The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-01

rspcc,al 10 the Louisville courier-Journall
JACKSON. Miss, August 27.-~f have read
your article on :. The Yazoo Affair."" which
appeared on the 22d instant. The friends
OF James a. Barksdale, one OF the prlnci-
pals In that unfortunate affair, have not ex-
pected the Radical journals OF the North,
who naturally seize upon this affair to make
political capital, to do him Justice in COM
menfiug upon it. And, In candor, they are
entirely indifferent to what they may say
about It; but as your paper is representa-
tive southern journal, circulating largely
In this and other southern States, they
| would be arat,fed to have bis side OF the
question appear before your readers.
fudge that you would be willing to accord
this, as you admit in the article referred to
that there are always two sides 10 every
question:" =
THE TWO MEN. -
Henry u. Dixon, the man who was killed,
has resided In YaZoo county since the war.
During all that time he has been profess
sional gambler. He has killed in private
difficulties negro and white man-Mr.
Samuel Harrison; in political ARRAYS, a
white man-Dck Mitchell, a Republican !;
and be was the leader OF q squad called
Dixor's Scouts, who are said to have hung
FIVE or six negroes during the riots OF 1875.
From one OF these, Pattison, who bad been
member Of the Legislature. he took
$1,000, with the promise to send 1t to
| Pattison's sisters, who reside IN ONO;
but The money was never sent. In 1876
the county treasury OF Iazoo county was
robbed OF $4,000. This money Dixon and
his gang were believed by nearly every
citizen o; Yazoo county to have taken. No
great efforts were ever made to recover this
money. or to discover who the robbers
were. Samuel Harrison, Democrat, un-
dertook it, and charged that Dixon was the
robber: for doing so Dixon killed him,
without giving him q chance for his lie.
A packed Jury acquitted Dixon, and no
other person was willing to take the task
upon himself, as it was we'll understood
that to make the attempt was but TO invite
| assassination. II is not my purpose to say
| more OF the dead than is necessary for the
defence OF the living. The following eX-
tract from the proceedings OF meeting OF
citizens OF Iazoo county will show in what
estimation Dixon was held by his neigh
bors:
"To sum up in brief our opinion and es-
innate OF the character OF the man Dixon,
we declare as our deliberate opinion that he
is murderer. gambler, bully, thief, 4
man Of violence, of blood, and Of lies; Il
man who will pack iuries, low, unprinci-
pled demagogue in politics and an inidel IN
religion. He unites in himself every quality
rcoil,red to make him the deteSted monster
that be is, and be wants every quailhcatlon
necessary to make him the gentleman that
he is not" .s .-,.
james A. Basksdale, who you say is |" the
bearer OF q representative southern name"
was born in YaZoo county, and is about
twenty-seven years OF age. lie is son OF
Hon. Harrison Barksdale, who died in the
Confederate service brother OF the late
General William Barksdale. He is one of
the most popular young men in the county,
never was IN any manner Wild" ana
never before had difficulty Of any kind.
He was recently nominated by the Demo-
cratic party for chancery clerk, the most lu-
cratiye Office in the county. AS such NOM
inee he entered the canvass. ana ana not
hesitate to express his opinion OIL the stump
that the independents, Of which Il. NJ.
Dixon was the head and front. should not
be elected to office.
THE CAUSE OF THE ARRAY.
Owing to Barksdae's speeches, Dixon
vowed vengeance. He took every occasion
to denounce Barksdale in the vilest lam
guaee. He stated openly, and at all times,
" that he tDixonl had been seeking an OPP
portunity to kill Jim Barksdale, but'that he
IiBarksdale) was such d cowardly -
that he would never give him chance"
This remark Of Dixon, made upon many
different occasions, was constantly repeated
to BarkSdale. I presume no less than fifty
persons have heard Dixon make it. Upon
the trial it will be proven that many
persons. citizens Of Yazoo city, and visl-
tors to the place, strangers to Doth men,
heard Dixon say it, not only privately,
but in public crowds upon the streets
Of the town. He was overheard
by two prominent gentlemen planning
to assassinate BarkSdule. These gentlemen
gave their names TO the Democratic County
Executive Committee, and the fact was
published In the local papers. Finding that
all this did not give him Dixon the oppor.
tuuity he sought to kill Barksdale, whom
he had marked as the fourth victim OF his
deadly pistol, he turned the venom OF his
foul tongue upon BarksdalC's female rea-
tiyes-unon his widowed mother and sis
! tiers, than whom no more lovely women
live in the South. OF them he said all that
man lost to all sense OF honor or self-re-
spect could say. This will be proven in the
courts; and for this latter offence, and not
for his remarks about or threats against
Barksdale himself, Dixon now fills bloody
grave.
| THE PARTICULARS OF TIE AFFRAY.
Thus matters stood upon the morning OF
the 10Th instant. Uron that day Dixon was
walking down the street, armed, as usual,
with large army-sized revolver, bis favor
lite weapon, and upon which he relied to
Ideal out" death to his enemies. Barks-
dale saw him, and taking double barrellcd
shotgun from an adjoining store, walked
into the middle OF the street and called out /:
"Dixon Dixon defend yourseIfl" Dixon
heard and saw Barksdac, and advanced
upon him, attempting as he advanced to
draw his pistol. 1t hung in the scGbbard.
AS he advanced, Barksdae cooked his gun
and raised it 10 his shoulder. Dixon, find.
ing that bis trustv weapon bad failed
him, and that he was about to meet the
fate he had upon three other &C.
casons meted out to others, turned to run,
when Barksdale's gun cracked, and he re-
ceiyed the load Just under the shoulder
blade. Dixon ran into an alleyway, crying
"Murder," and partly up flight OF steps,
where he halted and tired four times through
the doorway at Barksdaie, who remained
standing in the middle Of the street. When
the smoke had cleared away Barksdale fired
a second time, hut the load went into the
door-facing. Dixon fell and died at 4:30
O'Clock that evening. Barksdale surren'
dered 10 the sheriff and was placed in Jail.
Two days after he was admitted to bail by
| the Magistrates Court in $4,000. Persons
charged with murder cannot be balled IN
this State; so they must have graded the
crime, il crime it was, as manslaughter.
The Circuit Court meets in December,