Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-08-18
NUMBER 6
A Political Murder In Mississippi.

slve manners, he was beloved by the color
people and respected by all the unprejudic'
whites. lie was not fighting man.
did not 90 to Mississippi for Office, but
raise cotton and corn. Six years ago la
February, he leased plantation near Auburl
in Hinds county. After Mr. and Mrs. Half
and their children had lived there, quiet
working, never I" interfering" in polite
the owners Of the land called on them an
asked them whether they were friends of tn
white man or the - niger. He said IA
any honest Northern man would have sal
to such question: that he was friend t
every one who was worthy of friendship
whether white or black. I'VE understan
you," they said, you are a friend Of tn
- niggers." After the interview be wa
threatened more than once The coloreI
people soon after nominated him for justie
of the peace. Gov. Alcorn made the ap
pointment, and refused to eject him wheI
| the Democratic leaders asked that lie should
be removed, on the ground that "no North
ern man should come down and rul,
them"
The majority of the people-the blacks
desired his appointment, and no one o
either color could complain of his character
lie served out his term OF two years. II,
was renOmiuated and again elected The
local Democratic leaders then "waited" OF
HIM, took him out of the house, and lashei
him without mercy with cowhide and
when his wife besought them for mercy and
clung to him, one of the -ufhans, who was a
joint owner of the plantation, threw her Of
so violently that she was laid up for a
month from the injury she received. She
has never to this day fully recovered from
the shock. Mr.. Ilaiia remained lie was
threatened again : his boy was shot at ;
his own life was put repeatedly in peril He
disarmed one would-be assassin, member
of one of the families in the district
After these occurrences both Mr.. Halla
and his wife taught cJlorcd schools. A.
the blacks trusted them they had influence
over their votes. This was the head and
front of their offending. They also taught
the blacks in Sunday-school7 The ku-klux
were suppressed, and there wa, peace in
Mississippi until last Summer. " hen the cam
paign OF intimidation and as.a> nation was
inaugurated. Bound 10 carry the STATE at
any cOst-a bOaSt made evcrvwhere and
openly-the fate Of Mr.. IIaE4 was scale!.
lie would not leave. lie could not be driven
off. lie must die. And now stand aside
to let the widow speak.
1--WE were aroused by the barking u our
dog furiOusly on the morning OF September
8. hollered, who i there and 10 answer
! repeated it and there Wa no answer.
And then Mr.. Ilafia got up aa1 sail. Who
Is there p They SAID. We Will let YOU
know who Is there, or something 10 that
effect. And said, NV God they have the
yard full of men, | presume there were
fifty to seyenty-fye men barricaiing the
whole of the house. And they had not only
armed themselves with one or two weapons.
but they had, some of them, half dozen
They had them buckled around them, be-
side- the musket that they carried. They
tried TO unfasten the door to yet in, but
put my foot between the door and the sill ,
and kept the door closed. Ny daughter
helped me. Firiing they could not get in
they finally took one Of the fence rails and
broke the door down and part Of the furni-
ture. And We were holiering all the time.
Murder murder. No one came to our a.
sistance. They could hear me holler 'Mur-
der = for about two miles, a. the neighbIr>
told me afterwards. Finally -MoSely, the
agent of the Singer sewing machine. came
up 10 me and chosei me and held revolver
close u my head.
Before he choked me s,id Il am not
afraid II YOU chosc me and spare my has
band-that Is all Mosely SAID to me when
! called his name several times, 'Sh-sh =
| had nursing baby then. and it was lying
on the bed screaming. After was choked
50 that | could not holier any longer, my
daughter came, and she left me and went
over TO her father. The men outside broke
a shutter Of the window and fired at Mr.
Hatia, and nv little boy told me
yesterday-he said he would take oath any
time-that il was Jimmy Whitehead who
fired one Of the shots at Mr.. Ilatfl, and sid
Whitehead, owner Of the land that we rent
ed. He had threatened Mr. Ilaifa' life >ey-
eral times. and the children knew Of it,
They fired twice. and went to him. and he
asked me to take him to the bed - my
daughter and | assisted him to the bed.
We had no light; it was utter darkness
there, and says he To me, Mamma, want
water As soon as | could get light
gave him water and laid him down and ran
out for assistance sent my little boy over
to some eolored people, and they came rn-h-
ing over.
FINALLY Sid Whitehead came along and
refused 10 let me have 4 physician lie said
it WAS no use. that he wouli die, anyhow
Mr.. llaifI said Mamma. | am going To
die : and he asked God to have mercy on
his soul, and Ae laid his head On my shoul-
der and expired. After the colored people
had laid him away said to Sid. Whitehead .
'Moseley is the one that choked me, and he
had Il revolver at my head; and Sid. White
head said. You know Mr. Moseley was not
here said. Yes. sir: he was Sid
" hitehead spoke out that | had To recall
those words tor the sake of my life. They
made me recall them and say it was not him.
They came there together, and sat up the
first night-W Whitehesid and two or three
other sentlemen-aud they did nothing but
use proiane language all the time, and abuse
the Northern people. They said that they
were fully armed now, and ready for war
at any time. and that they could not rule
over them or do a. they pleased with them.
They would not allow me to have a coffin
Tor him at all Col Griffin. formerly United
States Senator hcre-at least 50 they told
me-he came and said Mrs. llaiia, | re
gret this very much Says he, 4 cannot
get any cofhn for you. for they won
allow it
the other men that were assassinated the
same day?
She was told to 90 on with her sad story.
well, this was September 9, 1879. After
Mr. Ha1a, was gone. the colored people Whl
were there said We have lost our best
friend. would like to see any one come 20
my house and kill me in as brutal manner
as they did the squire The name OF the
people who said tins was Stevens. His wife
said, Il must 20 home He says to her,
Yes. You had better 20 home. for | will be
the next one Mr. Whitehead said Dole,
you better be careful how you talk, or the
men will be after you. So about three o. clock
these men came back TO see if Mr.. Hafll
was gone, and they were looking like hungry
woiyes-the most hendish looking men |
ever saw; They said Any colored people
secreted about your premises here says |,
No sir There was nobody in the house
then but my children and Mr.. Hafla's corpse.
| said There is nobody here: but you are
privileged to come in and examine the
premises and look up the chimney. Two
of them alighted and came N and looked
around and said that was all they wanted To
know. They went over to these cOl0red
peoples house and took the Steyenses-
father and son-Out and stood them on a
stump and shot them and killed them
Instantly They did not give them
any warning anv more than they did Mr..
Haffa, when they came in the house and took
them out. They said they had large day :
work on hand, and that they had to COM
mence early, and during that day they per-
petrated a number of murders. They were
after Senator Caldwell. But don't know
whether they got him at that time or not.
The Stevenses were Republican leaders, and
so was Caldwell who was brutally murder
ed some time afterward. Mr.. Whitehead
then gave me 10 DAYS notice to leave, and
so the colored people harbored me.
Mr.. Haiia was buried in rude box, and
yet the white people and my son went along
He was just wrapped up in sheet-they
xynn1d NOT ,lInw ir apv other Wav Nr