The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1881-03-02

]. HENRY TITUS STEPS TO THE FRONT ASD
TELLS WHAT HE KNOWS, OR RATHER WHAT
HE DOESN'T KSow-THE MOST PEACEABLE
AND LAw-ABIDING CITIZEN OF Able
VILE COUNTY WITH BULL
DOING HALF A DOZEN RADICAL LEADERS.
JH. Titus, sworn. Examined by Captain
Q. Where we're you on the day of last gen.
cral election? \. AbbevllIe.
q. DID you vote a. No. sir; but I want
q. Why didn't you vote? A. | was told
by Il white man l could not vote.
q; where was tie voting being done? A.
q. Diu you so up to the ballot box7 A. I
9. We're you prevented from going to the
Q. What prevented you: a.. When I start
Q. Did they close up? a. They rot In tho
door, Pvt their feet out this way there the wit
ness did some dramatic acting]. and said. ".
n H',id Toy e,o cofm ~ on my feet; wish somebody
Q. Did they make any threats, II anybody
stepped on them? A.. No. sir.
Q. Did anybody have pistols or guns Mt the
door? A.. No, l did not see any right at Tho
door, except sticks and clubs.
9: Tell me why you did not 60 up to the
9allotbox' a. Because 1 couldn't get In tho
Q. Did you make any attempt 10 vote? A..
Ihey toid mel could not vote, unless 1 voted
Q. How long did you stay there? A. About
seven or eight minutes, the first time,
T.. Dih you go back again and try to vote?
AIR a a Sir; ! went back a second time. about
q: Pa you vote when you went back the
r 2 What prevented You from voting. A.
@. Were other colored men outside, wish.
ins 10 VOTE when you were there9 A. Yes,
9. Did any Of them vote9 A. No, sir; not
9. How many colored people were there
md wanted to vote? A. About ono thou
Q. How many were there with you7 A. I
went IN company with five or six.
q. Did You remain In town nil day? A.
Yes; l am a shoemaker. came out from INV
shop occasionallyand looked around from tho
Q; How many colored people came to vote
ana didn't vote? A.. I say about a thousand.
| think there were that many. :
!. q. Do you NOW OF your own kuovledoe
how many voted? A. I think about two or
@. Was there any unusual noise on that
uay3 "a. shooting all day long by White
Captain Eaton now turned the witness over
follows: n'm' as
Q Where were you when you were told
not TO vote? A: At the upper corner OF tue
court u9usewnot right In front OF tho door.
A; They asked me could I vote that ticket.
Q. Did you read "that tIcket"? A.. / dill
not nd read the ticket. knew 1t wasn't the one
g; Who was 1t that had that conversation
Hltf You? a. II was Mr.. James Canning.
nam, OF the firm Of Cunningham & Temple
@. Did You leave then? A.. We talked
utcs and left. w
Q. When you came back the second time
TO vote who prevented your A. The sumo
O., What did they do to prevent you. A..
Ihat crowd In the door said the negroas
S SrH ~ vote, unless they voted the Demo-
Q. Do you know who snid tlrnt9 A.. Don't
know; Never heard any one particular.
Q; Do YOU know to whom they were speak
Jan Mhitl2ek, Elias Perrin, Columbus Hill,
O., II you did not know who wero speak,
speaking? A. Because there were no other
coloreu men at the door, and they spoke OF
8. We're they addressing You then as I am
addressing you now? A. They were looking
me right In the face.
! Q. VIII you state again that you do not
knoW who the men were that addressed your
- wv ~ hAo" IL ltlCy HCECs e
q. are there not twodoors lending into the
court house7 A. Yes; one at the back and
one at the front.
@. Do you know where the Auditors Office
is In the court house, where Colonel Robert.
SON stays? A. Yes, -
@. n you know that the ballet-box was
there? No; | don't know. Twas not inside.
@. DO you know where the ballot-box was7
g. Why, then did you go to the court house
70 vote. ana Where were you going in tho
have found the place after 1 got there.
u. DID you attempt to go In at the back
there at all.
to & Eee B' 1o, p }ys,n vn nse any personal so a., ylS Ss,n.s
touch me; only said l shouldn't vote.
q. Were the persons addressing you those
who Put out their fee. and said they had corns
z. Explain how you know they were. A.
Myself and other nearncs were there, and I
thought they were talking TO me.
q. You said that some wlite men had
sticks. Who had sticks7 A. I could not
name them.
O., How many sticks did you see? a. I
don't know how many, sir: Icouldn't tell.
usually zee among q crowd OF white men? A.
q. Did You go the first or second time with
Alfred Buffers crowd? A.. No..
q. Do you know II oil these co,ored people
who did not vote were Republicans? A.. T
don't know. Some negroes soy they are Dem
ocrats:. ! don't know whether they are or not.
z. Did the whole Of that thousand negroes
present themselves at the court house to vote?
A.. No, sir; they could not get there.
O., How near to the court house did they
get, how were they stopped, and by whom?
a. They were stopped between twenty-five
and thirty yards Of the court house door, by u
crowd OF white men, who asked them TO vote
their ticket.
q. W did those thousand negroes com
from? A. From all over Abbeyille township.
O.. Are you certain there wns a thousand?
a. | am not certain. J did not count them,
hut | tltnlS there was a thousand.
q. How many colored men are you certain
there were? \. am certain there was eight
hundred or q thousand.
Q. Don't you know that there was a com
~. No: l don't know.
@. Don't you know a great many colored
Democrats voted In 1876 and 1873? A. Yes.
When the examination OF this witness was
concluded, G. w. Gufiii was called for. Being
absent at the time, business was suspended
until he could be sent for. lie soon appeared.
Taking of his hat and holding up hfs right
hand, he paused for the administration OF tho
oath. Major Stoener said. "Please take your
pipe OFT Of your mouth" When this request
was complied with tho oath was administered.
THE INVESTIGATION AT ABBEvILLE rs
CLOSED BY II ExAIINATroN OF THE
v l. WHITE
c. ". Gufin, sworn. Examined by Captain
F. II. Eaton.
@. At what poll were you on election day?
A. Abbevil!e Court House.
q. Doyou hold any Office under the United
States? a. Yes; 1 am Special Deputy Col
lec;or.
Q. What Is the usual Republican vote at
the Court House9 A. Between eight hun
drcd and a thousand.
Q. Should 1t have been any larger at tho
last election on account OF the closing OF any
other POL? A; Dyes. -
hundred. That is q light estimate.
q. What was the Republican vote At tho
last election? a. Six, as published In tho
newspapers.
@, Did the Republicans come to Abbeville
to vote at the lost election? a. Yes, sir.
many came to vote? A. I estimate that
there were at least eight hundred.
Q. Did they vote? A. 1 guess not. They
were not counted.
@. What prevented th, m from voting? A.
They were not allowed to get to the box
q. What prevented them from going to tho
o A.. 4 crowd Of white men.
q. Where were these white men? A. AL
round the Court House door, and scattered
about the street.
@. Where vas the voting done? A. In a
room In the Court House, occupied by one OF
the cocounty officers. In the back part OF the
Court House.
q. Was there an entry leading to that Of
fee? 4. Yes; there's a passage leading from
front to rear Of the Court House.
Q. What distance was the Office from the
front door? a.. About fifty feet, and about
forty feet from the back door.
q. Wasthc back door openf A. Not when
@. Was this massage filled with men? A.