Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-08-30
APATHETIC STORY.

One of the Democratic Murders in ItIissis.
| sippi-HOw the Party Of "Purity and
REFORM" Inculcntes Its Principles.
The following is taken from the report
OF MIR. Boutwell's committee concerning
the intimidations of negroes in AIissis.
sippi: 81 cav :, al bt~, ere.
The most pathetic story of them all
was told by poor Ann Hodge, shy,
frlghtened-looking jet-black girl of
eighteen years, widow, and the mother
OF two orphan children, whose father
had been slain in cold blood. He was
one OF the victims of the series of mas
sacres that, followed the riot at the Gin
ton barbecue, Republican meeting.
called by Republicans. only, which was
broken up by an armed com
pany from Raymond, and ende d in q
running fight between the whites and
blacks. 1t was held on Saturday, the
4th of September. Armed companies
from Vickburg and the vicinity of Clin-
ton spent the next day-all one long
autumnal Sunday-in securing the
county for negroes, and almost every
man whom they saw they murdered
without warning or mercy. Jackson.
the capital, eight miles off, was crowded
for weeks with colored refugees, and
it was not until the hunters became
alarmed for their cotton crop that it was
safe for any one OF them to go back. It
was then that Mr.. Haffa was killed. and
from thirty to fifty negroes.
Square Hodge, the husband of Ann,
was one of the victims of the Clinton
riot. He was shot in the arm He went
home with his arm in sling. Next
morning party of Democrats came
after him. Let their names be given to
the infamy they have earned. They
were Henry Quick, Willy Locke, Bryan
Mcdonald, John Mcdonald, Geo. Al
len, John McNeir, Allen Grafton, and
two or three others whom the widow
did not know. They were all on horse
back, armed with guns and pistols.
There were four colored men in the
house, and two women and five chill
dren. Allen Grafton and John McNeir
dismounted and went into the cabin.
The rest remained outside on guard.
"They made my brother come out
from under the bed," said Ann, ''and
asked where Square was, and said: SIS
he in the om?" And I did not tell,
and said did not know at first.
Then he asked me if they had been
at the Clifton riot, and said that did
not know. Then he said, If you don't
tell, 1 will shoot your --- brains
out .0 Hen. Es..a
They made him come out from under
the bed and started to shoot under the
house. Mother had put the children
under the house. She was scared, and
put the children under the house, and
they had gone around There are two
doors in the house, and I told them no.
body was under but the children. Then
they came IN the house, but could not
find Square, and they went out right
where he was and snatched off the
weather boards, only one in the room,
and the other went outside the door,
and snatched the weather board, and
turned back the bed, and made him
come out, and called him - - of
a -, and said he must come with
them.
Mr.. Quick says: CT told. you this;
if you had listened to me you would not
have come to this" And they told him
put on his shoes, and / had to put
them On and could not tie them very
we'll, and some one said, I" Let the
-------- shoes be; he don't need any
shoes :" I put my brothers coat on
him, and they carried him before them.
he walked before them away toward
Raymond. ~ o.
CHOW, what happened9" asked the
Senator. aa a lst
Nothing else," she said. s
s. What became of your hlsband?"
They killed him.. she said. 81
never did find him for week until the
next Saturday. It was near about
mile and half to the last bridge to
Raymond in the swamp 1H
"Who found him ?" ar .r-
GA colored man." she answered,
"who was running of-keeping out of
the way of the Rebs, too-and he came
across the body, and went and got
spade and dug hole, and put blaze
on the trees all the way out, and then
we got the news; and Mr.. Quick he
took and made box for us, and he
loaned us wagon, and we went after
him that, Saturday.
"You found his body ?'' asked the
Chairman.
"The buzzards," she went on, s'the
buzzards had eat the entrails but from
the body down here she explained by
motion of her hand what she meant 1t
was as natural as ever. His shoes were
tied just as I had tied them. The skull
bone wss on the outside of the grave,
and this arm was out slightly, and the
other was off. Some we didn't find.
We picked up the rings Of the back
bone. We got the pocket book, and
there was the hat hanging up, and this
ring [she pointed to silver ring on her
fnger], it was up on the tree, and the
black one [she had an ebony ring on the
same finger, the black one was on the
ground-thls one."
The evidence of this mans brother
showed that they took no part whatever
in the fight at Clinton, but that both of
them "broke and run" as soon as the
firing began. Square was shot as he
was escaping. he was seen to be
wounded, and SO he was assassinated
by the Democrats of the neighborhood.