The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-06-12
miscellaneous.
so1pIERs AT TnE PoLLs.
Judge Maekey Tsstines to the Intimidation He
Saw In south Carolina In 1870.

5OLDlhho Al lin OAAAc'
Judge MackSy Testfes to the Intimidation He
Saw In SOuth Carolina In 1870.
Washington, May 2s.-The Wallace
Committee to day examined T.J Mack
ey "a Circuit Judge in South Carolipa.-
He testified that until 1875 be was in
saGiliation with the Republican party
Az the general election at Chesterin 1876
he was called on 10 interpose his official
kpthority to check interference by the
military and deputy marshals with vo-
terra at the polls. Several Of the deputy
marshals had declared their purpose to
carry the elections for the Republicans
They exhibited a printed circular pur'
porting to have been signed by Attorney
General Taft addressed to United States
marshals to disregard the process Of the
State courts. The Chief Deputy Marshal,
at the head ofa band of Colored men, as
saulted voters at Carmel, tearing from
their hands the Hayes and Hampton
tickets, and several voters who refused
to surrender their tickets were knocked
down subsequently. He saw the militia
ry, nineteen men of the Eighteenth Reg
iment, march into the Custom House
ward, forming in two lines. The voters
were required to pass to the polls under
fixed bayonets. On complaint made to
the witness that voters we're ilterfered
with by the military, he issued a warrant
for the arrest of Lieut., Hinton, who com
manded the detachment. The Sheriff
made verbal report that Lieut., Hinton
said he had bten summoned by the
Chief Deputy Marshal to bring his troops
to the polls; that there we're no breaches
of the peace except such as were com
milted by the deputy marshals, who had
taken ballots from voters, and further,
that Lieut. Hinton had declared he was
informed that violence was imminent at
the polls and that there had already
been breach of peace, and asked to be
saved from the disgrace OF arrest, prom
ising that he would remove his troops to
the rear of the Court, house. Witness,
this having been done, instructed the
Sheriff to take no further action. Sever
al of the deputy marshals were engaged
in distributing Republican tickets and
charged the colored persons having
Democratic tickets in their hands and
in line with the whites with betraying
their race. All the deputy marshas with
one exception we're Colored men. Their
instructions were signed by the United
States Marshal, the words at the head OF
their commission being, Stand by yo1r
party" The witness saw, in three or
four instances. Democratic ballots de-
stroyed by these officers. The conduct
of the marshals did not fall under his
observation in 1878, but he knew of one
Colored Democrat who was threatened.
The Hayes and Hampton ticket en-
braCed the Democratic nominees and the
Hayes and Chamberlain ticket embraced
the Republican candidates. 1t was de
clared by Representative Sayler and
otter members of the House sub com.
mittee on January that HAYES had car.
ried the State by from 600 to 2l00
votes, and such was the belief of the wit
ness. Hampton was elected by 100 ma.
ority. He supported the Hayes and
Hamphn ticket and all the Democratic
nominees, and side by side with Hamp.
ton he canvassed the State for Hayes,
but he voted for Tilden, indorsing on his
ballot as a reason for doing 80 that bay
one were brought to the polls to secure
the election of Hayes. A number of per
sons wore red shirts, including colored
Democrats, several hundred of them.
Both parties carried pistols. 1t was the
custom of the country, hut law had
since been passed making the carrying
of concealed weapons a felony. Refer
ring the taking of tickets from Demo
cratic Colored voters, the witness said
that white men interferred, saying such
things would not be permitted. The
Sheriff, who was Democrat, com mmand.
ed the peace and said that a remedy for
interfering with voters would be found
in the law. The troops did not interfere
as body with the voters, but one OF the
soldiers cursed citizen and threatened
to bayonet him. The only reason given
by the citizen was that he WAS ON his
way to the polls. The troops were at the
polling place for an hour.
He in 1873 sawa voter shot down in
Charleston and thought that the shoot
ing in that case was justifable. Three
men were knocked down by deputy mar.
shals. They were arrested on the charge
of fintimidating voters and for assault and
battery. One of them was convicted, the
jury containing seven or eight colored
Republicans. The Judge had ruled that
the COMMISSIONS of the deputy marshals
did not protect them from committing a
breach of the law In conclusion the
witness wished to say that jury Of the
State courts composed wholly of Repub-
licans would convict the most promi-
nent Republican who should wrong a
Democrat, and Democratic jury would
convict the most prominent Democrat
who should wrong Republican.