National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1882-06-10
Tho Manning District.

lawless disregard of ordinary appearances
by the Bourbons that one is amazed to
hear of any debate as to what should be
done. Voters prevented from register
ing; registration books taken from their
proper places ut the county courthouse
and carried around to Democratic meet
ings; registration books illegally closed
many days before election; ballot-boxes
carried off at dinner-time on election
day by Bourbons and returned for the
afternoon work tickets thrown out be-
cause they were under size; hundreds
of voters names dropped from poll-lists,
thus DISTINGUISHING them; registration
refused to negroes, and white men regis
tered by proxy, without appearing and
taking the oath required by law; imbe-
Giles and illiteates appointed on election
boards as Republicans, the law requiring
each party to have representatives.
The county commissioner of elections
for De Soto County in this district has
since been convicted of fraudulently eras-
ing nSnes of voters from the poll-book,
and fined $500.
The county commissioner of elections
for Pamela County, indicted for same Of
Tense, pleaded guilty.
County commissioner of elections for
Marshal County, indicted for same ofIenso
and pleaded guilty.
In Chalahoma precinct, Marshal
County, the inspectors of election have
been convicted and fined for ejecting the
United States supervisor from the
polls.
At Oak Grove voting place, De Soto
County, a Democratic inspector seized
the ballot-box after the polls closed, and
carried it home with him, despite the
remonstrance of the United States super
visor. 1t was an hour or more in the
sole and illegal possession of Democrats.
A similar robbery took place at Horn
Lake Depot, where the Democratic in
spector took the box away, remarking at
the time, "By God, this thing belongs to
me tonight, and will take care of it,"
This mode of carrying the ballot-box
away, where it could have been stuffed
al HJitum, was practiced in forty-two diff
ferent cases. Votes refused, ballot-boxes
stuffed, and voters driven away-all
proven by indisputable testimony.
The voting precinct of Senator Lamar,
at Oxford, was the scene of an outrage
upon the negroes worthy the earlier days
of the famous Mississippi plan."
B. p. Scruggs, a deputy United States
marshal. and formerly sheriff of the
county, testifes as follows concerning this
affair:
| I was sitting in the United States marshnl's
| Office and discovered that the colored voters on
| the north side of the court house had commenced
scattering very suddenly, and, thinking perhOps
some disturbance, ran out but before got out
| of the courthouse cannon fired, and knew
what the trouble was. The cannon was not ex-
cocdlng twenty steps from the entrance to the
court house yard, and was being fred due east at
| that time. The walk from the court. house steps
| back to the sidewalk was at that time filed with
| colored voters from three to five deep waiting to
vote and there were a considerable number on the
sidewalks waiting TO vote. The cannon was then
being fired directly across the ranks of the voters
on the walk leading to the court house. then
went TO Mr. Keys, who was firing the cannon
who Is a Democrat and who is q merchant of this
place, and also a member of the board of alder
men OF this place-and protested against the firing
of the cannon into the voters, and requested him
. 10 move II, us IL was disturbing the NOtcfS lie
said he had orders to fire 1t; and asked him who
from, and he responded, 1t was none of my bust
ness. Amer firing from that position awhile they
turned the cannon so that it would range more
directly on the crowd of voters mt the court house
entrance, the steps, and platform at the fence.
They continued this firing until late in the after
noon, which had the effect to disperse the voters
from the place described, and here set out on
diagram describing court square, &c. The wad-
| dino from tnn firing of tho from
fifteen to twenty feet beyond where the voters
were formed. During the time spoken of the
brass band, used by the Democrats during the
campaign, paraded In Il four-horse wagon around
the square, playing OH their instruments. The
cannon spoken of is regular piece of field artil-
lery, known as II six FOUNDER, and was mounted,
and was the gun used in the campaign
Senator Lamars home organ, the Ok
ford Falcon, of November 4, 1850, gave the
following different and cheerful account
as to how the election passed off at this
place:
The election in oxford last Tuesday passed of
without single jar. so far as we have heard. The
greatest good humor seemed 10 prevail ON all sides
All parties worked with will, but made very
little fuss about 1t. When the polls opened in the
morning everything looked decidedly black for
the Democrats Long lines of cOorgd voters were
| mOICnCu up Dy llelr lCuuClS 10 the COufl-NOusG
steps on either side, there TO await their turn Ia
exercise the highest right of n free American cti-
zln and looked as II they intended to exercise this
right in GGuOr ofhe Republican party; but IL APP
peared that they were not ~ be driven to the polls
like parcel Of dumb animals, as they were in
years past Their leaders could not holt than IN line
and they soon began to circulate around the
square, and large number voted the Democratic
ticket, aud did so in great many instances with
out any persuasion from any one. Without The as.
sihdncc QfNese cO'ored UOtes oxford could RGuer haze
sholVn up such a handsome Democratic majority,
One can imagine the good humor"
and the absence of any GAR" the livery
little fuss" the failure of the leaders OF
the colored voters to "hold them in
line" and the voting of the Democratic
ticket without any persuasion from any
one" The editors gratitude for the
negro votes which made up such hand
some Democratic majority was bubble
which the negroes found, if they did not
seek, at the lannon's mouth. Philip
Lott, farmer and Republican, swore
that he was an officer of the election
and that the shooting of the cannon
bursted the plastering overhead in the
room where the voting was done, and
that the election was interrupted by his
being struck in the face by the falling
plastering, causing his face to bleed
The voters politely made way for the
oo,,,or co tbot if IL boJ onytl,;,,,, ~, =, no