St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-11-03

| poit Wis very Imperfect oH account ol
the fact that the colored people who
were the witnesses and objects of the
violence were absent from their homes
through fear. and when accessible were
i'll many instances unwilling to 1--WE
their testimony until further protection
could he guaranteed to them. An clabo-
rate investigation has now been made.
and the following statement is made up
from the written testimony of more
| than one hundred sworn witnesses who
have been carefully examined. 1t will
he seen that all the discrepancies he
| tween the present statement and that
made in my letter of October to the
chairman of the democratic state cx-
ecntive committee simply add features
of deeper horror To the affair.
In the county of Aiken and the ad-
joining counties of Edgefield and Barn
well, the white democrats began. as
early us last July, Systematically to in
form the cOlored republicans that the
democrats had resolved to carry the
coming election, and that the colOred
republicans would have to vote with
them. In August and the early part of
September these threats took more
definite form. The colored republicans
were told. far and wide. that, if they
did not vote the democratic ticket. they
would be killed. Scarcely colored
man can now he found to whom thrsc.
! threats were not personally made. They
were ordered to discontinue THEN polit-
| ical meetings, and were told that list
of all their leaders had been made out :.
and that these leaders would bc killed.
| SilvcIton. RouSe's bridge. ChaviSS store.
| Matlock's church. and Union bridge aIc
| points in the vicinity Of Ellcuton. In
| this section is Il large colored popnla-
/ ton. constituting perhaps the strongest
republican section of Aiken county.
During the week preceding the 10th
OF September, word was sent To the col
oIcd republicans. by the members ot
the white rifle clubs, that the repuhli-
can club at ChaviS's store would be bro
ken up ON Saturday. the 10th. The
rifle clubs in that section. contrary to
their custom. assembled on Friday. the
10Th, instead of on Saturday. at Mat
locks church. The republican cluh
met on the 10th. according to their Gus
tom. but OWN" to the threats referred
To. onl y % persons were present. On
the 10th, throughout the day. the rifle
clubs were assembling at Matlnck'> :
church. five OF six clubs being present
numbering not less than BOO men. Il part
of them being from Augusta, Ga. \
little before SUNSET of the 10th. these
clubs formed as military companies.
and marched upon Il run down To Cha
/ NI>S store. where the republican club
WAS supposed To bc assembled. They
found only about 10 republicans pres
eut. The rifle club leaders demanded
| to SEE the leader of the republican club
| Columbus RnuntIee. the chairman of
/ the republican club, being absent. Sam
] uel Darby acted a. spokc>man. The
/ chict spokesman of the rifle clubs then
| told the colored members of the repuh-
| lean club that they must not meet
again. "that they would all he killed
of if they did" Seeing one colored
man with IL >hotgun they took it from
| him, but finding it worthless they re
tanned his ammunition. and gave back
! the gun. The culorcd men were then
| informed that there had got to he Il
| fight between the whites and the
| blacks. and the rifle clubs then de
maudcd that the coloIcd men present
/ should step ont i'll line and tight it
ont. This Offer wa> naturally declined.
! Finally. with NcliugS and threats of
Nrugcncc. the rifle clubs marched oil.
declaring they were going to kill Glo>-
| ter Holland and Simon Cokrr 1.-TWO col
nIrd members of the Lcgi>laturr.) that
night. During the night of the 10th.
several colored men were killed in this
section.
pECOlING TIE NEGROES.
On the morning of the Eth. the rifle
clubs Appeared III large numbers ut
Rou>c> bridge. near which. on the edge
of Il swamp. the colored people. men.
Women and children. panic->tlickcn 10y
/ the murders of ne previous night, had
/ gathered. About . o'clock on the
morning of the Eth (Sunday.) the rifle
clubs formed ACROSS ii field in front of
| Rou>c> bridge. threw out pickct>. aud
assumed the position "f Il hostile army .
Before moving forward. they sent Il
messenger To the leading colorcd men.
who had NOW concealed themselves a.
much H. possible i'll the swamp. This
messenger called for the leading color
ed men. and asked il they would COM
promise. The colored men replied that
they had no quarrel. and did not know
what compromise meant. The repre-
sentative of the rifle clubs then said
that the clubs had Il warrant for the
arrest of Alexander Pope. aud they
wanted him. The colorcd men answer
ed that Pope WAS not with them. but
that if the rifle clubs had Il warrant for
any one they could come and search
for him.
The representative of the rifle clubs
then proposed Il conference of five men
| from each side. Such Il conference took
place, aud it WAS agreed that both par
ties should disperse and 90 to their
homes. The white men who had at
tended this conference, on their way
back to the lines of the rifle clubs.
chanced to meet three colored men re-
firing to theiI homes. in pursuance ot
the agreement now stated. They in
stantly fired upon them, and killed
| Henry Campbell and wounded Abram
Ovcrstreet in the head and Nelson Bush
in the thigh. This demonstration con-
vinced the colored people that the con
ference was Il mere trick. and that the
purpose of the rifle clubs was to Kill
them in detail after drawing them ont
of the swamp, as well as to learn their
numbers and whether they were armed
! During the conference, the colorcd men
had freely stated that they had only IL
few shot guns and not IL round of fixed
ammunition of any kind.
COLD-BLOODED BUTCHERY ATT TELLENToN
During the 18th, Il large part of the
rifle clubs moved off from RouSc's
bridge toward Union bridge and Ellen
ton, on the Port Royal railroad. and,
during the day, shot and killed il con-
siderable number of colored men. prob
ably as many us IL. At one cabin, they