The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-18
Was there Intimidation?
Nnat Scuc of the Witnesses Said
before the Congressional In
yestisating Committee
in Columbia.

e. \. WlMErSN (colored) sworn anu
examined.
BY Mr.. LAWRENCE:
Question. What Is your age, n Whcr"
do Won reside? Answer. l am twenty
seven wears old. ! reside at Due west,
AbhcVi!ic County.
O.. Did YOU vote at the last election? =
1. Yes. sir; at Duc West. .
O. What. il anything. do You Know OF
| threats being made against rcpublicalls
ON the tav Of the election "a. mere
was a good deal on Monday night before
the election. on Monday we liad Il meet
Ing ut Due West. and the democrats
swurc that we should not vote mere IN
loss We voted the Hampton ticket on inc
lav of the election. On the oaE OF INC
election there WAS not very Hlucl uls'"i-
i,mncc there; very little. -.
O. Did Won hear any threats on the
lYr of election "A. Not much. There
was some men That got men To promise
on Monday 10 vote with them, and on tho
DIV Of tir election they didn't want to 10
il. That was about all | heard. Most OF
thp colorcd people brought it on their
selves. They hadn't nc business pleuE-
iur themselves. That is the way ] LOOK
il. | thought they was more III 1auil
than the whites was.
80. Because they promised the dcno-
Ec.,ts fl vol, Tor Them and then wouldn't
do i;?-.\. Yes, sir.
O.. How far was this v~oting-placc from
The court-lousc?-A Exactly eleven
miles. ,,o.
made at or before the election, ny linen
owning land. against the col"rci men
living on their land?-A. ., yes; L am
always hearing lots of them.
o.. What threats were madc!-A.
They didn't threaten to XII tllchi.
Bv Mr.. -ARRoTT: ,
O. State only what YOU heard
,b" white men tell the black mcn.-A.
! amt going to tell anything else. They
didn't threaten to kill them, but they
said they allowed to throw them out; not
10 employ them !; and they amt doing 1t
neither. They stuck up to that. l heard
them say that myself.
@. Who generally W the land there
the white men "a. The whit men
owns i, all generally around that place,
O.. They are generally democrats IA.
Yes, sir; there amt Il white republican
around there nearer than the courthouse.
@. The colored men are generally re-
publicans?-A. Most all republicans.
@. Do YOU know of any republicans
who, in consequence of these threats, re-
NAMED away from the polls and didn't
vote "A. Yes, sir there was a good
many of them that wanted to vote the re-
publican ticket and couldn't get to 90 1t
unless they run the risk OF their lives,
and they Staid at home.
Q. How many such republicans do
YOU estimate that there were IN that
Itownship?-A. There was forty-cight
colored men right i'll the village that
didn't vote, and others out in the country.
! live in the village, and l know there
was tOrtv-eigh..
@. Were Won at any republican meet
inms?-A. Yes. sir; l was chairman
there in the school-house Iii the outer
edge of the town.
9. DO YOU know Of any republican
meeting being disturbcd?-A Not Ill
Due West.
Q. Did YOU have any moro than ono
mcci:ug?-A. Q, we had meetings thort
all .hc time; Du. they took half the time.
Thcv called for half the meeting, and
they took il and there was no distur-
bancc.
G. Were You always willing to LET
them have it "A. The first time they
took it they run all our men away but 4
few Of us, who was not so scared of them
All the rest LEFT. That time 1 was not
willing. They took it By force.
@. Why did those republicans run
awav?-.A. Well. the democrats came
with pistols, h%allooing and hopping AND
shouting until they scared them.
O.. Did the culorcd men have my PTS
tolls "a. Some few, but it would bC
well not to have them.
Q. Did the democrats have any?-A,
Yes. sir they had them outside of THEN
clothes.
.. Did the democrats at any of their
meetings allow the republicans to discuss
with them "A. O, no, sir they
wouldn't let us have no discussion what
ever with them.
@. How long have You lived thcrc?-
4. have been living there ever since
ISIS. / moved from Lowndesvillc, not
very far from there.
G. What business arc you in?-A.
am Il farmer.
Q. DO you know of any violence in
nicted upon any colored man in that
n~eiglborhood "A. There was some,
but | won't state it, because / didn't sec
it. There's i III outdoors there, G.. w.
| Winbush. that can tell you about it. lie
was with it all the time.
BY Mr.. ABBOTT:
@. You never Went TO any dcmocr ATTIC
meeting and asked for a division of time?
"A. asked for the time on Monday be-
fore the election.
Q. or whom did you demand "?-A
l didn't demand it l only asked it.
Q. And they told you they would no
Let YOU have it PA. Yes, sir.
q. That was the only time you asked
it "A. The only time.
q. As many republicans voted at Duo
West as ever voted there bcGorc?-A. .
no, sir.
q. Are you sure of tlat?-A. Yes
Sir.
@. You were there at the election il
1S74?-A. Yes, sir.
q. And didn't as many republican:
vote ar this election as voted then "A
No, sir.
@. Are you as sure of that as of any
thing else YOU have stated here?-A
Yes, sir; | am, because l WAS manager il
1874 and manager in 1876.
Mr. Abbott put in evidence the vOt'
AZ Due West precinct ut the election 0
1871 and 1876, respectively, as follows
1874, republican vote, AL democratic
100; 1876, republican vote, al demo
cratic, &93.)
COLUMBIA, S. c., December 26, 1876.
c. w. WINBUsH (colorcd) sworn ant
examined.
BY Mr.. LAWRENCE:
Qucstion. State your age n residence
Answer. I live at Due West, Abbcvill
County; nm twcnty-sevcn ; ! was borl
there, and have always lived there.
@. DO you know Of any violence in
tiictcd upon republicans by democrat:
during the last campaign Intimi
dation you mean?
@. Yes; or violence. Do you know
of any republicans being hurt?-A. ic
sir; l know of one.
Q. State what it was.-A. Well, they
had a meeting there over the election
and there was one bruised over the heat
with q Cuba republican.
@. Who bruised him Over the hcad?-
A.. II was done by the democrats.
@. Was it at a republican meeting ?
A. There was no meeting at all it wa!
Just in town. There had been a demo
cratic meeting; and we had had one ant
broke up, and were going home.
Q. What was the occasion?-A. The,
were talking about the democrats attend
ing our meeting. They were young irl
lows. all of them. They were talkin.