The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-05-11
The Whole Legislature To Bo Murdered.
suouIp mAcKEY ps SEATED?

COLUMBIA, S. c., May 5.--I have just been
placed in possession Of information which may
be interesting 10 the House Joint Committee,
who are considering the claims Of the members
Of Mackey's bogus House to seats in the House
Of Representatives. IL will be remembered
that while tho Statehouse was occupied by the
members of the House and by the Mackey crew,
supported by the Federal troops and Chamber
lain 8 constabulary, there was considerable talk
about the use of force to cxpel the legal mem
bers from th& byi3ding, And that under thess
threats General Wallace and the members Of
House actually left the place in order to'ayoid a
collision The true inwardness Of the plot has
Jus. been disclosed to me by a member of the
House. who bore n prominent part in the Mack
ey farce, sand from him have learned of the
existence of the most murderous and diabolical
conspiracy that has ever existed in the Palmetto
State My informant, whose Rame am com
pelled 10 withhold for the present, states that
an agreement was entered into between Mackey
and Chamberlain to SECURE the murder Of oil, or
Mt least of most ffthe smembers Of the House,
and at the same time to secure their own pre-
cious hides, and those of their ignorant follow
ers, from harm.
THE PLAN OF THE MURDER. ~
Mackey was to write a formal communication
to Chamberlain, stating that the business Of the
House of Representatives was being delayed by
the presence of number of turbulent persons,
and requesting him to have themremoved. Of
course he referred to the members Of the legal
House. Chamberlain, upon the receipt OF this
communication, was to organize constab.
ulnry force Of about ono hundred
and fifty men, well armed, and these
were TO be entrusted with the duty Of removing
the legal members by killing them The conspiracy
was carried out to the extent Of the writing of
the letter by Mackey and the organization of the
constabulary. One hundred and fifty of these
cut-thrsats were collected together, armed with
Winchester rifles, and were secreted in the ways
and means committee room on the first floor of
the State House.
THE RINGLEADERs.
These were commanded by John B. Dennis
and the notorious negro, Whipper, who were in
trusted with the duty of experimenting the job
Of numbering the members of the House. The
plan vas arranged as follows Mackey and his
crowd, in order to save their carcasses, were to
retire from the hall and seek shelter in the Ad-
jutant and Inspector Generals office, which had
been barricaded and prepared for the purpose.
AS soon as they had got out of the way, Dennis
and Whipper, with their fellow cut throats, were
to 90 into the hall and bring on difficulty
with the members by attempting to oust them.
They would be resisted, of course, and would at
once open fire and kill the whole crowd 1Tfhs
meantime, the Federal troops were 10 DO in read
mess to como to their assistance, las of course
they would have to interfere in case of distur-
bance) but things arranged that the job
would be completed before they arrived, and the
Statehouse had been put in a position to be de-
Tended against an outside attack. Mackcy hoped,
by this plan, to get rid of the legal House of
Representatives and t6haye himself recognized
as Speaker and Chamberlain rs Governor.
My informant adds that the only reason the
members escaped was through the foresight of
Speaker Wallace, who, on the day upon which
the murder was to have taken place. instructed
the members of the House to withdraw. Had
they not done so, not man of them would have
been left to tell the tale. l am not at liberty
as yet to reveal the name of my informant, but
when the proper steps taken to ferret out
the matter, think l can produce witnesses who
were cognizant of the entire plot.-VIDErrE, IN
Journal Of Commerce.