Wilmington journal., 1876-07-28
A Kirk Bully Attempts to break up
a Democratic Meeting.
[From the StatesviHe Landmark. I

Up to last Thursday our county can
vass had progressed without single
interruption. At Fraley's old store
Union Grove township, on the day
mentioned, Mr.. Sharpe. the Democrat
| lc candidate for the House of Repre-
sentatives, made some allusion in the
course of his remarks to that disgrace
full episode in the history of North
Carolina known as the Holden Kirk
war. He said, substantially, that
Holden had summoned an army OF
cut throats and thieves from East
Tennessee and Western North Carolina
under the command of that notorious
marauder and brigand Kirk, and used
them in arresting our best citi--
zens and depriving them of their
liberties. That these free-booters
spat upon the writ of h06eas
corpus and tore that sacred writ into
fragments in the face and defiance of
the civil law. Incidentally he observed,
that Gen. John Quincy Adams Bryant,
who was present, was a member of
that command, and probably one of
the court martial selected by Holden
to have John Kerr and others shot.
Bryant was sitting at the root of tree
within a few steps of where Sharpe
was speaking. When this remark was
made he rose excltediy to his feet, at
the same time drawing a pistol. He
brought his pisto! to half present
and demanded to know of Sharpe if
he called him ''cut-throat." Sharpe
turned and looked him square in the
face and responded, 81 do SIR" and
having TINS replied stopped to the
60 n
and speaking in his shirt sleeves. hav
of the heat.) About this time Mr..
Thos. Cooper approached Kinks va
liant Lieutenant and persuaded him to
put away his pistol and resume his
humble position at the foot of the tree.
Sharpe repeated the charge and asked
the redoubtable Kirk Holden General
if he was really "spilnng" for fight
If nothing but the blood of blarst-
ed Democrat would appease him, as
seemed evid. ut from the demDnstra--
.lous of war made by bun; If SD he
would end avor to the very utmost of
his ability 60 amuse him. "Oh no,
replied Bryant, I'm sick-I' IN IN no
condition % tght-only ii week ago L
left the bedside of d dead son IL ex-
pf ct.d the K K to assall IA I know
that they want to kill me--if they kill
me [ will die maltyr,' &c. He then
sang ii campaign song to the tune OF
"Old John Browns Soul is Marching
on, aud retired amid the Kisses and
groans of thol oughly disguste,t ana
indignant audience. This scene took
place i'll the only y radical tow ship III
the county aud has already been pro-
ductive of good. 1t has thoroughly
aroused the democrats and as thor
oughly alarmed and disgusted the re-
publicans.
Bryant is m istaken in supposing
that the Democrats desire his blood;
SO far from 1t, If the doughty hero of
the Kirk Holden war will make a few
more speeches in this county the Dem
ocrats of old Iredell will present him
with paid up policy. Our gallant
friend and standard bearer, and a
brayer and higher metaled fellow than
Sharpe does not live-was for the mo-
ment, unconsciously betrayed into an
ger by the threatening and hostile at
titude of the Kirk bully. Democratic
candidates may expect to be provoked
and irritated by such insolent fellows
as Bryant. 1t is done designed
ly and it's object is TO make
capital for Morton and Blaine
and the bloody shirt shriekers in the
North. Democrats, cool heads and
steady nerves are the only weapons
you should carry in this campaign. 1t
is trying to submit to the jeers and
taunts and insolence of ignorant, base,
low down white men and drunken ne-
groes. and it is trying to US to counsel
submission to it, but it must be en-
dured-the good of the party demands
It.
Now, who sent out this valiant cap
tain of the BIng Starters, armed with
a big navy revolver, to make Hayes
and Wheeler votes He bears official
relations of some sort to this Internal
Revenue District. at a salary of $l25
per month and expenses.