Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-10-14

NOVEL.
tfrom Advance sheet
Il was great occasion for the freedmen
at Red Wing. For the irs; time in their
lives they we're TO take part in a North Car
olina election. Almost every night. after
work was over. the colorcd people would
gather in the Little hamlet and march 10 the
music Of drum and fife. and under the
command Of Nlmbus. whose service in the
army had made him iolerable proficient in
such iac;!ca! movements pcrtained TO the
school of the company" Nery often. un-
Ill well past midnight the fife and drum. the
words Of command. and the rumble Of
marching feet could b.. heard in the little
village. The white people IN the country
around about began to talk abou, .the mig
gers arming and drilling" saving that they
intended TO seize the polls on election day."
''rise up and murder the whites" burn all
the houses along the river = and thousand
other absurd and incredible things which
seemed to TIL the air. TO grow aud multiply
like baletul spores. withou, apparent cause.
A. consequence Of this there grew up
feeling of apprehension among the colored
men also They feared tha; these things
we're said simply 10 make a ready and con-
yenieni excuse for violence which ~as to be
perpeiraied upon them in order TO prevent
the exercise of their legal rights.
30 there were ~hisperngs and apprehen-
sion and high resolve upon both sides. The
colored men. conscious of their own recti-
tude. were either unaware of the real light
in which their innocent parade was regarded
BY their white neighbors, or else laughed at
ska saaifs.sr sfs avI t,rpaptlass h.
whites. having been FOR generations firm be
levers ia the ImmIneucy Of serylle insurrec-
,ions devoutly crediiiDg III. tradition ,ha,
the last words Of George Washington, words
Of wisdom and warning, were Never tr'Is,
a Niger with gum" and accustomed TO
chafe each other into fever beat Of excite
meni over any matter of public interest.
were ready TO give credenoe 10 any report
all the more easily because Of lis absurdity.
On the other hand. the eolored people. hear
ing these rumors said 10 themselves that il
was simply u device TO keep them from vot-
ing, or to give color and excuse for the con-
iict at the polls.
There is no doubt that both were partly
right and partly wrong. While the parade
was a, first intended simply as display, ii
came to BE an occasion Of preparation for
an expected attack, and as the rumors grew
more wild and absurd, so did each side grow
more earnest and sincere. The colored men
determined to exercise their rights openly
and boldly. and the white men were as fully
determined that at any exhibition of ''impu-
denoe" on the part of the "niggers" they
would teach them a lesson they would not
soon forget.
None of this came to the ears of Mollie
Ainslee, the Northern teacher al Red Wing.
Nevertheless she had a sort of indefinite
foreboding of evil TO come out of II, and
wished that she had exerted her influence to
prevent the parade.
On the morning of the election day a mot
ley crowd collected at an early hour. II was
noticeable that every one carried heavy
stick, though there was no other show Of
arms among them. Some of them, no doubt,
had pistols. but there were no guns in the
crowd They seemed excited and alarmed.
A few notes from the fife. however, banish-
ed all irresolution, and before eight O'Clock
two hundred men gathered from the country
round marched away toward Melton, with a
national flag heading the column. With
them went a crowd Of women and children.
numbering as many more, all anxious to wit
Dtss tut IHsi eAciNist vi Sacta'N Po"ti W
their race, ,only Just delivered from the bonds
of slavery. The fife screeched, the drum
rattled laughter and jests and high cheer
prevailed among them all. As they marched
on, now and then white man rode past
them, silent and sullen, evidently enragel
at the display which was being made by the
new voters. As they drew nearer to the
town it became evident that the air was sur
charged with trouble.
Within the town there was great excite
ment A young man who had passed Red
Wing while the men were assembling had
spurred into Melton and reported With great
excitement that the "niggers" were collect
ing at the church and Nimbus was giving
out arms and ammunition; that they were
boasting Of what they would do If any of
their votes we're refused that they had all
their plans laid to meet negroes from other
localities at Melton, get up row. kill all
the white men, burn the town, and then raw
ish the white women. This formula Of hor-
rors is one so familiar to the Southern tongue
that it runs of quite unconsciously when
| ever there is any excitement in the air about
the ''sassy niggers." 1t is the "form Of
sound words, which is never forgotten. Its
effect upon the Southern white man is magi-
cal. 1t moves him as the red rag does q
mad bull. 1t takes away all sense and leaves
only an abiding desire to kill.
So this rumor awakened great excitement
as it few from lip to lip. Few questioned
i . III n