Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-09-18
DIVIDING TIME IN SUMTER.

DIVIDING TIME IN SUMTER.
Confronting the Thieves VINO Seek
70 Deiude the Megsoes-A Lively
Time-A Harmless Capture Of the
eraxen Sam Lee. N
| Special diss atch to the News aud Courier.
SUMTER, s. c., August 31.--A Rad
ical meeting having been appointed
Greek precinct on this day, the demo-
Gratis thought It fine opportunity to
meet them and propose a division of
time, that each party might have a
fair and impartial hearing. Col. JOS.
III. Earle and Col. j. j. Dargan, with
about one hundred white men from
the town of Sumter and the country
bordering upon Raftin Creek, rode to
the scene. Sam Lee, lack +. Walk
er and T. j. Coghlan, with about thir-
ty colored men, were there. Sam Lee
was haranguing the crowd, not only
denouncing the democrats, but speak
ing in q very turbulent manner. Col.
Earle approached him and said: "We
are here for the purpose of dividing
time and replying to your speakers
Sam Lee replied, Gas far as / am
concerned, there shall be no division
of time. This is republican meet
ing" Col. Earle then told him they
did not intend to allow him to remain
there and SOW the seeds of discOrd
among the negroes. UNLESS you or
ganize your meeting in one hour"
he added, "you shall be carried back
to SUMTER" The impression among
the gentlemen of the neighborhoOd
was that they intended not to hold q
meeting while the democrats were
there, but postpone it until night.
The meeting was organized by the
election of precinct chairman, the
chairman proper having denounced
-"the party and colOred man nam.
ed Stuart, from Camden, was then in
troduced, and was listened to quietly
and respectfully. A division Of time
being now demanded by the demo-
Gratis, lack Walker, q colored repub-
lican from Sumter, called upon Col.
Dargan, who responded promptly to
the call and introduced his remarks
by saying that upon former occasion
it had been his privilege and pleasure
to denOunce in most unmeasured
terms the leaders of the Radical party
of this county. On that occasion
there were four. hundred black men
and twenty white men present. To-
day the whites SO largely predomi-
nate that he could not gain his own
consent to speak with the same sever
ity. These men (pOinting to Sam
Lee, who was sitting near him
Here Sam Lee jumped up and shak-
ing his finger in Dargan's face, said
he allowed no man to shake his finger
in his face, whereupon Col. Dargan
struck him, and staggering he fell
from the stage. The meeting becOm-
ing disorganized, Col. Earle took pos
session of Sam Lee, and with the as:
sistance Of others placed him in his
buggy and told him he would hold
him until they arrived before the
courthouse in Sumter. Arriving in
town the party got within one hum
dred yards of the Courthouse, when
Sam Lee jumped from the buggy.
He was Immediately taken and car
ried to the Courthouse building and
reles sed. The men at Raftin Creek
were much incensed at his conduct,
but, under the protection of those
who took him, he was safely landed
at the Courthouse. Sumter is the
Gamecock county still. DELTA.
The above we clipped from copy
of the Charleston Is. C.) Ne,cs, of the
4th inst, which lies before US upon
our table. Let it be understood we
have the paper ourselves and the ar
ticle does not come to us second hand.
1t is the story as published by DEM
ocratic paper; it comes from source
which, of course, would not prejudice
the side of the kuklux. We have ev-
cry reason to believe that it does not
half tell the outrage committed upon
those republicans who were holding a
political meeting which the white
democratic kuklux insisted upon
breaking up. 1t is but single in
stance of hundreds that are happen
ing in the South weekly. BY such
proceedings democracy carries the
South, and in the North they seek to
divide the republican party getting
a portion of them as greenbackers to
unite with them to beat the republic
ans, who will get their eyes open to
their folly sometime.
LAST Saturday the greenbackers of
Mahaska county met in convention
and endorsed the democratic county
ticket. A struggle was had to get
promise from some of the democratic
candidates to support Weaver but
none was made. This caused trouble,
and several greenbackers withdrew
from the convention, when the DEM
ocratic candidates were endorsed and
all the delegates from some townships
Withdrew. We clip II portion of the
proceedings of the convention from
the Herald:
AS soon as the vote was annOunc-
ed Prime again nominated Stafford.
Ballinger moved an informal ballot
for clerk. Taken. Result: Baker Sc,
Stafford Is, Lindley l. Rod Ball
moved to nominate Baker by accla-
nation. This brought Houver to his
feet Cries of question were made
and the convention applied the gag
to Houver but it wouldn't work. He
claimed right as a delegate to be
heard. Reluctantly it was granted.
He said he and others wanted to
Baker was not greenback man; that
he was in favor of only as many
greenbacks as could be fioated on a
gold basis; that there were republic
ans, and good ones, who were that
kind Of greenbackers; besides, the
primary object was to elect General
Weaver, and no man had said or
could say that Mr.. Baker would sup
port Weaver. II the convention pro-
posed to shove such men down the
throats of greenbackers then he
would walk out Of the convention.
Cries of "good, go out" A delegate
wanted to hear from Welch as to what
he knew of Baker. The reply was,
"Welch is not q delegate" "Neither
is Mr.. Barnes, yet you sent for him to
bolster up your man and heard him."
was the fond return. Rod Ball ar
gued in favor of uniting with the
democrats, and said if they did, they
could carry the county by several
hundred majority. DR.. Stafford said
he stood square ON the greenback
platform and exhorted the convention
to remain true to principle and not
sell out to democracy, as it would in
the end prove the ruin of greenback-
ism. He made q neat little speech.
Larkin jumped up and with a eunuch-
ian voice squealed out that Stafford
had tried for the democratic nomina-
ton. Stafford denied the charge and
said 1t was malicious falsehOod; that
he nerer made such q statement. Con-
fusion now reigned. Stafford then
withdrew from the convention. Bal
Tiger got up and in his patronizing
manner endeavored to smooth the
matter over by saying that he be-
lieved Baker was Weaver man; that
harmony was the great object and he
hoped It would be observed. The
democrats would hold no longer and
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