Arkansas weekly mansion., 1883-09-01
HOWARD AND HEMPSTEAD ID
COUNTIES
WHAT AN EYE WITNESS SAYS ABOUT 1T.

Editor Arkansas Mansion:
Dear Sir-Allow me to communicate
through your columns to the public in re-
ton to the recent riot in Hampstead and
Howard counties. There has a great deal
been said in relation to that trouble and
lm satisfied you are not in possession OF
the facts. nor have you been. was in the
first part of the riot and know something
about it.
THE STARTING POINT.
James Marshall and Prince Marshall, two
brothers. live in the northwest portion of
Hampstead and Thomas Wyatt, White.
Montgomery and Reed. all white, live in
the southern portion of Howard. The
Marshall's living on some of as good land
As there is in the county: also about fifty
or sixty others of color on the same kind of
land, and of course these colored families
were able to live at home independently,
not obi gated to any one no farther than
their private arrangements. They were
always able to do this without the face or
signature of 4 white man, to the merchants
who they got their supplies from during
the year. what 4 grea: many poor white
men We're unable to do unless some one
stood for them, of course they had race
prejudIces against the negro, and when the
chance came that they might show it they
did so, and that was when the land was
run oil that they brought up dispute
to the corner of the land. and in this dis
pute some hard words were said until
few licks were passed by the white men
Wyatt and Montgomery. making James and
Prince Marshall stand at the muzzle of
shot gun, until they got their satisfaction
out of them with clubs, and if James or
Prince had offered to resent it they would
have been shot down like dogs about their
own property, these men Thomas Wyatt
and Montgomery. neither having any land
in Hampstead nor Howard county. They
Were both refugees to these counties from
Texas and were under assumed names.
mot carrying their real names,) which did
not speak well for either of them; Wyatt
had remarked several times. which can be
proven, that if the white citizens around
in that community would back him (Wvatt)
that he would root them negroes out of
that land, or intmidate them so that they
would have to sell it for little or nothing
to get out where they would be protected.
That he (WyatD had helped white men do
had settled on good land that had been sold
them by rich whites. who always had rather
sell a negro land than poor white, because
the negro is industrious and will improve
il; to the contrary the poor white man will
not. This man Wyatt was common la
borcr. working on shares with a white
man named Reed who was not good liver
among whites. who had had all his days OF
Reed was at the bottom of all this trouble
and used Wyatt as Z willing tool to do his
bidding, and failing to carry out their pur-
pose the day of runnin" the land on. when
old man James Marshail's daughter was in
the field plowing, this infamous scOundrel
came around the field and got over the
fence ard questioned Miss Marshalls vir-
tue and she told him to clear out, when he
siezed hold of her and attempted to outrage
her person, when the woman made such a
noise that he knocked her down senseless
to prevent her from hallowing and made
his escape home. The noise caused by the
attempt to rape was heard by some OF the
family and they rushed to the field, when
they got there they found Miss Marshall
lying on the ground senseiess, and when
they carried her to the house and she came
to her senses they inquired of her who did
this, and she said Thomas Wyatt. relating
the circumstances just a. | write them;
then old man James Marshall called in a
few cclorcd men of the neighborhood to
know what was best to do. They advised
him to go to the justice and get warrant
and off he put; when he reached the justice
he was told by him that if he had Wyatt
arrested it would get up trouble and to wait
until the grand jury met and let the case
go before them. So the old man being de-
fested in lis expectation by going to the
justices, made his way on to Washington.
where he met lawyer and related his in
formation: the lawyer told him the Ouly
thing he could tell him was to go heme and
if anyone came on his premises Interfering
with him and his family to go tor them;
then the Old man giving up all hope of any
thing being done for him he went home,
and on his way he determined to have this
man Wyatt arrested. SO we called Il meet
ing of colored men at the church Monday
night and talked the matter over.
TG BE CONTINUED IN OUR NEXT.