Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-10-15
THE YAZOO AFFAIR.
What tine Chairman Of the Democratic County
Committee Hes to Say Of the Matter--A
Purely Personal Difficulty.

/
the Democratic County Committee
of Los Angeles, has handed us, for
publication, the following letter, of
general interest when the unfair
use attempted to be made of the
Standardization affair is borne in
mind:
| A. b. MoFFfTT, ESQ Dear Sir:
In reply to your favor of the 10Th
ult., / enclose you the proceedings
of mass meeting held here on
| the 18th of August last. / refer you
to the Chicago Times of the 25th of
September last. The reporter of
the Times, sheet, as you know, in
favor of Northern domination, the
reporter acknowledging to me his
bias in favor of our enemies, still
makes such a showing as to justify
us in our course in the mind of any
impartial observer.
The mass meeting referred to
above was composed of about
thousand men, merchants, lawyers,
doctors, farmers, bankers, and, in
fact, representing most thoroughly
the wealth and intelligence Of the
county.
That Dixon and Barksdale were
candidates for office on opposing
tickets, is true, the former for Sher-
if on the Independent ticket. and
the latter for Chancery Clerk on
the regular Democratic ticket. The
political significance, if any. that
the case had is that if Dixon were
not candidate he probably would
not have slandered Barksdale's fe-
male relations, and consequently
would not have provoked Barks-
dale's attack. A feud existed be-
to either of them being q candidate
for office.
1t is clearly shown from two facts
that this could not properly be
called political homicide. The
first, and 1 think it is conclusive,
is that the very day that Dixon
was buried the Independents met
in Convention and put full ticket
in the field. If the Independents
themselves believed it to be po-
litical homicide they would not
have had the temerity to do this.
And this ticket is now in the field
unmolested. The other fact, in my
opinion, is still more conclusive. 1t
is that Barksdale was admitted to
| bail with the consent of the attor-
ney who acted for the State, u man
of fine legal ability, who has for
many years been the legal advisor
of Dixon, his warm personal friend,
and who is now candidate for the
Legislature on the Independent
ticket. This very same lawyer
made the most strenuous efforts to
obtain bail for Dixon without sue
cess, after his having killed Sam
Harrison. And why did he not
succeed Because the case was be-
lieved by the magistrate before
whom the case was tried, to be MUIR
der; and when the case was brought
before Circuit Judge by writ of
habeas corpus he was again re-
manded to Jail without bail,
and why? Simply because the
case was not bailable in accordance
with our statutes. And it might
be asked why did not Mr.. Robert
Hudson, the attorney acting for
the State, as we'll as being the per-
sonal friend of Dixon, insist upon
remanding Barksdale to Jail with
out bail? 1t is simply because Mr..
Hudson knew it was not murder.
If 1t were murder it would not, in
accordance with our laws, be balla-
BILE. These are facts susceptible of
proof. [ will now tell you what
the case really is: Dixon was
guilty of a personal offence against
Barksdale which in all countries
and in all times has been, and for
ever will be, resented in the same
way. He went on the street, hailed
Dixon twice, giving him warning,
Dixon at the time having on his
person two improved Colts repeat
ers, army size, and an English
trantar and spring knife. Dixon,
after being hailed, attempted to
draw his pistol but could not from
some cause, and so turned to run to
a place of concealment in which he
would be safe from Barksdale's fire
and at the same time be able to
shoot at him, but as he turned to
run Barksdale fired inflicting
fatal wound but not disabling
Dixon, for he got to his strategic
place of concealment and fired five
times at Barksdale, who stood in
the middle of the street not more
than forty feet from him. After
Dixon got to his place of conceal
ment Barksdale fired second time
without effect.
l have endeavored TO answer
your inquiries as best L could. l
am glad that you think California
will go Democratic next year. |
regret to see that the opinion OBJ.
tains in California, New York and
other States that the Democracy
can safely divide, even on local
issues. These divisions are SO we'll
calculated to engender a strife
making them permanent, and
thereby, in the hour of National
trial, falling an easy prey to that
party which has always grasped
for Capitalization and sectional
domination. A party intollerant
both in politics and religion, which
is patent to every student of his
tory. Yours, respectfully,
p. l.. MCCORMICK,
Committee, DHa20GrBifv County
YAzoo CITY, Miss, Oct. 81, 1879.