The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-08-04
Bogus "Ontrages.o

Bogus ss0ntrages."
We wonder sometimes if intelligent
members of the Republican party really
10 swallow, without protest, the extraor-
binary stories which their party organs
lell about the manner IN which cleo
lions are carried in the South. If they
10 it is remarkable. They must have
iiorgotten the :. outrage mill y and
he facility with which it turned out
llsboous' - outrages when there was be-
lieyed to be a Northern demand for the
irticle. They must have forgotten
lliza Pinkston with her imaginary
Wunds, and ths Memphis colored wo-
nan who was so terribly outraged, and
tined out, Wien Northern sympathy
ha been sufficiently excited. to be a
mn. Surely if they recall these and
tiA scores of SIMILAR cases in which the
orrase manufacturers have been com
peled TO confess that they had lied and
Tint their stories We're pure inventions,
thy cannot sccept the ''yarns which
th New YorK Tribune, the Detroit Post
aui other reckless partisan papers cook
klTf for them.
kEs.sf pttsfr fsisslasz---s Tx
y'aot accept these v:arns-4s as we feel aare
L hey donot-itis Strange that the organs
Fkep on narrating them. 1t can only be
accounted for on one of two theories.
Ether the organs have no intelligent
republicans among their readers. or
they prefer to address themselves to the
unintelligent who can be made to swal-
lew anything that has the party's stamp
An illustration of the. reckless lying
indulged in by the men who manufaet-
we these stories for the organs was fur
aished recently by the New York If't6-
ERe. Reporting an interview with With
erspoon, the colored contestant for the
seat of Davidson representing the Sec
lDnd Florida District. n correspondent of
the Tribune told, on the authority OF
lWitherspoon, terrible story of election
frauds. The County Comm ssioners
met IN August, instead OF October. as
the law required, and they struck out
4 ,623 names, less than thirty of which
lwere Democrats. But this was nothing
to the scene enacted at the count in
which the Republican Inspector, Dick
IBrocksey, described as a colored man
who cannot read but OF hard sense and
IS brave as Hon. played prominent
part. According to Witherspoon, ''ast-
er the polls were closed, the Inspectors
locked themselves in and began to count
the ballots. Brocksey at once noticed
in the box a large number OF very thin
tissue ballots, about two inches square,
and he knew that no voter had shown
any such ballot. He therefore made up
his mind that something was wrong, and
this opinion was confirmed when the
Two Democratic Inspectors andthe DEM
Ocratic clerk announced that the Demo-
crats had carried the precinct by hand
some majority. He caught mp the bal
i1n+ ho.x ha1faf- IN, haolraI
into a corner, drew big pistol and told
the conspirators that there must be fair
play and an-honest count. They e0axed.
Threatened and expostulated, but he re-
NAMED firm, and there he stood all
night keeping guard over the ballot-bov
and the Inspectors, who dared not at
tack him. for they knew he would shoot
10 KILL
Z BY its dramatic intensity this nara
tive was well calculated to deceive and
seIl.a4,s stt,t deceive some who had new
lr been caught with similar 'chaff. >
But it has been so thoroughly contra
lieted that its author, and even the New
York Irib1t1sc, must be heartily ashamed
IF it. 1t has been shown by unimpeach-
able testimony that the Commissioners
leld their meeting at the precise time
'equired by the law; that instead of l .623
names being struck oil the poll-listthere
were but sos struck of, of whom lis.
not ''leSs than thirty were Democrats.
As an offset to the declaration of With
lerspoon that a large number of legal
voters were struck of, it is shown that
the registration books contained 4, 900
names, while the census showed yot-
ling population of but 1900. As to the
dramatic incident of the lion-heaIted
hex ~ l,a
precinct, where it occurred was an
nounced as Republican, 11S, Democrats,
26; and Broeksey has made and had pub
ished the following affidavit:
"Personally appeared before me, G. W. l..
Jones, Justice or the Peacs in and for said
county, Richard Brocksey, colored, who being
duly sworn, says that he was Inspector at the
general election, held at Precinct No. :, in No
yember, 1880, and that no such disgrace ful
scene took place as was described by Rev.
MIR Witherspoon, in his interview with cor
respondent Of the New York Tribune, of the
18TH uIt He further states that he did not
back himself up in one corner of the house.
with the box in one hand and a big pistol in
the other. nor d d he plunge his hand into the
as represented by Mr. WitherspoorI. but saws
that the tissue ballots were thrown out and
ORCHARD BROCKSEY.
"sworn to and subscribed before me this
'"'-' = - &c w l. JONES,
Justice of the Peace"
The utter collapse of the story is not
at all surprising. 1t was preciselywhat
was to be expected in the light.of ex-
perience. And it is to be expected
ilso in the light of experience-thatt the
New York Tribune will be quite ready,
o-morrow, or next day, or next week,
r at any time, to accept any other
tory of the same ealiber and spread it
before its readers, without caring
whether it is true or false. so that it has
.he ring of Republican partisanship and
seems to bolster the Republican cause.
Detroit Free Press