The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-08-27
The Mississippi Tragedy.

The Mississippi Tragedy
THE ANTECEDENTS OF DIXON THE
MURDERED MAN.
4 Desperate Himself, he Meets a Fate
he had Dealt out to Others-Com.
ments of tile Press on the Tragedy
IA dispatch from Yazoo City. Miss, states
that James H. Barks(ale, who shot and kill.
, cI Henry NJ. Dixon In that town on Tuesday,
has been released on SI5, UU bail, the prosecute
ing attorney conscntlng. to the bailing. Tho
history of the difficulty In IaZoo, which has
eliminated so tragichlly, Is thus summed up
[From the NcW York Hold.l
"Captain Dixon was always n Democrat,
md Was well known in mississippi US a
planter. His courage was nnqucStiOned in
ISIS he was presented with Il massive solid
silver pitcher. on which was tile inscription:
'To the bravcst Of the brave, Captain Henry
NJ. Dixon, from his Democratic fcllow-citi.
zens of YaZoo County, as y testimonial OF
their high appreciation Of his brilliant ser
vices in the redemption of the country from
Radical rule What the services were Is not
more clearly stated. In June last Dixon an
nounccd himself rs an independent candi.
date for Sheriff Of IaZoo County. lie was
endorsed by such Democrats rs ex-Judge IL.
the County Treasurer. Prof. Gadbcrry, long n
professor in the medical college ut Louisville,
KY, and nearly thirty representative plant
crs and merchants. There was a regular DEM
ocratic candidate nominated against him by
Il convention. Early In July registration be-
gan. 4 number OF Democrats tried TO pre-
vent the registration Of Dixon men. Some
OF these on the last Friday of July collected
at the tow of Benton, and gave out that
Dixon was about to assembl n large armed
force of negroes ut that point. Presently Cap
tain Dixon and two friends rode up In u bug.
gy. He faced the crowd of advcrsaries, dcfled
them, and returned home. Tiithcr q mob
followed him, and demanded that he should
leave the county, never to return: Several OF
his Democratic friends attempted to stay the
mob, who threatened 10 burn their houses
and his own. Finally to save the property OF
ncighbors he agreed to withdraw as 4 candl.
date. MissisSippians who knew the man and
the region assert that personal terror OF Dix
on had much to do with the opposition to
him. lie Is believed to have Killed many
men, and IL Is known OF him that In 1910,
when lie was redccming the county from
Radical rule, lie on one occasion compelled 4
crowd OF negroes to hang their W leader.
He had heard that a movement was prepar-
ing among the negroes against him, and rode
alone on horseback to tho place where tho ne
groes had gathered together. carrying q rope
over his Sa~ddlc-bow. When he came upon
them he covered the leader with his revolver
and ordered him to step out. The man obey
cd. Selecting four other negroes by namehe
babe them come to him and take the rope
which he gave them. Put it around that
mans neck he said. They obeycd. Now,
then, one OF you 90 up that tree and reeve IT
then, pull away, you three! The three men
pulled, and upon Dixon's command made the
rope fast when their unfortunate leader was
fairly swinging IN the air. Dixon sat on his
horse cycling the scene until he was satisfied
that the maj was dead, and then. forbidding
the negroes TO cut him down for twcnty-lour
hours, ordered them to dIsperse, which they
did, and quietly rode Oft home"
1.-THE mother and sister of Henry NJ. Dixon
reside In this city. The brother is q clerk In
the Treasury Department. Captain Dixon
was n boy Of II when the war broke, and was
q studentat Georgetown College; He was IN
duccd to run away and join the Southern
army, but was captured after four months
absence, and remained neutral during the re-
mainder of the war. He married, at the age
Of II, the daughter of o very wealthy Missis
sippi planter, who died not long after this
event, leaving his large plantations IN the
Yazoo county to Mrs. Dixon. Young. piXor
went there to live, and has been q resident O
from politics until 1872, when he organized
the rifle club, and was made Captain Of inc
bull-dozers. His experience seems to havc
disguised him finally, and In 1874 he left The
club. The deceased was a son OF the late Ma
for Henry Dixon, who was shot and killed III
Alexandria about The close of the war;"
A Washington dispatch says: "Senatol
Lamar was asked for his, but declined to give
them. He would not he interviewed, nnt
had nothing to say about the manner ir
which the contest has been carried on IT
Mississippi. Besides. he had no information
the facts were made known it would moi
prove to be q political murder, but the result
Of a street brawl. He abhorred murder as
much as any one, but declined to make com
Ing of the details, and in this time OF politi
cal excitement his words were liable TO bt
misluotcd and his opinions misconstruad:"
James II. BarkSdale, who killed Dixon, has
heretofore borne an excellent reputation, ant
prior to the present c,lmpaign the W mel
were on friendly terms. Barksdale Is Il neph'
CIV OF Hon. +. Barksdale, a prominent Demo
cratic candidate for the United States Senate
editor of the jackson Clarion and chairman o
the Democratic State Executive Committee
lie was also u nephew OF General William
narksdalc, n distinguished MisSiSsippian
who was killed whilst commanding q Con
fcdcrate brigade during the late war.
tFrom the baltimore Sun.l
The Staying of Captain Henry NJ. Dixon, o
YaZoO City. Miss, independent candidate To-
Sheriff Of iaZoo county, by James IL. Banks
dale Democratic candidate for CEancery Clcrl
. Of the same county. Is one OF that class o
wrctchcd tragedies which might be looked up
Oh I'm the North, rs but one OF the many
ephcmcral horrors with which the newspa-
pcrs arc SO often frcishtcd. But occurring az
It docs in Mississippi. and Mt This particula
JlIlc, IL Is IL uteu lIlNG AZ unity w u lllSl III.
amount of"ammuniiiOn' TO puritan speaker
in the political campaign. According to thu
published accounts the murder was 1reNcus
ubic. Dixon was simply tic leader OF an op
position party whose success, through the me
Iiium OF the colored vote, seemed Imminent
and he was slain by Il candidate on the an
linguistic ticket. AS to what extent the &C
may he viewed TO n mere personal or politlca
Quire. 1t is to be hoped that It's origin ant
It's cmbittering influences have no sympathy
beyond the factions aud the locality within
which it occurred. AS there arc two sides Il
every question, IL Is possible that the pcrpe-
TRAITOR OF the homicide may be able 70 show
some excuse for the deed with which he hn'
imbrued his hands. But there caA be nc
doubt that strict JUSTICE must pc done IN I'M:
regard for the common rights OF citizenship
and for the honor Of their State. A goot
many things are said about Dixon's character
which II Is not necessary TO enter into here
1t may be the fact that he was Il gambler, /;
murderer and q dangerous man In every. re
Spect. Is so, then he should have been deal
with by the law. Until the people of MissiS
sippi prove thai lawlessness will not be al
lowed to rest uupunishcd, they must be mad
aware that the guilt Of DiXon's death, a
well us that Of the still un!urgctten CHS
holm murder also, rests upOn every Intel II
the State. The YaZoO country, of course, q
Is well known, is In some measure peOplcu D.
~ class of men who are not representative o
the State, but the State will rightly be he'll
responsible for their deeds until 1t has full
recognized the necessity OF aflording protcC
ton to life everywhere in It's borders. n
State, no party, no class, no faction, IN thi
enlightened age and country, can rest itsel
upon the policy Of violence and live.
[Erom the Orun0cburg Is. c. 7Tmcs.l
Let the justice or injustice OF the matter b
pendent candidate for Sheriff of lazOO, Mis-
sissippi. and the circumstance of his bcin.
waited upon by the citizens, Is the scvcrcs
blow the Democratic party has received fn
years. 1t may cause us to lose New Iorl
ohio and even the Presidential election. ]
Is II crime that we sincerely dcprccatc. but
is a local crime, and the perpetrators or
I should be put In the same category ana re
ccive tho same treatment as nll other criml
nails. But will it be SO viewed? Will the pee
pie of the North view 1t rs q local matter. bt
longing to iaZoo County In the same wa
that the knocking down and killing OF a re
Specialize citizen Of New York city at the poll
by n street bully is regarded as Il local matte
belonging to New York? They will not! !
will DC taken at the North as q complete COZ
iirmatiUn Of the arguments OF liliine an
C0nkling, II will give the bloody shirt
fresh and most vigorous tlutter. The prospec
OF the Dcmocratic party, was brighter tina
ever before, and tlIis affair will have q dam
pering effect. We were just slowly cllmbln
out of the swamp of despair, and now here
another blow to throw us back into the mir(
We know full well our n~ggruvattons, adVis
: moderation. and place. our condemnation VI
on all acts of violence. Tho freedom of ever
/ man TO enjoy his political opinions and exc
else his political rights is the foundatio
stone of Democracy, ana 1t Is unjust ana I'll
fair to saddle the Southern people with the n
L spOnSibllity for such local and personal Ill
putcs.
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