
tended to my personal life and affairs, with
frequent threats against me personally in
Aarious contingencies.
Judge Mackey next occupied about tif-
teen or twenty minutes in replying to some
of General Gary's personal charges against
me, and he was followed by Gen. Butler.
What have now described occupied the
time from little after II until $50 clock
"a fact which will give an idea of the
time consumed by the interruptions of
which have spoken. At $50 l left the
grove in order to reach the Columbia train
at Pine House, the same evening, amidst a
torrent of ieers and yells which continued
to reach my ears without cessation until !
had passed beyond the limits of the town.
The meeting, though called and arranged
for in every particular by the Republicans,
was at no time and in no sense under our
control; only two of the six Republican
speakers from abroad who were present
were permitted to speak at ALL and under
the pressure of the white men who crowd
ed upon it the entire platform was brought
to the ground before | left the scene. At
this meeting the Republicans were told in
the most emphatic terms that the Demo-
Gratis had made up their minds to carry
Edgefield county, and that they would
carry it; that their leaders would be held
to account personally; that the white peo-
pie must and should rule the county. The
whole meeting may be justly described as
torrent of abuse Of me personally, and
an exhibition of force and tn reats designed
to intimidate the colored voters and their
leaders. After we had reached the train,
at the several railroad stations in Edretield
county, number of the armed and mount
ed men who had attended the meeting at
the Court House entered the car in which
we sat, and, with rude and threatening
manner, addressed their jeers and insults
to General Smalls and myself, especially
warning us not to come to Edgefeld again.
will add that the foregoing account of
the meeting at Edgefield has been made