The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1879-09-26
Especial 10 Tho Courier Joanlall

| AEAtAlua VI VdHsfa a. AlaAhnNattt 0AS y
the principals in that unfortunate affair
have not expected the Radical Journal
of the North, who naturally seize upol
this affair to make political capital, L
do him justice in commenting upon it
And in candor, they are entirely in
different to what they may say about
it; but as your paper is representative
Southern journal, circulating largely il
this aud other Southern States, they
would be gratified to have his side o.
the question appear before your read
ers. l judge that you will be willing
to accord this, as you admitted in the
article referred to that "there are al
ways two sides to every question"
| THE TWO MEN.
Henry NJ. Dixon, the man who was
killed, has resided in Yazoo county
since the war. During that time he
has been a professional gambler. lie
has killed, in private difficulties, a ne
gro and white man-Mr. Samuel
Harrison; in political afirays, white
man-Diek Mitchell, n Republican;
and he was the leader OF squad called
Dixon's Scouts, who are said to have
hung four or five negroes during the
riots of 1873 From one of these, Pat
tison, who had been member Of the
Legislature, he took 81 800, with the
promise to send it TO Pattison's sisters,
who reside in Ohio, but the money was
never sent. In 1876 the county treas
ury of Yazoo county was robbed Of
$4,000. This money Dixon and his
gang were believed by nearly every cit
izen of Yazoo county to have taken.
No great efforts were ever made to re-
cover this money, or to discover who
the robbers were. Samuel Harrison, "a
Democrat, undertook it, and charged
Dixon with being the robber; for doing
so Dixon killed him, without giving
him a chance for his life. A picked
Jury acquitted Dixon, and no other per-
son was willing to take the task upon
himself, as it was well understood that
to make the attempt was but to invite
assassination. 1t is not my purpose to
say more Of the dead than necessary for
the defense Of Il g living. The follow
ing extract from the proceedings Of a
meeting Of the citizens of Yazoo county
viii show IN what estimation Dixon
was held by his neighbors:
ITO sum up in brief our estimate
and opinion Of the character of the
man Dixon, we declare as our deliber-
ate opinion that he is a murderer, u
gambler, bully, thief, n man of vio-
lence, of blood, and of lies; a man who
will pack juries; low, unprincipled
demagogue in politics and an infdel in
religion. He nnites in himself every
quality required to make him the de
tested monster that he is, and he wants
every qualification that is necessary to
make him the gentleman which he is
not.
Jas. A. Barksdale, who you say is
the ''bearer of a representative South
ern name" was born in Yazoo county,
and is about twenty-seyen years of age.
lie is a son of Hon. Harrison Barks-
dale, who died in the Confederate ser
vice, and brother of the late General
Wm. Barksdale. He is one Of the NEST
popular young men in the county, never
was in any manner "wild," and never
before had difficulty of any kind. He
was recently nominated by the Demo.
cratic party for chancery clerk, the
most lucrative office in the county. AS
such nominee he entered the canvass
and did not hesitate 10 express his
opinion ON the stump that the indie
pendents, of which III. n. Dixon was
the head and front, should not be elect
ed to Office.
THE CAUSE OF THE AFFRAY.
Owing to Barksdales speeches, Dixor
vowed vengeance. He took every oc
casion to denounce Barksdale in th'
vilest language. He stated openly and
at all times, "that he (Dixon) had beer
seeking an opportunity to kill jim
Barksdale, but that he (Barksdale) wa
such id cowardly g. Of b.
that he would never give hima chance.
This remark of Dixon's, made upol
many different occasions, was constant
. ly repeated to Barksdale. / presum'
, no less than fifty persons have hear
Dixon make it. Upon the trial it vii
be proven that many persons, citizen
of Yazoo City, land visitors to the place
strangers to both men heard Dixon sa,
it, not only in private, but in publ
E crowds upon the streets Of the town
He was overheard by two prcminen
gentlemen planning to assassinate Ml
Barksdale. The gentlemen gave thei
: names to the Democratic county execl
tive committee, and the fact was pul
lished In the local papers. Finding tha
all this did not give him (Dixon) tn
opportunity he sought to kill Bark
). dale,whom he had marked as the fourt
victim of his deadly pistol, he turne
the venom of his foul tongue upo
$ Barksdale's female relatiYes-upon b
widowed mother and sisters, than whol
: no more lovely women live in I'll
South. OF them he said all that a ma
lost to all sense Of honor and self-r
spect could say. This will be prove
in the courts; and for this latter offens
and not for his remarks about orthrea
against Barksdale himself, Dixon no
fills bloody grave.
le PARTICULARS OF THE .AFFRAY.
Thus matters stood upon the NOR
ing Of the 18th inst. Upon that da
= Dixon was walking down the stree
1 armed as usual with large army-size
..a..oI.ro.. L. fs..o...ll. -. -