Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-10-18
FIRST EDITION.
The CalnhOy Affair.


FIRST FIRED oN-AorIoN OF GOV. CHAM
BERLAIN.
The facts in regard to the collision be-
tween the whites and blacks, at Cainhoy,
near Charleston, s. c., on Monday, are now
at hand. 1t was "joint meeting," with
three speakers on each side, and it appears
that the whites fired on the colored men,
killing one man, when the latter defended
themselves, with greater success than in
any previous affair OF the kind.
Special Dispatch to the NelO York Times.
CHARLESTON, s. o., Oct. 1.-THE steam
or Pocdsin left Charleston at 8 o'clock yes.
terday morning to convey number OF
Democratic and Republican speakers and
their friends to a joint discussion, or di-
yided time meeting, which had been an
nounced to take place at Oainhoy, about
twenty miles from the city. Fearing that
trouble might occur, it was arranged be-
tween Sheriff Bowen and the Democratic
leaders that neither party should bring arms
on the boat. The Democratic speakers,
Meesrs. Jervey and flicker, and Mr.. O'con-
nor, the Democratic candidatde for Con-
gress, were accompanied by about two hun
dred members of the Butler Guard and
other white men, who carried no rifles, but
were
WELL SUPPLIED WITH PISTOLS.
Sheriff Bowen, W. J. Mckinley, and @.
Gaillard the Republican speakers, had Just
fifteen of their friends with them. No
trouble occurred during the trip on the riv-
er, and the steamer reached Cainhoy at
noon. Here the Charleston party was met
by number of negroes, and proceeded
quietly to the place of meeting, where they
fot1pd fhraa or fOnr bundrpd aOI0rad man
assembled. They had come from all parts
of the parish many of them from wild and
remote districts, and most of them were
armed with old shotguns and muskets.
These they placed upon the ground or
against trees. A large number of them they
laid in tho corner of an old building near
the speakers stand, This they did with
NO PURPOSE OF sEoRETING
their weapons, as has been claimed, but that
they could easily lay their hands on them
when the meeting closed. The guns and
muskets were all the private property of the
| freedmen. There we're no militia among
them, and the statement that there was a
militia company on the ground is not true.
The meeting was opened with the under
standing that each party should be allowed
| two hours for speeches. Before the regu-
lar proceedings, Sheriff Bowen earnestly re-
| quested the people to listen to the speakers
and to be orderly and quiet. Mr.. St. Julien
| Jervey, we'll known Democrat of Charles.
ton, was then introduced, and spoke for
nearly an hour without interruption
| or disturbance of any kind. lie
was followed by Mr.. J. W. Mckinley, for
the Republicans, who had only spoken a
few words when he was startled by num-
ber of negroes crying "Look out, dar
look out dar !" Mckinley looked around in
the direction indicated by the blacks, and
then in very excited tone exclaimed, point.
ing to number Of white men who were al)
preaching the arms in the old house
''Those men have got the guns. They are
going to shoot me and the rest of you" He
then jumped from the stand.
THE ooLoRED 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 Sc
cured a number of the guns in the old
house and pointed them toward the negroes.
Sheriff Bowen, seeing the demonstration,
called on Mr.. O'Connor to keep his men
quiet. OConnor tried to do 30, asking the
white men to lay down their arms Instead
of doing this, however, they went to the
other end of the building and formed a line,
and then without a moments warning, one
of these white men discharged his gun and
a decrepit old negro fell dead. Upon this
the blacks fled behind the trees and bush
es and opened running fire upon the
whites, thirteen or fourteen of whom fell
wounded. Two of them afTe ward died, AND
one other is missing and probably dead.