Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1879-08-07
"a. No. T did NOT

hallooing, but did not see any intimida-
ton attempted by them
20. Did you notice anything Pc
culiar about the way the election was
conducted? lfso, state it fully.
"A. I saw the United States sol
dlers as guard around the door out
side and crowd of voters outside pres
sing this guard, who kept them back
with their guns, and an officer in com
mand, with his sword drawn; and he
would select with his sword by touch
ing those who were to go in next to
vote. As the colored man at the door
would call out, Send in ten men, the
officer would again select by touching
! with bis sword those to go, not tax
ing them as they came, but selecting
them from the crowd, sometimes reach
! ing over to touch one behind another,
and sometimes skipping two or three.
[ was selected from the crowd with
another white man at the same time.
and none dared go in but those who
were SO touched by this officer. When
they had voted they were let out of a
window"
1t seems as though the gentlemen
should at least have given portion of
the cross-examination Of his own wit
nesses. Let me supply it. Mr.. Ad-
ans says, On cross examina ton
Q. You say Lieutenant Hoyt drew
his sword in a threatening attitude,
Did he make an effort to strike any one.
or did he threaten any one?
A. He made no threats or any eff
fort to strike the threat was in the
act of drawing his sword.
@. You say that the drawing Of
his sword had the tendency to frighten
timid man. Do you know Of your
own knowledge that any man did be-
come alarmed and leave the polls with
out voting?
A. | did not.
q. When you reached box No. 2,
were not the grounds in front of the
entrance of the school house, and both
sides, densely crowded; and were there
not great many horsemen in the
crowd
A. There was a crowd of men in
front OF the house not many on the
sides. [ think there was twenty or
thirty hersemen in front Of the house.
e. Were not these men on horses
standing as near the door as they could
get?
A. | think SO; they were, I think
struggling to get in to vote.
That is, they were backing their
horses into the bollot-box, tail fore
most
q. Did you not see during the day
great many white men riding up and
down The streets that day, and was
not their demeanor a very threatening
one
A. [ saw quite a number of horse
men. L did not see anything threaten
ing they were boisterous and happy.
MIR. Jones, on cross examination,
testiies as follows
q. You say the officer, in pointing
out ten men would sometimes skip
some and take others. Did they skip
white as we'll as black?
A. There were more black than
white men, great many more. hnt
sometimes one and sometimes two
white men would go in to make ten.
q. In your opinion did this officer
have any regard for either political
party in selecting the ten
a. / think not he seemed to skip
those who seemed more anxious to 90
and select those who were more quiet.
Now let Lieutenant Hoyt tell the
story-Senate report, page, 354.
LIEUTENANT HoYT's OPPORTUNITIES
ALL ARMED.
Lieutenant Hoyt says
| was directed to take four men and
go down to the polling place to assist
Deputy Marshal Beattie in forcing his
way through the people who we've
crowded together there so that t
voters could not gain admittance to
the house to vote. [ found, I should
say, from thirty to fifty mounted men,
all armed with reyolvers in their hands, |
and some with clubs, drawn up in front
Of the entrance as closely as they could
be, apparently to prevent the colored
people from getting in to vote. BY
direction OF the marshal, [ took my
men up to open the way so that they
could 90 IN to vote. [ went inside the |
building through window, used as an |
exit Tor the voters, and then out at
the door, and opened the way from
the door through these horsemen, so
as to give the people chance to GENE
through. [ had four men with me,
and as we marched out | ordered the |
horsemen to give back, and they
crowded their horses back so as to give
way for the men to come out. [ then
posted sentinels to keep the way open.
X x x X
At the time [ went down to the
house there were some men, who had !
voted, coming out. The way it was
was to take ten in at a time
and swear them, and then they would
vote and come out to make room for
more. They opened the door to adj
nit some more. and the negroes in
front tried to so up to the door through
the white men, but they would not al
low the negroes to do so two or three
did, however, get through between