New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-02-22
THE VIRGINIA ELECTION.
,,,pnpp AvnIEC,L OUTRAGE.


MANLtNFss.
,,,,, SPECIAL CoFRfSYoSDENToF THE rRIBuNEJ
NorKo,K. Va. Feb. l5.-Kempsville is strag-
olnc roads village of twenty or more "oouen
honses ten miles from Norfolk. In a former ietlei
n description was given Of the tavern III "u'on
the November election at kempsVlne was
hold and of the frauds which had been per-
petratcd in the presence Of Mr. Gornto. Mhe"
The old gentleman hobbled ndgnantly out OF the
room and the house. on the evening of election day,
he WAS followed by Young white man IRON the par
room who stood on the piazza and heard the COT
loony which took place between Mr.. Gornto ana inc
negroes standing in the road below.
.Yop did vote the Democratic ticket. Won know
Won did -" yelled the young man, with an insulting
Cpithet and an oath, 10 the negroes as MI. G"rh'o
drove away. An indignant denial came from the
crowd rs with one voice. "Only one cOlored man
naming him. has voted the Democratic ticket
to-day" they said. "A0u lie, you --- ---- ----
-" was the tauut Of the white man
whose comrades now began TO come ont ofthe bar
room
"Who do You all get your living from he
asked
"Noi from YOU" shouted the negroes in reply.
Old Mr. Hodges colored preacher 90 whom !
shall refer particularly further on, aud local poll
teal leader man of character, bat fiery tongacd
and indiScGeot. according to prevalent opinion in
the vicinity, was the foremost speaker 81 the
cOlorcd mon.
Who DO Won get yotr living from r yelled the
fellow to Mr. Hodges. " don't gel 1t from any Of
YOU hc shouted in return, " | get 1t from God"
"Iwont be insulted by old Hodges shouted the
bnlly. aS be leaped down the steps. He was seized
10y the sheriff, who pulled him back and then " COM
uanded the peace Tho white mems blood was
up, and Sheriff WhltehuTo. fearing q riot, placed
himself between the two parties, and was trying
with both hands to push the coioIcd men back and
get them 10 20 home. The whites rushed down the
steps aud one, whom several colored men named to
INC, raised "a club, and striking over the shoulder of
the sheriff, hit COlircd man in the face,
cutting chastity wound over his eye and disabling
him. Tho same man jumped back upon .hc steps
drew his revolver and fred into the crowd. Others
did tho same, and until the pistols were emrt.ed a
rapid aud almost continuous fine was kept up
White men say pistols were used on both sides, AID
to some extent believe this to be true. although
many of the negroes stoutly affirm that no
one of thsjr number hal firearms of any
kind, with the exception of one towing piece,
and that that was hidden away during the
melee under the piazza OF tine tavern. Strange TO
say only casualty resulted from all this cNpendi-
ture of powder and lead. a result due very likely
to the unsteady condition oi tie white men. The
injured man, a white man named GrigCS, was struck
4
of tho colored men. When the firing ceased
Sherd Whtchur-t, and magistrate who had
come Ia his assistance renewed their Efforts
10 avert further trouble and 30 may be sad from
the testimony Of the colorcd men themselves that
these two Democratic officials cxorttd Themselves
during the whole affair TO their utmost to preserve
the peace At first them efforts to get the colored
men to go home and leave the field to
the whites were WsGc, e>oiul. We are IN
tho public road sand thcy land here we
have right 10 remain After little
time. however. some Of the foremost among the
colorcd men advised acquicsccncc on their part TO
the wish of the white officials and they all moved
off in long struggling procession.
RUFIIAN's BLOODY WORK
When the trouble was and the last
OF the departing cOlored men had gotten
a hundred yards away from the scene
an angry shout was heard behind them,
"Where are the d ---. III kill every one
within mile Of Kempsyille' man on gray
horse appeared on the scene followed by two Others
in buggy.
I'D know that horse il seen him a thousand
miles from here sad q colorcd man 10 Inc. Il
was So near him could have knocked him off his
horse with brickbat. / seen him raise his two
hands. So and fire. and | know it was him killed
Tom Elliott
Poor Tom Elliott one of the most reaceablc col
Ored mon IN the nejghborhood. fell at the first fire.
inOrtaly shot through the body.
"Mv God" said he a. he lay writing in the mud.
"an't some Of you uuS going 10 help me = Two Of
his comrades pulled him into the ditch while ping.
ping. ping came the balls from that terrible car
binc ana five moro were made cripples before they
C0uld get ont of range.
81 was right beside Tom Elliott when he le.
said one to me- 81 heard the noise behind us, and
q. r1,o4t [
aim aud fire when Tom Elliott fell" One held no
his crippled arm from which the bullet had not
been extracted until eight day 3 after the wound
made during which time the poor fellow Law
IN jail where no friend was permitted to see him.
Another took oI&he bandages from ms ankle and
showed me the still open wounds where a bullet
had entered upon one side and come out on the
other. Whether more than man is supposed to
have fired upon the flying crowd Of colOrcd men or
not was unable to learn definitely.
We met the man the gray horse diving
into town as we were driving out, and my com
panion recognized and hailed him. He seemed to
be seventy OF more years of age. with thIn red
cruel face. surrounding still powerful frame he
had dornneered over the whole neiRhhorhoOd all
his life" said white neighbor TO me. haven't
spoken 10 him for ten years and don't wish to cK-
press any OPINION, sald another
MIR uoDGEss SHARE IN TIE RIOT.
The Roy. Willis a. Hodges, TO whom have re-
feTcd above. was born of free ColOred parents, in
Princess Anne County, Virginia, sixty-iiye years
ago. At the aye of twenty-0ne h" left his native
state aud spent tho ensuing twenty-cght years in
New-York, working in connection with choice
band of white abolltlOnI-ts to rouse q pubic SEN
tinent in behalf of his enslayed brethren
in the South. At the close ~ the
war. Nh Hodges returned to Virginia
and with his family settled down near ms birth
place. lie entered actively INTO politics a. Rcpub-
hcau. and became leader of his party ma the
county Ilo was a delegate To several conventions