Daily Republican., 1881-01-06
Tine rep,n wara ..Rumpus."


Of a colored man named Joseph Massey
who was grossly assaulted and abused
and denied his vote, to prove that fact
We have been looking through the tss'
timony given by different parties at the
hearings before the Commissioner, and
We are fully satisfied that We have not
overdrawn ths picture, except that IL
does not appear that the colored man
was knocked down as was currently
rsport ted at the time. The facts OF the
ease, without any artificial coioriug,
are these Joseph Massey was real
dent OF tho Tenth Ward, having made
his home with Charles Hall. Being a.
young man and work becoming scarce
in the city, he went down temporarily
to work at Denton, Caroline county,
Nd, taking care to leave part OF his
clothes at Halls to retain his residence
in Delaware. He says he was absent
two months. Hall says ne lived wi-L
him uuinterrup.edly for two years. This
apparent discrepancy was made use OF
| by the Inspector OF the Tenth Ward to
| rejeo! Mass ey s vote, and it is also made
use of by the Every Evening to show
that Halls testimony was worthless
There is no discrepancy whatever In
the testimony OF the two uen. Hall
very properly did not loOs upon the
absence Of Massey from home Gt labor
in an adjoining State for couple OF
months as losing his citizenship IL De!
xware. He WAS away st work, to be
sure, but there wers his clothes TO
show that his homs was still at Halls,
and the latter was correct wheE he said
MasSey's home was with him contin-
uously for two years.
Massey came up to vote and it was
objectsd to, amid howls and yells TO
"pu!l the niger away" aud before he
had chance properly to prove his
right to vote, he was pulled away.
Then there arose a cry of "kiil the
black s-u of b--h." The testi.
mony OF more than one at the hearing
was that Massey vas kicked and vsry
roughly handled. Even il Massey,
uDder the excitement, did Lot know
that he was kicked, there were others
standing By who saw the kicking oper-
alton, and testified accordingly. Amid
the cries of pull the Niger away,
and kill him." il is not strange that
Massey was not certain that he war
kicked, and it may iust se possible that
he WAS afraid to tell the whole tIuth
for fear Of mora kicks to follow. 1t was
at shis kicking junoture that the Dep
uty Marsh&ls int4rfered to protect
Massey, when they were Sci upon. by the
half drunken crowd Of special Sheritfs
ana police. One OF them drew g pistol
and mildly insisted thGt the Deputy
Asrshsls had better submit to being
taken to the police station. II any
thing else is wanted the evidence Of
ene Of the specials can easily be obtain
Cd that he was taking Massey away for
lear he would get killed. Now what
we're these Deputy Msrshsl5 arrested
for Mayor Allmond Immediately dis
charged them and reprimsnded his
specials for arreslinG them. Then came
the secret sneaking indictments against
them frOm the Grand Inquest OF the
County, an inquest packed with Demo.
Gratis. No wonder The United States
Courts interferel in the matter. A
court would be NO use if It did not in.
teriere in such cassi, and all good citi-
zsns under the circumstances will 10!
fail to give due credit to the United
States oacisls for interfering to protect
citizens from maliSious prosecutions
such as the "Teuth Ward rumpus" has
ended in.