The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-08-30

Il
S'lNBER oF ooLORED People AT cLIS.
roS MEErIxG.
2 How many colored peOples -"
A. | counted eight hundred men in
line. cavalry,
Q. Besides that. how manys
A. BssidesIhat there were, | reckon.
tour hundred or FIVE hundred on loot,
besides women and children. | don't
know, but l reckon there was a crowd of
two or three thousand altogether.
q. 1ea went up to be one of the
sPeasers, bat did not speak?
A. Yes, sir; I did not speak.
@ You were entirely unarnedY
y. Entirely So
while companies on foot to the number
of many hundred were counted by the
same witness. Many, perhaps the ma
loFity, of these men on foot and horse
back were armed, and this procession 80
formed moved out of its necessary line
of march to the place Of barbecue, and
paraded through the town of Clinton.
The place of speaking was on hill just
outside OF the town and near the rail
way station. The speaking was CON-
menced by Judge Johnston, Democrat,
in very temperate and conciliatory
speech, as described by every witness
who was examined. He was followed
BY Capt. Fisher, Republican and du-
ring the remarks of Fisher collision
took place between young white man
and colored man, about one hundred
yards from the speakers stand.
Comments had been made upon Fish
er's remarks, and rude contradictions Of
their truth bv one young white man
named Neal, from. the town Of Ray
mond, standing in a group of two or
three of his companions not many feet
from the speakers stand ;but Capt. Fisher
in his testimony, (see page 536)-
Q. Was your speech interrupted BY
the shooting or disturbance that occurred
or were you interrupted by remarks
madeg
A. l do not know that any remarks
were made to me; if there were l did
not hear them.
Q, We have had a great deal of tes-
timony about the Clinton affair, and the
witnesses were not certain, when you
were speaking, whether you heard these
Interruptions noticed by men standing
by, and | thought l would ask you
whether yon heard them or not.
A. | heard, subsequently to the riot,
when got home, that such expressions
had been made in regard to portions of
my speech, or as having reference TO my
self; but | did not hear them, and If /
had heard them l should not likely have
paid any attention to them
distinctly says that he did not hear these
remarks, nor was his speech interrupted
by anything that was said in the crowd,
but that the interruption to his speech
arose from the afray between the white
and the colored men to which We have
referred that the white man in question
had bottle of whisky from which he
had been drinking, and which no doubt
was the proximate cause of the afray
that then took place. Immediately
upon the collision between these two 3
pistol shot was heard, and there is con-
fiict of testimony as to the person who
fired it. 1t was Immediately followed
by a general discharge of firearms, and
in the melee, which caused intense con-
fusion, two colored men were killed on
the spot and four or FIVE were wounded.
The negroes were rallied and commenced
pursuit of the whites, who, in a group
numbering about eleven men, retreated
from the field.
Martin Sivley and Thompson, white
men, were overtaken, killed, and their
bodies mutilated. Thompson was found
in the public road nearly q mile from
the scene of action, shot through the
head. Charles Chiffon was killed in his
own yard, aud. as it appears by the tes-
timOnT os Cssiaip- Montgomery. (page
543)-
ABOUT THE WHITE MEN KILLED.
@. Did yo1 know any Of them2
A. No, sir; did not know any of
them.
Q. Black men or white men?
A. They were black men that saw
there, just lying there, and We afterward
found the body of Mr.. Sivley and
Mr.. Thompson and Mr.. Chiffon.
Mr.. Chiffon was shot right near
his house-the very man l had ta-
ken dinner with, and there was not a
more quiet, inoHensive man in our coun-
ty. 1t was Charles Chiffon, the brother
of John Chiffon, who had before that
been an active Republican, and a lead
ing Republican of the native Mississip-
plans of our county and at that riot be
threw up the sponge he said he had
given 500 in money and in beef, and the
hearts best blood ofh brother that day,
and he was done.
| Q. By whom was his brother killed?
A. By the negroes.
Q. How far from the original scene Of
the riot?
! A. Right at his owe gate he was shot
that was one hundred yards, i sup
pose
@. Was he in the afray2
A. No, sir. There was such STAN
pede and rush that the negro men were
riding and running over their woner
and children; and there was suef
confusion and hallooing that he ra1
out to his gate. He carried hh
gun with him, though, which wal
very natural and he handed hi
gun to negro boy standingby him anC
said, Take this. Now, that was tn,
way the thing was told me. He wa
standing there helping the women and
: children into his yard to get them out 0
; the way Of the stampede and Of tn
horses, and as he turned his back som,
: of the men in the road fred and sho
him. After finding that there was N
armed body on the top of the hill ans
: several men from the town began to as
semble-but before that time the negroe
had gone of in companies, and the
: seemed TO be assembling, and l though
4 we had better make for the depot, an
e get possession Of tha., and send for as
( sistance to some other point to help US
5 for thought it was very likely that ther
: we're not white men enough there I
f hold the town against the negroes, shoul
0 they be disposed to attack (which v
n did
is was endeavoring to let the black wome
:, and children into his yard to escape Il
:c prsss of the crowd behind them when