The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-04-25
Was there Intimidation ?
What Some of the Witnesses Said
before the Congressional In
v~estisating Committee
in Columbia.

VANCE (colorca) sworn aliu
examined.
BY Mr.. Lawrence:
Question. State your age and resi-
dence.-Answcr. 1 am forty-four and
live at Abbcville.
q. Were you in Abbeville County at
the last presidential clcction?-A. l was
at COkeSbury.
@. What time did you get there?-A.
About half-past five o'clock, and l re-
manned until about half-past nine at
night. There was Il committee Of six APP
pointed to look after the election, and SEQ
if anything WAS going wrong, amt L was
considered the head of the committee.
q. Hou were i republican "A. Yes,
sir.
Q. State whether you heard any
threats or intimidation there "A. No
threats, any more han charges that men
that voted the republican ticket should
not live on their places.
@. What was said?-.A. What I speak
of was said by the democrats that had
hands employed. They would go and
take them out there by the hands, II
say: "Look here, I am a good friend to
you, and if you vote this radical ticket
here to-day, you can't live with Inc any
longer and besides that, you owe me 4
good deal, and if you don't vote it | will
give you a chance, but if you do you will
have to leave my place, II l shall have
to have the money now.
q. To what extent were threats of that
kind made ?-A. There was a great
many there that would have voted
objected to as a matter of opinion.
EXcludcd.)
Q. State what YOU know Of republic
cans coming to the polls at that placsthat
day, and going away without voting?-A
There was at least thirty that came there
and went away without voting. These
threats that I made mention Of were the
reason of their not voting. Many OF
them had got their tickets. 1 was Il
that gave out tickets, and many Of them
had got tickets from me and would come
up to be sworn and some gentlemen pull
some of them away from the polls after
thew were sworn. There was a good
many things lone to entice them. There
was whisky there, and guns, and a harrct
of whisky within about fifty yards of
the store.
@. Who had the whisky thcre?-A.
A democratic club.
@. Was that whisky given to republic
cans?-A. Yes, sir; it was given to
great many of them. They would take
some of them anne up after that and
voted the democratic ticket, and some
wouldn't vote at all.
@. Had they been republicans pre-
~viouslv, up to that date?-A. Yes.
@. State if you heard such threats
made by any time prior to the election p
A.. For months there has been threats
of that sort; many Of them had been
turned out myself had been thrown out
as being an adviser. They had been de-
fcatcd two years ago in the Green II
n - "a. ~ 1.cn1f 1k-nc II
favor of the Chamberlain ticket this last
time. and a great many of them would
not take the ticket, or would come to me
and ask what was my opinion about 1t.
I told them it was the bcst thing for them
to stick to their party, and the democrats
has seen fit to set me and my family
aside. I lave n boy as big as myself.
They under took to push me out, and
since the election they have met in the
club and made all that belongto that club
pledge themselves
Mr.. ABBOTT. o don't know what
was done in the club?
The Witness. I don't know anything
more about it than this: Democrats
themselves, members of the club, have
come to me. l bought a piece of land Of
DR.. Noah, q member of the club, and he
has seer fit to receive eighty dollars from
me since the election, and when l gave
him my note to receipt ME of the money,
he saw fit to keep the paper and the mo-
ney, and he has told me to give up the
house on the first day of January, and
havesaid him altogether three hundred
and eighty-seven dollars.
Q. Are the members of the labor re-
form club democrats or republicans "a.
They are democrats.
O.. What nave they said about employ
ing vou?-A. They. have told me that
I must not be employed by any of them
any more; that If they saw no other way
to ret me away from there before the next
election, they would kill me.
@. You nave not received any employ
mcnt from them since July?-A. No,
sir.
@. Had you received employment
from them prcviously?-A. o, yes l
have been very popular with the gentle
men, ever since 1865. They generally
look to me as a man that advises the party
sometimes. l do not go through the
county stump speaking, but a great
many comes to me and puts confidence
in me, and asks what l think best, and
tell them.
@. How large a family nave you?-A.
NV wife and eight children. From the
threats made about me before the election
there was several republicans that came
there to guard me-, expecting me to he
killed and these people passed by my
house cursing and abusing me-, and on
Thursday night after the election they
came through by my house, going down
to serenade Colonel Aiken, and they shot
all through my yard, and shot bullets
through my doors, and shot into my
house, and the bullets are there now.
They put four in the door and another
man that lives about two hundred and
fifty yards from me got W balls i'll his
door.
O.. How long have you lived in that
neighborhood "A. Twcnty-nine years.
l moved in there III 1917.
G.. To what extent did republicans re-
main away from the polls in thai pre-
cinct, in consequence OF threats "A. /
don't think they did remain away, but
there was several came tina didn't vote
after they got there. Generally the most
of them came to the polls, but about
Twenty-Five or thirty did not vote.
@. How far are you from the Georgia
line PA. About thirty OF thirty-two
miles.
@. State any other facts, if you know
any, relating to intimidation or violence.
A. They didn't do anything. There
was arms there, and whisky, and all
these things, but there was no threats of
using them. They had about thirty or
forty guns in a store about three hundred
yards of, and a barrel Of whisky about
fifty yards off.
Q. Did any Of the republicans have
arms "A. l never seen any. Our I'M
derstanding was ~thatnobody was to carry
arms, not ever a pocket-pistol. Every,
thing went off quietly, so far as threats OF
arms or anything of that kind.
BY Mr.. ABBoTT:
@. What isyour business PA. Farm
ing. I used to be a carriage-driver for Il
gentleman named Major Vance, hut
since the emancipation I have been farm
ing.
Q. Have you a farm of your own?-A.
No, sir; 1 don't own any, only this place
that l bought about two years ago.
@. Have you been carrying on d farm
on your own account "A. Yes.
Q. So that you work upon your own
land that you hire "A. Yes, sir.
Q. Well, if you were working on your
own land that you hired, how can you
have been turned out of employment