Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-11-03


Oa She morning of the 18th TIE ride clubs
. aJTcard la large numbers 1T Rouse, Bridge,
nc@s wa.chon the edge Of q swamp the color
( 81 people. men. women, and children, panic
stricken by ihe murders Of the previous
night, lal gathered. About > O'Clock in
/ Tie morning a.. the l1;h ,S1ndsy). the rife
. clubs FORMED across field 10 front Of R0use's
/ Bridge. threw out I!ckcts, and assumed the
/ position Vt q hostile army. Before moving
forward they sent messenger to the leading
cC.J.ci men and proposed a conference Of
I've men On each side. Such conference
took place. and il was agreed that both par
tics should di-lcrsc and - to their homes
The wA.,e men WHO attended the conference.
On their way back to tie lines of the rife
clu.s, Glanced 10 meet three colorcd men
retiring T. Their homes ia pursuance of the
asrccmen, now stated. They instantly fired
upon them and killed Henry Campbell and
wounded Airam Oycrstseet 10 the head and
Nelson B--h in the thigh. This lem1ustra-
ton convinced the oolorci people that the
conference WIS mere trick, and that the
rlrra-e 0t tie ride Cluhs Was to kill them in
detail after drawing them out Of the swamp.
as wei as % earn their numbers and
fcrc1ce tie cl.0red men had freely stated
that they hat only few gun-shots and not
a round Of fixed ammunition of any kind.
oelD ILomID EUTCHEEr At 11LENToS.
Daring tie l7th large rart Of the rife
clubs moved Oil from Rouse Bridge toward
I MON Bridge and Elieuton, on the Port Roy
al Railroad. and during the day shot and
.. .
men, probably a. many a. l., At one cabin
they found >iS colorei men who had crawled |
out Of tie swamp to get something to eat.
The rifle clubs surprised them, killed two OF |
them in the yard, two more while running |
toward the swamp, and wounded the re
naming two. Early on the morning Of the |
18th the rl' club, appeared in great force |
on the Port Roya. Railroad having been re-
enforced by white men from Augusta. They
moved up and down the railroad, killing all
the colorcd men they CHANGED to find. Among
their victims was an old man Of 30 years
and a harmless deaf and dumb boy.
About 10 % clock report was received
that the colorod men had assembled at Rob
bins Station about ! ) miles below Ellenton.
Thereupou. about > men from the rife
clubs got INTO box-car and were taken
town to Robbins Station. Here they found
Simon Cokcr, already named, an honest.
peaceable nan, well known to ne personally
as member Of the Legislature from Barn
well county. sitting on the railroad platform
with his wife and coored female school
teacher The rifle club men forced him in
TO the hox-car, took him back to Ellenton,
and after a lrlc. parley shot him in an open
field in fall presence Of the passengers on
the train and of the rifle clubs, robbing his
dead body Of his watch, money, shirt studs,
and ring \ number of colored men were
also killed at and near Robbins Station by
another detachment of the rife clubs on the
same day. but the number cannot yet be
fixed
FEDERAL TROOPS ARRIVE JUST N TINE,
Late in the day, on Monday, the 18th,
the main body of the rifle clubs, with large
returned to Rouse's Bringc,
and during Monday night completely sur
rounded the swamp in which the crowd Of
colored persons were hiding to the number ,
Of about 50 or 90, throwing out line Of
pickets armed with breech-loading rifles.
Early on the nlTairg Of Tuesday, the l9th,
one Of the lcad,i, Of the rifle clubs, promi-
nent white man living in this vicinity, told
bis confidential colored servant that they
had got the niggers in bunch al Rouse's
Bridge and got them surrounded, and by
God they INTENDED to kill tne last ore Of q
them" About o'clock the officers OF the
rife clubs gave orders to their force to ad-
vance, and they had actually advanced to
within 100 yards Of the spot where the col
ored people were huddled together in the
swamp awaiting their doom, one or two of
hem having been actually shot by the
when Capt. Lloyd Of the 18th
United States Infantry appeared on the ,
,cene with small command of United States
oldicrs. Thereupon, under the protection {
# the United States tr0Ops. tie coiured peO-
pie came out from their hiding lace and .
clustered around the soldiers with express
ions Of gratitude not to be described. I,
| have now merely described in outline u
he domestic violence and Instruction as it y y
vas actually developed at EllentOn and with
n a radius of fifteen miles thereirOm. But
n truth this was only one phase or center OF
he violence and Instruction. IL virtually
,verspread the counties of Aiken and Barn :,
veil, producing a reign of terror which de-
,opulated large sections of those counties OF
II colored males. Investigations now in
Progress indicate Enthusiastically that the ac-
ual murders committed exceed the estimates {
heretofore formed ty me or BY those most !
amiliar with the facts. Scores of colored
men are still missing in addition to those al
eady known to have been killed. :
NOT CAUSED BY INVOLVEMENT. n
These are some of the leading evidences Of "
he domestic violence and Instruction which Il
we're the occasion of my call upon the Presi- h
ent for military aid Tho facts presented '
re clearly proved, and the conclusions h
cached are, think, sustained by the facts. Of
hey make case amply warranting my call "
nd the Presidents response. To have done tt
sss would have been TO abandon the chief CT
JUNCTION of government, and to have per- al
lifted domestic violence and Instruction to o.
cccmplish results against which the Con- 5
litution Of the United States was designed RI
guard efectually.