The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1879-07-10
IN. Y. Independent.
rI


Gov. Miller, of Arkansas, has made a
statement concerning the outrage against
Messrs. Todd and Pollard, at Brinkley,
Ark, which The Methodist, of this city,
regards as conclusive" The alacrity
with which The Methodist rejects the
testimony of these two men, ministers
in good standing of the Northern Metho-
dist Church, surprises US even in paper
so evidently Southern in its sympathies
as is our neighbor The very least its
readers could expect from it is that it
should give the ministers of its own
church the credence that men of charac-
ter in every walk in life are entitled to
receive.
The facts Of this outrage we gave some
time ago, gathered chiefly from the care
full statement of Mr.. Pollard. Some of
these facts the Governor admits The
two ministers were arrested as they were
returning from church at night. Todd
ran away, and was shot when the officers
were about to take him through an alley
back of a saloon. Hesoon after returned.
Both men were searched. After some
days, Todd went to the hotel at Brinkley
to wait for the train to Little Rock. He
was called in the night for the train, and,
coming down the stairway, saw or
thought he saw band Of masked men
through the front door, and escaped to
the rear, and, wandering in the swamps
several days, finally reached Little Rock,
where he died The Governor says there
were no masked men, that no violence
was used in the arrest, that the doctor
did not refuse to dress Todd's wound
until paid in advance, and that Todd's
wound was not at all dangerous. He ad-
mits that the arrest was made without
warrant, and therefore illegally; but he
says nothing about the manner in which
| the ministers were taken into custody
Mr.. Pollard shows that the arrest was
made roughly. The prisoners were search
ed in the street at the muzzle of revolv-
er. The Governor justifes the arrest on
the ground of a circular the city marshal
had received from Versailles, Mo, dated
Dec. oath, 1878, calling for the arrest-o of
minister for wife murder. The circular
gave full description of the murderer.
He was "a good talker-likes to tell what
he knows" was feet 6 or inches high,
| blue eyes, smooth features and slightly
stoop -shouldered, and had scar on the
breast. The marshal testified that he
arrested these men because they acted
strangely-that is, went with Niggers,"
were preachers, and avoided the whites.
He never noticed whether either of them
had blue eyes, or was stoop shouldered,
or corresponded in other respects with
the description of the circular He ar
rested them because they went with
Niggers." Here is another circumstance
to be coupled with the fact Of arrest
without warrant
Now, what was the previous state of
affairs at Brinkley Mr.. Pollard states
that Mr.. Todd had been misrepresented
by the whites, who told the Negroes that
he would not stay long and that they
had a way of getting rid of men who came
from the North to preach to the Negroes"
Mr.. Todd called upon Mr.. Pollard, as his
presiding elder, to come and assist him
in organizing his work. Mr.. Pollard
went. This was in March, 1879, three
months after the city marshal swears he
received the circular from Versailles
II was not till they came that, according
to his own testimony, he began to look
for the escaped criminal from Missouri.
After advising with citizens" he con-
cluded to arrest them. Here is a third
circumstance. He had not hitherto paid
any attention to the coming or departure
of strange ministers. But these men
went with the Niggers," and the whites
had previously declared that they had
way of getting rid of Northern men who
came to preach to the Negroes. We now
know what that way" is.
The Governor impeaches Mr.. Pollards
testimony as to the physician. He says
the physician did not refuse to dress the
wound until paid, as Mr.. Pollard says he
did, but asked for money to procure
medicines. He received IS therefor and
gave his services free. This is very sin
gular. The Governor states that the
wound was not dangerous /; that not more
than an ounce of blood was lost What
medicines were needed that could cost
So? The first thing to be done was to
dress the wound, which we will venture
to say could have been done without any
such outlay. The excuse in behalf of the
physician is not a very convincing one.
Besides, we have the direct testimony of
Mr.. Pollard, and why should we reject it2
There were no masked men" says the
Governor. Yet he admits that Mr. Todd
fled he admits that he was searched for
with a lantern. 1t will be remembered
that Mr. Todd, before his death, stated
that when he was in his place of hiding
the masked men hunted for him with a /!
lantern, and were so very near him at |
one time that he wondered how he escap- |
ed. Now if Todd was mistaken in the |
hotel when he thought he saw masked /
men" he had in the garden an opportu-
nifty to discover whether it was an illu-
sion. Yet he kept quiet and prayed that
he might escape, and afterWard wandered