The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-11-02
Disorder in. Beaufort-A Democratic
g Meeting Broken Up!


- Meeting Broken Up! r
The reception of General Hampton and
party by the colored people at Early
Branch was so cordial on Wednesday
that the Radicals of Beaufort were taken
by .surprise-between 300 and 400 col
ored men having left the ground declar-
ing that their eyes had been opened and
that they intended to vote for Hampton.
No sooner had this become known by
the leading Radicals of the county, who
had become alarmed }! than steps were
taken to prevent recurrence of such a
thing. . a.5.-i7
The meeting at Beaufort on Saturday
last, when Cardozo, Smalls, Fillebrown
and others spoke, having proven per-
feet failure, there not being more than
thirty or forty colored men present, the
leaders determined to hold several meet
ings outside of the town, and established
themselves in the edge of the village, on
all the roads leading out of it, to prevent
the negroes from coming in to hear the
Democrats Gleaves, Smalls and other
Radicals making themselves particularly
conspicuous in this latter business.
General Hampton opened the Demo
cratic meeting in a speech Of about three
quarters of an hour, and was listened to
with quiet attention by about 400 colored
men, who, in spite of the efforts of
Gleaves & Co., had assembled in front of
the court house. After General Hamp-
toms speech, Colonel L. F. Youmans, of
Columbia, rose to speak, and shortly after
opening, began to read the opinions of
Chamberlain, Elliott, Cardozo, Dunn,
Gleaves & Co. of each other, as expressed
by. themselves in the past. Immediately
the crowd, who had been put up to it by
one j. NJ. Crawfut, a low white Radical,
and who had sworn that some of the
Democratic orators should not speak,
began yelling and bowling, using the
most obscene and abusive language
This was kept up for full half hour,
when Colonel Youmans. despairing of
being heard, abandoned the stand.
Judge Cooke then rose to speak, and
told the negroes that be wanted to speak
to them as a Republican and wanted
them to listen to him as Republican.
At this point one Langley, pure
blooded negro, who had been convicted
of ballot-box stufing two years ago and
sentenced to the penitentiary for two
years, but who was pardoned by Grant
after he had served one year, told the
negroes that Cooke was Democrat and
q traitor, and that he had been the means
of causing hundreds of colored men in
the up-country to leave the Radical par
ty. Langley, with the aid of his gang,
by ieers and curses, prevented word Of
what Judge Cooke said from being heard.
After half hour spent in vain attempts
to gain attention, Judge Cooke also aban-
doned the stand.
Col. James G.. Gibbes, who has done
such good service in Richland for the
State, and who has everywhere been
greeted by the colored people as good
man and their friend, then essayed to
speak. He began by amusing then with
anecdotes, and finally attempted to ex-
plain the political situation to them. At
this point the crowd, led by the cx-con-
vict Langley, began yelling like pack
of Comanche Indians, and he, too, was
compelled to desist.
Gen. Hampton, seeing that the minds
of the negroes had been poisoned, and
that there was no possible chance of the
speaking being concluded, dissolved the
meeting, and informed the negroes that
he regretted that they had been again
misled by their bad leaders, and that he
would inform them, for their ediication,
that eight or ten officers from the fleet at
Po,t Royal, and soho t0ere IN citizens dress,
had soitnessed their disgracetM conduct
This fell like bombshell among the
ignorant crowd, and they gradually broke
up and dispersed.
This news reached private parties in
this city by telegraph last evening. In
a day OF two we shall probably be able
to give a more perfect report of the
scenes. which transpired yesterday in
this benighted section of the State
Register.