The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-01-17

The story that Weaver sVo,e.
St. Louis Globe-D mocrat. (Repa bliean.,


J st. Louis Globe-D moerat (RepAb lican.,
A reporter of the Globe p mocrAt me
! Dir Fred. Weaver. z ntleman who reside
' IN this city, and who has been travelling il
I the , tate of Mississippi for st. Loui.
communicating firm. NJ. Weayel
Was IN Mississippi immedi 4tely- proceeding
and during the election. aid Is well quaifi-
ell to testify whether or not there was Sucf
/, condition OF affairs in thai State as [,
{ preclude fair ballot On the day of cleo
ton he was in Kinds county, hi, business
there being To colltcs bills due and take
new orders. About IOu'clack he rode into
the village of Goshen springs toT The pur-
2 pose of seeing TWO coloret farmers who
owed him for stoves. \ ttcr tying lis horse.
he went Ia the poll. where he found the
men he was in quest OF. and caled them
aside To present his bills. 4 number OF
} white voters saw him cal the
CoLoRkD MEN
aside, and he was surrounded at once by a
crowd who abruptly dem ADDED his
business. Weaver told them he was a
travelling solicitor tor "A s. Louis
house aud that he was there Tor the pur-
pose of collecting bills from the men with
whom he was talking. They refused to be-
lieVe him, aud accused him OF being a
kadicai emisearyH Who was there TO infiu-
ence Republican votes Though the two
colored men corFoborated tic representa-.
( NtNfte VI tHA' W NaNCfA LIG CROW EEIuSGQ 10
believe them. and he was forced 10 show all
the papers he had on his persoa. Including
several thousand dollars in notes and ac-
courts, before they were satisii, d. From
Goshen Springs he role to Pi>Sah Church,
where there was another voting place. His
business here was similar 10 that at the
former place, but no sooner did he attempt
| to engage his colorcd debtors in converse
| ton than he
SURROUNDED BY A CROWD.
/ of ten or twelve white men, who, without
stopping To inquire the nature of his mis-
sion. began to menace him with threats for
/ interfering. as they charged, with the free
/ dom Of the ballot. Again he had TO shell
out his identification papers, and was Glad
/ TO ride away with whole skin. In addi-
| ton 10 establishing his IDENTITY rs a COM
mercial traveller. who was not there to vote
| or influence Others To vote, Weaver, all
/ though a Republican, thought il conducive
u his health aud general safety to strenu-
ously declare an enthusiastic preference
for Illden aud Hendricks That night he
went TO the house OF j. L. Barksdale, a
farmer, ana staid all night During the
night a squad OF horSemen rode up to
Bafksdales, called him out and told him
they mad come to see Weaver and find out
what his true business was in that country
Luckily, Barksdale stood we'll in the com
nunity, and, having known Weaver for
some time, was able to assure them that he
vas all right This satisfied the
MIDNIGHT RIDERS
ami they role away At later hour of
the night, while he and Bark .dale were sit
ting up talking, they heard shots down the
road in The direction OF a negro cabin
BlrkSdale proposed that they take their
arms and go out and see what the firing
was about. The negro occupants OF the
cabin informed them that while he was
asleep somebody came up and hallooed. He
got up and opened the door. and saw
a number of colored persons whom
he recognized AS members OF the Demo
cratic club in that precinct Fearing they
meant harm, he quickly shut the door and
secured it with bolt on the inside. Imme-
diately volly was fired through the door
the bullets passing through, but none strik-
ing him. lie seized a be-barreled shot
gun and, through a chnk-hole, return d
the ompliment with the contents of both
barrels, whefeupon the as,aulting crowd,
after one more shot, scampered OH
Mr.. Weaver was also ut Brandon. in the
same county, and relates a circumstance
which illustrates
THE BULL DOING SPIRIT
which so strongly prevailed among the
white Democrats of that section during the
election period. A farmer named james
Miller, who lives two miles from Brandon
on the day before election told his hands
that each of them who would go to town
and vote for Tilden and Hendricks, should
have mule TO ride and an extra holiday.
but those who voted the Republican ticket
should receive no favor at his hands. The
next day Miller went to town himself, ar
irving just after the voting had comm nced.
Observing one of his coored men, Jim
Brown, at the polls, he asked. Have you
Miler.' '.Who for Jim p Il was bound
to vote for Hayes and Wheeler, boss" re-
piled jim, whereupon the irate Miller struck
Jim tremendous blow with the butt end
of a revolver, that piled Jim all up in a
bundle on the ground. In fact, the cOlored
man was badly beaten simply because he
had exercised his right of freeman and
voted as he chose.
Mr.. Weaver stated that there had been no
eXaggcration of the real condition of affairs
in Mississippi. 1t was really unsafe for
white Republican to express his views on
the political issues, and the man who did it
carried his life in his hands. Bul-GOzing
OF the colored people, however, was not ac
com plished so much by actual violence as
by threats of starvation. The white farmer
would tell his colored renter that he would
not
"RUN HIM"
the coming year, that is, would not furnish
teams, provisions and la ads to crop with.
ii said renter did not vote the Democratic
ticket This threat was the most effective
threat that could have been made, as a col
ored tiller the soil in that region with
out a white farmer to run him. is in bad
fix, aud lucky if he escapes want of food
and clothing. SO in this way, together
with a certain degree of armed intimida-
ton. the colored voter was brought to the
polls and persuaded to vote his first Demo-
cratic ticket. Nearly all the negroes in
Kinds county, and the surrounding cOun
ties, through which Mr. Weaver travelled. |
belonged To Democratic clubs and voted for
Tllden and Hendricks. for the considera |
ton that they were to be "run' this year |
for necessary farm supplies. Mr.. Weaver !
repeated conversation he aad with
ST ROBINSON,
the wealthiest colored farmer in Kinds |
county 81 stated that he was a Repubii- |
can. and wanted to vote that ticket, but |
was afraid to do So The threat was made |
that if he voted for Hayes and Wheeler |
"every thing he had that could be killed |
and every thing he had that could burn /
would be burned" lie was satisfied that il |
he voted as he wanted his property would |
be destroyed, and therefore he did not vote
at all, being determined that he would not /
vote the Democratic ticket, though his fail
to do so should cost him every thing he |
had.
Mr.. Weaver alleges that while travelling |
through the State il was often necessary 10 |
call AT farm houses for nights aceommo
dation. and that in most instances he was
required TO state what his politics were be-
fore he was allow ed to aligbt. OF course.
under such circumstances he was violent
Democrat, and traces many a nights hos
pitable entertainment to the eloquence
with which he advocated "Tilden, Hen
bricks and Reform" among the bnll-do-
zers of Mississippi.
Opinions of PrOmine emit VI IN Upon
The Alternatives of "a New