The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-16
Narrow Escape of Colonel Sims-His Coffin
Preparel: and Paid For, and CUT
throats Lying in Wait for Him.
obability that Danville May Be the
Scene of Further BloOdshed.
Witnesses of the Riot Afraid to Tell he
Truth Because of the Terrifying
Threats of the Democracy,
THE VIRGINIA BULLDOZERs.
Narrow Escape of Colonel Sims-DanSer o
Another Outbreak.

Another Outbreak.
Danville Letter in National Republican.
The mob still holds possession of the bloody
field it won at Danville, Va, on the Sd inst,
and the perpetrators of the atrocity of that
day appear to be afraid to relax the iron
grip they hold lest those who were witnesses
shall feel free to speak out. Every man not
owned by the Bourbons is watched. and his
life would not be worth a pin if he should
be suspected of sending out for publication
any account of the awful tragedy. Ny ad-
vices are most reliable, and are derived from
sources certain to have the best information
Danville Is in Pittsylvania county. Chat
ham, in the same county, is twelve miles
distant. Following are extracts from pri-
vate letter from that place, dated Nov. 10.
The writer says OF Mr.. Sims, the Liberal can
didate for the State Senate:
simss escape from the Danville brigands and
rutfians was almost miraculous. Owing to his
deafness he did not, and does not now, appre-
ciate the danger he was in. He was saved partly
by accident aud partly by the prudence of
friends. His coffin had been made and paid for,
ana the cut-throats were guarding all passages
to and frOm th- CITY, Fortunately, the room he
occupied was in building the front entrance to
which was mp open flight of steps not five
yards from the end of long, dark. narrow alley.
This, with the aid of two friends who furnished
him with assistance, enabled him 20 leave the
city in safety. The measure was inauCurated IN
accordance with a preconcerted programme,
and was fomented by cowardy villains.
Aliuding TO the presence of State troops,
the writer says:
But soldiers of no sort were necessary except
regulars, under the command of a determined
officer like Sheridan, clothed with full power to
declare martial law, try the ruffians and their
instgatOrs by drum-head oOurt-martlal, and
them a QallOWS eXten0lnU
the full length of Main street. Anything less
than that would only aggravate the trouble, and
not remove iG. AS the French President put
down the commune in Paris only ruffian-
ism be put down in Danvie. A complete reign
OF terror has ruled and now rules In Danville
and Pittsylvania county. Where you are in no
danger of beiug shot You are in danger of being
insulted by mob without the power of resent
ing 1t, and to a sensitive man one is as bad as
the other.
DANGER OF ANOTHER OUTBREAK.
A gentleman who was at Danville, on
Friday last says that the condition there is
volcanic, and that, while all is quiet, the
most moderate of the Bourbons predict that
if the wounded white man, Holland, dies
his death would be the signal of an outbreak
against the negroes more destructive than
that of the Sd. The quiet is only external,
and so infamed is the condition of affairs
that Colonel Raulston, the United States col
lector ofinternal revenue is virtually pris-
oner of war at his own house. The business
of his Office is obstructed by the state of in
surrection which has existed ever since the
massacre. In other words, the United States
government is, through business agent, as
completely buldOZed as are the negroes
themselves. Colonel Raulston was federal
officer in the late war; and is a quiet, cour-
ageous, and prudent man. 1t is believed
that nothing but the presence OF United
States troops can make Danvil!e or Pttsyl-
vania county place OF safety for any who
have dared to dispute Bourbon opinions or
testify to Bourbon methods. The reign of
terror which now prevails is caused by the
desperate necessities of the occasion. The
feeling throughout the State of Virginia is
intense. On the other hand, the Readiusters
are determined on having the world know
the truth concerning the recent campaign
They say that the Bourbons were beaten up
to the 25th of October. That the knowledge of
this made them desperate, and decided them
upon the execution of the plan of intimida-
ton and violence which they had premedi-
tated from the early summer if it should seem
to them necessary. They say that men who
felt hopeful of success by ordinary means
would not have exhibited the frenzied rage
which characterized the opposition during
the last two weeks of the campaign, and that
the wholesale arming of themselves, and the
ostentatious display they made of the fact of
such arming, was an admission of defeat as
matters then stood. On the other hand, the
Bourbons seem determined to keep up
state of feeling which will be a menace to
any of the Readjusters white or black
witnesses, who shall dare to
make any statements of the crimes
committed for their party. tits impossible
to get anything from Danville on the Read
iuster side by means of any direct mail COM
ho thot tha tof4fo
is under the surveillance of the mob, and
that only such letters are allowed to be sent
or received as are addressed to men known
to be in sympathy with the perpetrators of
the massacre. This sitting process could go
on without any interference with the post
master by guarding the approach to the
office and examining all wo go in and out.
At any rate, it is certain that not in a state
of war could the enemy's line be drawn
more distinctly than that which now sepa-
rates Danville from the outside world. The
sooner the people of the United States and
their government can De made to under
stand that Paris under the bloody commune
was not more given over to anarchy and
lawlessness than is this portion of Virginia,
the more certain will the majesty of the law
here be able to assert itself. The sooner the
people of the country realize that the entire
Bourbon party of Virginia has been forced
by the circumstances of the case to adopt
and defend theaDanville mob, which acted as
its agent, the easier it will be for them to un-
derstand that the whole State is to great
extent subjected to the mob spirit But the
efforts of the Bourbons to prevent men from
furnishing facts has been failure. They
will succeed in intimidating the negroes from
testifying, as they did from keeping them
from voting, but there are white witnesses
they cannot muzRe. The great tragedy at
Danvlle and the lesser ones elsewhere can
not be kept out of history. Bloody revolu-