Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-04-26


: other, first one way and then an
other; upstairs TO the third floor
down to the second floor, up to tn
fourth floor, and in three or fou
places.
@. Mr.. Rice was present?
A. YES, sir; he was present, anC
offered TO bail me.
q. You were taken before Com
missioner Davenport?
A. Yes. Finally was taken t,
one of the gentlemen.
@. Which of the commissioners
A. / think it was Commissionel
Deuel..
@. What took place before him
a. He wanted me to give bono
for my appearance, which | rather
demurred to.
@. Did Commissioner Deuel. say
anything to you as to whether you
had voted or not?
A. He asked me whether / had
voted.
@. Was there anything said as to
whether you would or would not
vote?
A. That was afterward. Com
missioner Davenport allowed me
to go-that / would not vote.
This is Commissioner Daven-
| port
allowed me to go, with the under
standing that l would not vote.
Mr.. Davenport is the man who
had the warrant sworn out. He is
the man before whom Mr.. Denning
was taken and who let him go if he
would promise not to vote. Here
was a man arrested who had thOus-
and men under him.
@. Then you went before Com
missioner Davenport?
A. Yes, sir.
@. State what took place before
him.
A. Commissioner Davenport was
very courteous in his manner. |
told him that l would like to be al
lowed to go and vote, and he said
shat / could not vote that would
not be allowed to go if L did not
promise not to vote, and sooner than
stay there all day said that would
not vote.
@. Were you here in the back
part of the courtroom?
A. Yes, sir; / was hustled all
around everywhere.
@. BY this time there was quite
little bit of crowd in the court
room, wasn't there?
@. Yes, sir :; / almost had my
coat dragged off of me getting
through the doors.
@. You remarked that you had
no overcoat on when you came out;
was it cold day?
As Yes, sir; expected to be gone
from the store but few moments,
and therefore / did not take my
overcoat.
@. OF course you suffered?
A. OF course / did. The whole
thing was the greatest outrage /
ever saw perpetrated-
And so / believe the American
people will say that it is thegreatest
outrage that ever was perpretrated,
and they will demand in tones of
thunder that a law which allows
such scheme shall be repealed, and
it is not revolutionary on our part !
to seek to repeal it
] positively would not have be- |
lieved it unless / had experienced it |
myself.
Q. Was it suggested to Commits
sioner Davenport that the business
of your house was suffering from |
your absence?
A. believe Mr.. Rice remarked
something in that way to him.
@. You have stated that from 1868 |
to 1878 you had voted, did you per-
form jury duty?
A. / do not know that / did.
@. What time was it that you
were released? ?
A. 1t must have been on toward
two O'Clock.
BY the chairman:
@. Did you promise Mr.. Daven-
port that you would not vote?
A. Yes, sir; that was the only
way in which l was allowed to 90.
Then Mr.. Davenport crOss-eXam-
ined him.
@. 1 understand that you declared
your intentions?
A. Yes, sir.
@. Three or four years before?
A. Several years before.
@. Do you remember how long
before?
A. / would not be positive about
it; but 1 know it was within the
prescribed time. /
@. Within two years
A. Yes, sir: it was two years
here is no doubt about that.
@. Was it on the 7th of Septem-
per, 1866?
A. Iwon't be sure about the time.
know / was very careful about the
lime, because l had the thing fully
l was in no hurry
about the time.
@. You say that you were not al
owed to go unless you promised
not to vote. Did the question of bail
rise at all?
A. Yes, sir.
O. Did / refuse to take bail?
A. The bail matter / believe was
IN after consideration.
@. l asked you did refuse to
AXE bail.
A. Yes, sir.
@. If You had given bail you
could have gone and voted, could
you not ?
A. No.
@. Why not?
A. Because you said not; you
urther said that if went and voted
would be liable to be rearrested.
There is a man having thousand
nen under him, and he was afraid
% vote; he was thus intimidated.
And as the testimony in the case
hoWs, there were nine thousand
sworn to under the order
)fthis man Davenport, five thousand
md four warrants were issued,
hree hundred arrests made, and
welve hundred and seventy-nine
United States deputy marshals were
appointed for that day to enforce the
aW, and 500, $50 paid TO them. This
5 the proceeding of one day under
his law; and yet we are told that I
We are revolutionists for attempting
o repeal it and give these men the
light to vote, give these men the
light to sit on iuries. To repeal the
aW which causes these infamous !
lttacks upon the liberties of the
American 1eople is denounced as
evolution. The American people ;
want no paid spies, they want no
1aid infOrmers. They want no !
pies to watch them when they are
1oting. This is a free country,
,r it ought to be free. They are not
rec if that law remains in force.