The Greenville times., 1876-12-09

not defeated . man who was al
most unaided and alone. The
: statement that there are no more
negro Democrats than sealawae
Repsblieans in the South Is a very
great mistake. 1t was very diff
- cult at first to induce negroes to
call themselves Democrats. Some
:, came to US last year under the
name Of ''the Peoples Party" and
f"Independent Republicans and
this year they proclaim themselves
Democrats. As soon as enough
were obtained to keep each other
, company, and to be self-protesting
We had No difficulty in obtaining
recruits. Your correspondent as
serts that Greeley could have OBJ
tanned more negro votes than any
/, man not the nominee of the Re-
publican party, and I thought SO
, too; but | was an Elector for Gree
ley, aud as strange as You may
think it, many negroes then In
formed me that they would vote
for me If running on my own ac-
count but that they would not
vote for Greeley. And you will
permit me here - say that many
negro speakers who advocated
Lynch said on the stump that the
only objection they had to my elec-
tion was that | would not be here
to defend them in the Courts, and
they would be sent to the Peniten.
|tiary. This was prominent and
oft repeated argument in the Dis
trict where l practiced law. 1t
may be deemed egotism in me
to mention this, and I only do it
ia sclf-defense against what I con-
slider an unjust and slanderous as
sault upon me and in the same
connection may add that after the
election, when | was about to leave |
home ON a boat my negro friends
with great enthusiasm drew me in
q buggy to the landing. There was
certainly no evidence of intimida-
tion in this. l have been twice a
candidate for State Senator in this
same black belt, and both times re-
ecived a large negro vote, which
was increased each time I have
been candidate, Notwithstanding
the false charges which your cor. !
respondent now makes about Fort
Pillow were occasionally hurled at
me. These ISLANDERS have been 90
often refnted here, and there are 90
many men, white and black, in the
district who know them to be false.
that no man here who has any re.
gard for the truth would repeat
them. Mr.. Lynch tried it twice in
the opening Of his canvass, and
lost many votes by it, so that, by
the advice Of his friends, he aban-
doned 1t. The truth is the Repub-
lican party Of Mississippi have in
dorsed too many men who fought
at Fort Pillow to make any points
OF 1t now. The Republican Attor-
ney-General and former Congress-
man, g; Il. Harris; the last Rcpub.
lican candidate for State Treasurer
q. W. Buchanan; the Republican
official Of Coahoma, G.. Il. Alcorn,
and especially, the Hayes and
Wheeler Elector of the District. T. :
J. Woodsop, were all in my COM
mand at Fort Pillow, and some of /
them in the lines shooting while :
was on my horse being shot at.
these gentlemen. :
though opposed to me in politics
will all testify that all these charges
made against me, by men who do
not even profess to know me, were
'alsc. They will testify that no |
woman or boy was ever murdered
'y me or by any one else at Fort
Pillow; that there were no women
" boys there when we took the
Fort; thst Inever had o staff officer
rom the second Missouri cav Il
Try, and that so FAR from SAYING =
would not treat homemade I
fankecs," meaning Tenncssecans. ]
~ prisoners of war; that |
did protect Major Brad
ord from threatened violence at
he hands of q Tennessee Confcd-
rate. Your correspondent calls /
'yneh the most popular colored
rator in the State, and yet he lost
welve hundred votes in his own
ounty, while | gained five hun.
red in mine over The last election
nd at the box on my plantation
received every vote, white and A
lack, while Hayes received sixty.
'nr and Tilden forty votes. In
'unica county, where | am best 81
nown, my majority over Lynch dt
'as five hundred and sixty.seyen g,
While Hayes's majority over Til. q q
GU was ll0O votes. Your corres.
ondent processes to doubt the OK. :
tence Of colored Democrats. bur
lat there were many open and j
fowed changes among colored
cnis well known here, and we
a A. II a.