The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-29
THE DANYILLE RIOT,
Report OF tho Committee of Forty Ap-
pointed to Investigate the Causes and
circumstances.


DASvlLLE, VA, November 2l.-The
committee of forty appointed at a meet.
ing OF citizens on the 10th inst. to in
quirc into all the facts and publish full
and true statement Of the causes and cir
cumstances leading to the riots here on
the 3rd inst. and also statement of the
conduct of the people from that date to
the close Of the day of election, concluded
its labor this evening; Thirty seven
witnesses were examined, the testimony
taken covering about eighty pages, to be
hereafter published. fhe' report ia
signed by Major w. T. Sutherlin, chair.
man. and the balance of the committee
Of forty. The report almo word for
word, is rs follows
That on The 18th instant the committee
organized and appointed proper sub
committees, and by publication in the
Iht1y Register requested all persons
having information of the matters to be
Investigated to appear before the sub.
committee at tho Office of notary public
and testify as to such matters. That said
subcommittee attended regularly Mt said
office from the morning of the 18th till
the evening of the 2lst, during which
timo thirty. seven witnesses were duly
sworn and deposed before the said COM
mittee. The witnesses so deposing we're
for the most part known to the committee
personally, and represented all classes
and vocations among our citizens,
including two policemen present at The
riot, exerting themselves to quiet the
same. All these witnesses, whose names
are signed to their depositions, are known
to the citizens of Danville, and will be
recognized as intelligent and thoroughly
reliable. After careful and impartial
consideration Of the evidence taken, your
committee submits the following state
ment of fact developed thereby:
First. That by their success in the
election OF large majority of their party
Nominees to town offices in the May
election of 1882 and the subsequent
appointment by t'r council so elected of
negro policemen, us we'll as by the con-
duct OF the officials so elected, there was
engondered in the minds of the negroes
OF Danville a belief that, as against
white men, they would receive the sup
port and protection of the municipal
government, in consequence Of which
belief they became rude, insolent and
intolerant to the white citizens ; and the
bad temper and ill feeling between the
races thus generated continued to increase
auo was VI Anh0 SASAsiJ ubS tiC
heated political canvass preceding the
last election. and that in the midst of the
intense excitement Of the last days Of the
canvass, William +. Sims, the coalition
candidate for the Senate from Pittsyl-
vania County and Danville, made in
front Of the court house OF the town on
the night of the I'd Of November most
incendiary and violent speech to moro
than 500 negroes, in which he denounced
many Of the most respectable and promi-
nent white citizens of the town a. "liars,
scoundrels and cowards," because OF
their exposure Of the evils of negro rule
in Danville.
Second. That on the morning follow.
ing the night Of Sims speech the excite.
ment Of the blacks and whites alike was
violent and acrimonious, and among tho
negroes there was an evident expectation
Of conflict. That about midday two
negroes insulted white man on the pub.
lie streets and engaged him in q fight,
which was ended by the white man
going away. That at least two hours
later in the day, and while large por.
ton of the men Of Danville were assem-
bled at the Opera House in public