Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1881-03-03

SllIe o. NabQFliie CIDdui III uduGel
hostile to the Clyde interest. This
event, in our opinion, has developed
1.-THE Blue Ridge enterprise, and the
Clyde syndicate, with Mr. Sibley and
those they can influence to as ist
them, are perfectly able to complete
CHS new outlet, which will SO greatly
benefit -ttem aul this who.e section of
country.
---.-s-<D,s--,
Paris sirpkins, Lawrence Cain, Jesse
Jones auc Others On the Witness
Stand cf Smans and Taft.
/ Paris simkips said that, rop the night
previous TO the election, there@ere quite
"a number Of armed men iH, the town Ct
Elgeheld, who paraded up and down the
streets, all mounted, iiring off their pistols
auasyelling in, tbstmo h5tleous manner.
Twas on,the street myself, and desired to
set'backto my home, bat vas afraid TO go
Back on .he front street, as 4 came, for
fear that might be recognized aad shot;
aot that had done. anything to be shot
ior. but knowing that | was regarded q
leader OF the Republican party, was why
was apprehensive Of danger. This firing
continued fire or ten minutes 1t occur
red to me that the object o. the firing was
to eisectually intimidstc the republicans
At any rate ] wac very much affected BY
lit / should fudge there were between
600 and 400 menin the crowd. 1t was
just after dark; could not distingu sh them
Isy their faces, but by the flashes Of their
pistols could tell that some of them had
ol red shirts. They were all strangers to
me ] was present near the polls at Edge
field C. H. OF the day Of election l ar
rived near the polls about 7 o'clock. J
then understood the'box was in the Court
House. The entrance to where the box
vas, was densely PACKED by democrats.
who kept their positions, which rendered
isimpossible for. ne or any other republi-
ean 70 so in ard vote, without precipitat-
ing rot or row in trying to elbow my
way through the crowd ! heard such
words as these; Boys. hold your position
'.,tand firm I also saw some Democrats on
-the:g ground Pitching rocks or brick bats up
to the other democrats on TIE porch Of the
Court. House. OF cc:rse they caught
them and held them. There appeared to
be an insginary line drawn just in front
Of the Court House. down on the grouad;
there were democrats who would walk up
and down this line, aud as the republicans
would come towards the Court House they
were told Just here BOT to 90 any further
] noticed this matter with peculiar inter-
est There appeared to be an officer in
charge OF the line. The officer whom l
al!ude to wes dressed IN very peculiar
suit OF clothes; tavo no recollection Of
ever seeing such a suit before. AS the re
publcans came into town, it seemed 10
cause quite stir among the democrats IN
and around the polling place. saw quite
a number OF democrats ren3czvousing in
Mescnic Hall. They carried their guns or
rifles with them; did not go up in body,
but vent two or three at time. Several
.;nea during the morning there seemed to
be some excitement; then | could SEQ some
Of the men in the Hall rush TO the win
'lows in uenacing attitude. then LETT
;he vicinity Of the box, AMI urged other
republicans TO leave also, rs | was sure
they could not have q fair expression of
their choice at the ballot box As near as
Lean estimate there were between eigh-
teen and ttwenty-iive hundred republicans
who came to this box to vote, but let
without doing 50, for the reasons l have
given. ! think there we're abor II
seventy FIVE democrats on the Court House
steps and upon tine porch together; these
places were crowded TO their utmost CO.
paeity. There were ssfew democrats on
tho ground just in front OF the Court
House, who aeemed 10 be on picket duty.
There were also democrats q. Masonic
Hall; .he number don't know. Cor.
e.antly, however, there would come into
sown company OF mounted democrats.
l can't say how many came in during tho
day. At ono lime I saw a young man,
democrat, draw out his pistol and start in
the direction Of some republicans who were
.ius. in front OF the Court House, as if he
saw some one that lie intended to get into
a difficulty with. but just at this time he
was arrested in his progress by members
of his own party laying hands upon him
and saying, don't do that. Thov all re-
turned to the Court House steps" On
his cross examination, Simkips said that
he saw the republicans on the morning Of
the election come into the villsse; some
Of them had sticks and scr.e OF them had
nothing. Some OF the sticks were the size
OF ordinary walking sticks. and others un-
usually large, though they walked With
them as walking sticks.
Harry oliphant was at Cheatham's
Store on the day Of election. Did not vote;
wss run of by the democrats. who fired
three times at bin. No other republican
was driven off. al know these pistol shots
were fred at me, because there was not
but one man after me in an open old field"
Norman Youngblood was at Edgeheld
C. Il. on the day Of election. Witness
saw double barrel shot gun on the Court
House seps, Q .l6-shooter under the porch,
four men with pistols in their hands. and
the bes. quantity had pistols on them;
saw two men on the street with shot guns
and say two or three dozsn Remington
rifles About two or three dozsn men
came out Of store on Park Row with
gnns and went into Masonic Hall and MIR
Boz Mims's gsllsry.