National Republican., 1883-11-29
Tho Sworn Facts Of tho DnnvlIIe Mas
snCre.


sncre.
Mr.. Daniel Dugger, democratic Danville
merchant, in tcstifying about the Danvillo
massacre in the Sims contested election case.
swore that previous to the shooting no saw
white man named Noell and q negro named
Lawson engaged in an afiray." He thus de-
scribcs tho aflray "Nooll was beating him
over the head with q small black stick With q
title round head TO Il, and the negro was crying
murder. ! SaU him do nothing but attempt 10
shield himself" This was the "fsticaG" in
which the committee of forty "best citizens
reported that whito man engaged with u
negro in the street. Tho committee said the
former had two white friends in attendance
to SEQ fair play, and that he assured them he
,Couid use no ireapop. "a small black stick with
little round head to it may not be a
weap on, but is very suggestive. The slung-
shot has little round head. 1t Is defined
by Worcester rs 81 metal ball attached to u
strap or string" But little round head
to n small black stick, 20 metal ball." ought
TO be q great success in the hands of white
man engaged in a fisticuif with an unresisting
negro, with armed friends of the assailant
looking on to see fair play while he beats tho
negro over tho head. II man should bo
beaten hard enough and long enough over the
head with stick having small round head
to it he might die of pressure upon
the brain. In tho Danvillc case Mr.. Dugger
tcstifes that while Noell was engaged in
beating the negro Lawson, "Mr. Dance was
standing in the door with doubie.Jarrcl shot
gun IN his hands IN an attitude of being rcddy TO
frej" and that "a negro man ran over to
where this difficulty was occurring and at
tempted to jerk from tho hands Of George
Lea a pistol which he had PRESENTED, defy
ing any one to interfere or separate tho par
ties in the fight, policemen and ALL" Dance
and Lea appear to have been the
men of whom the committee of
forty said they wero selected by Noell
to see fair play when he could no longer re-
sist the negro Lawsons challenge to him for a
fisticuff. Nothing could be fairer play than
for man to beat another over the head with
round-headcd stick while two friends of the
former stand with shotgun and pistol ready
to prevent the negro from taking any advan-
tage of the situation. At tho point whero
Lea had his pistol presented, defying any
one to nterferc or separate the parties in the
tight (2), policemen and ALL" q negro ran over
and attempted to get the pistol away from
him. This was lawful and laudable act.
Says Mr.. Duggcr:
The efforts of this man to get the pistol from the
hands of Mr. George Lea jetked Mr., Lea down;
when he did so, Mr.. Taylor tanother bystander)
struck the negro man in the mouth, which made
him staGger. and as he rose Mr.. George Lea fired
at said negro, whose name do not know.
This shot inaugurated the % riot" A crowd
had collected. Mr.. Dugger says that when
tho officers approached, some of the colorcd
men said to them, "Thats the man that
shot," pointing to George Lea.
He then proceeds thus
good many white people came up very much
excited, 1Cith pistols. good many colored people
had collected, too, and Mr.. L. NJ. Hatcher came
out in the street ana right in front of the colored
people, and hallooed to them: "Git, every one OF
you" Some acre going a'Uay and Others were look
ing on, when he shouted: "STAND BY ME AND
FIREp when crowd of white men formed
across the street and FIRED INTO THE CROWD
OF CoLoRED PEOPLE.
Mr.. Dugger did not think the private diff
Guilty occurred on account of any political
reason. Noell and Lawson might have beaten
each other to their hearts content on private
grounds. Noell's friend Lea might have
shot at the negro, who attempted to grab the
pistol with which he was preventing iuterfer
ence, and colored men might have pointed
Lea out to the officers as the oiIender-al
this without massacre or skirmish in :" the
war of races" But the readiness with
which "a good many white people,
"excited," and with pistols" rapidly
collected, and upon tho order of Hatcher
fired into the crowd, some of whom
had turned their backs and "were going away"
while some were merely Cooking on"-thi
was no aflray, no riot, no private difficulty
1t was an outbreak for which bourbonisn
was as responsible as is the inoendiary for thu
death of the inmates of the house he fires
1t was only an explosion of the train laid fol
tho purpose. 1t was the inevitable result o
the ferocious onslaught made upon the negro
in tho false Danville circular, and by thI
frantic negro haters OIL the stump and in thu
press. 1t proved the truth of the New York
s,orS dispatch from Richmond, dated Nov. z
which said
The whole state was literally under arms aud
such was the explosive condition of affairs that
the slightest jar would have caused Il sInall-szet
war all over the state.
"A small-sizcd war" lraS caused in Danvill,
by a "jar" between negro and q white
man, the latter, according to tho committe,
of forty, being willing to accept tho challenge
of a negro to fight in the public street. This
unworthy provocation never would have
interested any respectable white men but fo
"tho explosive condition of affairs createt
by tho intlammatory appeals OF white demo-
Gratis to the race prejudices of their followers
The testimony of Mr.. Dugger is that of
staid business man, SO years of age, and
democrat. We have quoted its main points
not one of which is contradicted or qualified
by tho context. We conclude with the fol
| =