The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-09-06

D NAAAN4r
As TO the peTioration of trees there by
bullets, l suppose It could be verified by
an examination, but certainly heard
no pistols. took that position directly
/ opposith the Governors mansion in or
der to see thar the pledge Of peace which
bad been made should be fulfilled and
that no iniignity sheuld be offered to the
/ Governor, because We desired the agree
ment should be carried out.
q. How far Is the office where you
were to the gubemaiorial mansions
A. About two hundred and fifty
yards.
Q. You were near enough to hear
any firing or any disturbance?
\. Yes, sir.
q. Were yen constantly at your Of
/ fee during the next night and for a
couple of weeks preceding tho election?
y. L was occasionally, not constantly
Frequently. OF course, it is not my
nabit TO remain, except on such occasions.
Q. Were vou aware that for twenty
DAYS prior 10 the election, and two davs
afterward-I believe it embraced that
chat Governor Ames had colored men
stationed around his house as guards,
inside the fence
A. wiz say, personally, l was not
aware Of it. but | heard it 50 stated.
NEVER HEARD ANY FIRING.
Q. Did you ever hear evidence. or
have any knowledge or information. tI~.
there was eenetsns fi4ius a. night toward
the mansion during those twenty days >
A. No, sir; | never did. l am quite
sure | should have heard it. | viii re-
mark that there Is police constantly
on duty at all hours of the night on the
streets to arrest any disturbance Of
that sort or anything of that kind.
Claiborne Coiyafy-Claiborne county
was impeaehed By the testimony of one
witness, Z. II. Stiles, page y which
was controverted by the testimony of J.
ID. Nertner, at page l9l. From special
and moral causes there had been a great
degree of excitement in this county pre-
ceding and entirely disconnected with
the question of the election. The most
conspicuous cause of excitement and
feeling was the marriage of Haskins
Smith, a colored man, with the daughter
of his employer, Mr.. William Smith, a
hotel keeper in the town of Port Gibson.
This colored man and white girl eloped.
| (See testimony of Mr.. J. ID. Vertner,
page l9l.
Our campaign opened, / think, in the
month of September, about two months
before the election. just prior to the
opening of the campaign, however, an
incident in no way connected with politics
occurred, which produced a very bad
state of feeling between the whites and
blacks. 1t was not the marriage of a
negro with a white woman so much as
the incidents connected with it. There
was such 4 marriage in the county, and
while the white people took no part in it
whatever, the parties being of humble
origin and not in the society of tho
place, yet the father of the girl felt
himself very much aggrieved, the boy
having been reared in his family and
brought up with the girl. The father
was a desperate man, and threatened to
kill him. l myself overheard no such
remarks on the part Of the negroes, but
a gentleman of responsibility informed
me that they had threatened to burn the
town and wreak vengence on the people
if hair of that negro's head was harmed
by Mr.. Smith.
Q. Smith was the father
A. Smith was the father.
@. State the names Of the persons
married.
n a The boy was a negro by the name
of askins Smith. The girl was the
). dau ier OF William Smith. whe kept the
e public hotel of the place. The hoy, while
? a member of the Legislature, was boot
q black in the hotel and waiter, and
e continued there during the time he wai
3 in the Legislature, waiting on the table
! during the recess and finally he ran of
o with this girl. 1t created some impres.
4 sion upon US, but of course was beneath
n our notice but these remarks, which
. were said to have been made very public
ly-
IS Q. You say the father Of the girl wa
very much excited
A. The father of the girl was yer
u much excited and the mother has neve
recovered from the shock that she receiv
e ed at the time. The father in that exas
-e perated state of feeling proposed to XII
Is the negro whenever he returned. H
ID was a very good negro aud held
sr good esteem by the white people Th
negroes here, Haskins' friends, seeini
d. him with a shotgun, gathered aroun
~ his hotel en- asasse. l saw myself tn
excited crowds that gathered there frou
1t day to day. They were absent durin
ne all this time-the man and woman VIII
er were married. The negroes made gres
Is many threats, according to hearsay, bu
I I tua maid N a 10 fto...
as Sunday, about one week after the Occur
renee, the negro was brought back {
at the place by prominent negro Leaders
among them the black coroner Of on
town, who is now in this jail, the leadt
ag of band which has been sent to II
penitentiary for burglary. They wei
y, down with carriages TO bring the negl
e, back. Tne negro protested against
r saying that he had outraged the feeiin.
af- OF the family and preferred to remai
Id where he was but they took him
l force and brought him into the village
ID; quiet Sunday, with four or five your
ed men armed. and they paraded our stree
ed. up and down with this negro who hi
an offended the feelings Of this family
; is their midst; and then, not content wi
of this, they followed our young ladies al
went to our graveyard where our paren
lst, are buried, and trod all around there al
i've marched back.
ity THE WITNESS THREATENS THE COLOR
ust PEOPLE.
I told the sheriff. colored man
70 the eternal gods, If ever again sucl
ere thing were repeated, blood was thicl
IN than water, and re would kill the L
ass son of bitch that if ever such insu
SIC were heaped upon US again we wol
lich not stand it. He told me that Il
and started from the jail with side weapo
atic and that they expostulated with them
no 90 back, and said that he had lost cont
IN of his people.
THE WHITES Arm.
We, seeing that aggressive spirit, /;
Iisb- being insulted on the streets frequen
and instantly called a meeting; it was tot,
was disconnected with politics and we arr