New-York tribune., 1878-11-25
HOW IT WAS DONE IN SUMTER COUNTY.

HOW II WAS DONE IL SUMTER COUNTY.
OPERATIONS OF HE RED-sHIRTs THE KISS
JOKE" BALLOTS DESCRIBED A CONSPIRACY
WHICH WADE HAMPTON MIGHT UNCOVER If He
CHOSE.
lFRoM STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUHE.1
SUMTER, :. c., Nov. 20.-Situated in the midst
of good-it can hardly he called rich-cotton-
growing county, though it might be made rich by
better cultivation. this town is one Of the most at
tractive IN this part of South Carolina. came
here from Williamsburg County. about forty-fve
miles, by private conveyance. and, IN spite of q
disagrecabIe storm the journey was on the whole.
a pleasant and profitable one. Sumter has popu-
laton of $500, is regularly laid out with broad
streets. and at tins season of the year. when the
small farmers are bringing their cotton 10 market,
the sldeyalks about the Court House present
busy scene. The low price of cotton this year
makes the planters discouraged, for IL cannot DE
produced at present prices without loss but the
crop is abundant and provisions plenty. so that
the people will certainly have enough to eat.
Sumter County has been one of the Republican
strOngholds ever since reconstruction, the average
majority in general elections being about l,JOO. 1t
has been subject TO tho ordinary election excite
mcnts from the first, but the attention OF the coun-
try has not been directed TO It by any very excep-
tional occurrences until this year. Whes the plan
Oi carrying iNe Sidlc ny ktil'lh AhNihiAuab''h 40
adopted, this county was one of the first III which
tb, experlment was tried. | don't think that the
Democratic managers intended TO injure any one.
but they did mean to make deep Impression upon
the minds of the negroes by great display of force,
and by violent behavior and they did not mean
that the Republicans should hold any large meet
ups without the presence ofRedShirts, as the State
militia are called from the color Of their jackets.
The trouble began IN August, when Samuel Lee,
Probate Judge and a Republican leader was at
tackled at a meeting in the country and brought IN
10 Sumteryille a prisoner. This was followed by
general muster here the 18th OF october, the day
on which Republican meeting was TO nave Deen
held. What occurred on that day has Deen
fully described in the Northern newspapers ana
needs TO be referred to only briefly at this late day.
The Democrats here tell me that q rumor was
anoat that the negroes were instructed TO come TO
the meeting armed and that the assembling OF the
militia here was for the preservation OF tho peace.
OF course any such report, II it was In circulation,
was absurd, and nobody knew better the utter
proundlessness of any fear of an attack upon the
town by negroes than the white residents OF ths
place. Before the 18th OF October Governor lamp
ton. apparcntly became convinced that the plan of
campaign adopted was an unwise one ana that u
was injurng the Democratic party i'll the
NOrtn, LOT II "uIuluB oONmo w ''A'~ eNNN
given that interference with; Republican meet
ings must cease On that day the Democrats de-
manded division Of time and when the demand
was refused by the Republicans tho meeting was
not disturbed. But the militia mustered In the
street IN front of tho Court House, aud when the
Repubhcan meeting closed were drawn up IN bat
tIe array infantry cavalry and artillery, the latter
having publicly loaded their pieces with tenpenny
nails. The Republicans say that every enort was
made 10 provoke tho negroes to breach OF the
peace but they remained perfectly quiet in spite OF
the abuse they received, and the day passed OIL
without bloodshed.
The publication Of Attorney General Devenss
letter and his instructions to District Attorneys,
nut n sudden stop TO Red-Shirt demonstrations III
This part of the State. After that think there was
no other attempt to interfere win hepuoIlcah
meetings, and tho colored people believed that
they would carry the county by largely-increaseo
majority The election passed OIL quietly at every
noll. and if there had been an honest vote and an
honest count the Republican majority would nave
been nearly if not quite 1000. Instead OF tnls'
tho Democrats claim to have carried the county oy
1.776 majority Ii is almost unnecessary W Bay
that this was done by the use OF the no"
notorious "kisS-jolen ballots, about when
GO much has been published since the elec-
tiOn. ~
The fraud was a two-edged one. The law OF this
State provides that when the ballot-boxes are,
opened at the close of an election, all tho votes shall
be counted. If then the whole number is greater
than that upon the po-lis all the ballots shall be
returned to the box and the excess shall be drawn
out after which the votes shalagain be counted VI
course, in every case where the kiss jokes were
used, there were more ballots in the box than the
poll-lst called for and in several instances in this
county the votes we're put in two separate piles
when taken out Then. when they were put back
into the box. in order that the excess might be
drawn out, the Democratic ballots were put IN
arat at tho hnttom and the Republican ones on