Morning journal and courier., 1883-11-23
NEW HAVEN, CONN, FRIDAY MORNING,
SauruaI auO Gourier.
SINGLE COPIES THREE CENTS.
Friday. November 23, 1883,
THE DANVILLE DIFFICULTY.

Xk1k OANN1LA1E DIFFICULTY.
 The statement of tha committee of forty
 appointed by the citizens of Danvills, Vir-
 ginia, to inquire into all the facts connected
 with the recent riot there is plausible. They
 say that by the success of the negroes in the
 election of a large majority of their party
 nominees to the town offices in the May cleo
 tion of 1882, and the subsequent appoint
 nent by the council So elected of negro po-
 licemen, as we'll as by the conduct of the
 officials so elected, there was engendered in the minds of the negroes of Danville belief that as against the white men they would re- oeive the support and protection of the mu- nisipal government, in consequence of which belief they became rude, insolent and intel erant to white citizens, and the bad temper and ill-feeling between the races was greatly aggravated by the heated political canvass proceeding the last election, and that William E. Sims, coalition candidate for the Senate, made in front of the court house of the town on the night of November ?, 8 most incendi- sry and violent speech to more than five hum drsd negroes, in which he denounced many of the most respectable and prominent white citizens of the town as stliars, scoundrels and towards" because of their exposure of the evils of negro rule" In Danville.
 On the moruing following the night of Sims incendiary speech, the statement con- tinues, the excitement of the whites and blacks was great. About midday two negroes insulted a white man, and engaged him in fight. Two hours later the same white man was again insulted by negroes. and he got out of his wagon and fought with one of them. The fighters were separated and taken away. Two friends of the white man and by large number of negroes, who violently asserted their determination to have their rights and their readiness for 6 conflict They were commanded to disperse by police men but would not, and then ''firing was commenced on both sides.' This is the substance of what the committee say about the ''riot.'' They say fur ther that election day was quiet and without any disturbance in the town, and the election itself honestly conducted and free and fair in all respects and that the negroes ss body refrained from voting under the advice and command of their party leaders, while others voted the coalition ticket with out hindrance from any quarter.
 This report, which, 1t must be admitted, reads fairly, will be taken blythe Democratic organs as 8 complete refutation of the charges that have been made against some of the Democrats of Danvills. We should like to believe that it is exactly true, but there is some evidence against it. For instance. MT. William E. Sims, the readjuster candidate of the county in Virginia in which Danville Is situated. says that in DanSiile on election day at three precincts Democrats attended the polls armed with shotguns and pistols. At one precinct they discharged guns and pistols all day to frighten of timid whites as we'll as bask readjusters. To leach one of tts pre- cincts celored man was sent by the Demo- crats on the night before the election to in- form the colored men of the Danville mas- sacre and to warn them that if they voted the next day their fate would be the same Leaders of the Danville mob, to the number of from fifty to seventy-hve, after voting at Danville, marched over to New Design with pistols strapped around their waists, and not a negro dared come near the polls. Mr. Sims statements are entitled to credeace. He Is g native of Mississippi, and fought through the war on the Confederate side. He graduated from Yale in the class of 1861. When such man says there was fraud and intimidation in DanViIls it is safe to believe him.