The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1880-09-08
The Boone Interview.


purports to be an interview with Post
Master Boone by Il reporter for the
Wheeling LatclNqe72ccr, 4 Republican
newspaper published at Wheeling.
West Virginia. Representative of the
HERALD called on Mr.. Boone in refer
ence to the statements made by him in
the interview. He said he had seen
the article. and makes the following
statement in regard to the same-the
statement is given in his own language
and over his own signature:
MR.. BoONE's STATEMENT.
While waiting in Wheeling for the 5
p. NJ. train for Washington l had con-
versation with a gentleman, a stran
ger to me, who asked me, in a general
way, where I was going. I replied
that was going to Washington. lie
then asked me if I lived in Washington,
and replied that l did not, but in the
South. He asked what State; I told
him, South Carolina, where l had lived
for the past twelve years, but was a ma
tive of North Carolina. He then asked
what kind of business I was engaged
in; replied, handing him my card,
that was Post Master at Newberry, S.
e.. He then asked me whether Post
Masters in places of that size were gen.
orally Republicans, I answered, yes,
and that | was Republican. Being
asked whether Newberry County was
Democratic or Republican, told him
that it was Democratic, but that prior
to 1876 the County had given Repub-
lican majority of about 1000. He then
asked whether, from my knowledge Of
the colored people, Thought any con-
siderable number would vote the DEM
oeratic ticket; to which I replied that I
thought not. l was. asked how long I
had held the position of Post Master; I
replied, six years. He asked if there
had been any opposition to my reap
pointment, and I stated that there had
been; that a gentleman made applica-
ton, which was endorsed by nearly all
of the Democrats in the town of New
berry, and was presented by Congress-
man Aiken. I was then asked what
treatment I had received at the hands
of the people since my appointment. l
replied that my relations with the peo-
pie in business way, as far as knew,
had been and were of the friendliest
kind, and that had no cause to COM
plain. This is, positively, all that l
said in the conversation alluded to, and
the remainder of the reported interview
is pure work of fiction.
R. W. BOONE.
After the above statement from Mr..
Boone there remains nothing to be said,
except that the so-c@lled interview in
the Wheeling paper shows the length
to which the Radical press will 60 in
''fring the Northern heart" against the
South. This Wheeling reporter is a
right sharp fellow: with true yankee
inquisitiveness, impertinence and in
genuity he gathered from Mr.. Boone,
without revealing his object or identity,
just enough of facts upon which to build
a plausible story of Southern outrages.
Knowing that lie travels faster than
the truth, and answers the purpose Of
the outrage-mill just as well. he adds q
string of falsehoods from his own fertile
imagination. The Radical press and
politicians are constantly raving about
negroes being "killed at the ballot
boxes, or ''shot down at the polls, or
on their return from the polls'; but we
defy one of them to point out a single
instance in the State Of South Carolina
where such thing has happened.
Mr.. Boone is badly mistaken if he
thinks that no considerable number"
of the colored people vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. In 1876 over $4,000 voted
for Hampton, and large number voted
the full Democratic ticket; and in 1878
nearly all the colored voters voted for
Hampton, and a still larger number
voted the full Democratic ticket, State
and County, than in 1875. How many
will vote the Democratic ticket at the
coming election remains to be seen.
An interview is never altogether sat-
lsfactory; the interviewer can very
easily put into the mouth of the person
interviewed whatever he chooses, or be
may honestly make mistakes and report
language and ideas that the party in
terviewed never thought of. The inter-
view in the Wheeling LatelI5ge'acer is
what the reporter says that Mr.. Boone
said; the HERALD gives what Mr..
Boone says himself in his own way and
over his own signature, so that there
can be no doubt as to its correctness.
Peterson's Magazine
Comes out in great force for October.