The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-12-26
BLOODY TraIl Of the pourbOns.

Bloody Trail OF the Bourbons.
An account of the shooting of J. p.
Matthews, the Chairman of the Repub-
lcan Executive Committee of Copiah
County, Miss, was telegraphed North
at t! g time. This was bad enough, as
It made plain the fact that prominent
Republican, and the brother of the In
dependent candidate for Sheriff in a
Democratic county, had been killed with
a shotgun a minute after he had depos-
tied his ticket in the ballot-box. But
the accounts by mail make the matter
worse.
There have been naturally some ques-
tons in the minds of the people in re-
gard to the affair. Had there been a
Quarrel between Matthews and f. b.
Wheeler, the man who did the shootingP
II there had not been quarrel, how
did it happen that Wheeler was at the
polls armed with shot-gunp What
provocation was there for the shooting,
or what had Matthews done that he
should be shot down by q Democrat,
and that other Democrats should call a
me etting and indorse the act of the
assassinp These questions all are an
swered In the jackson (Miss.) Tribune,
aud the answers make the complete
record of the case, a matter of some inn
portance to those who are interested in
the welfare of the country.
j. p. Matthews was Union man be-
fore the war, and an uncompromising
Republican after the war. Up to 1875
he was the great worker and organizer
of the Republican party in Copiah
County. In 1875, when the Republican
party in Mississippi went to pieces,
Matthews kept his forces well together,
and whenever opportunity came to put
In work against the Democratic party
he was quick to take advantage Of II. In
1868 the Republicans under his leader
ship polled 2,504 votes. In 1869 they
gave Alcorn 800 votes. In 1872 they
gave Grant 1878 votes. In the break
up Of 1875 the Republicans Of Copiah
polled their full vote (l,861), and in
1876 they gave Hayes 1859 votes. In
1880 Matthews mustered ], ,419 votes for
Garfield, and in 1882 he called out ! ,2i9
votes for the Republican candidate for
Congress. In the last campaign his
brother was the Independent candidate
for Sheriff, and great efforts were made
to elect him.
Il now appears that the Democratic
leaders warned Matthews TO keep out Of
the canvass. This being disregarded,
armed bodies of Democrats revived the
practice of riding through certain dis
tricts at night, making open threats
against Matthews and those who were
acting with him. On the 5th Of Novem-
Der, the day before the election. z. b.
Wheeler, q prominent Democrat. rode
| into Hazlehurst at the head of detach-
ment of armed men. They adopted a
number of resolutions, one of which
warned Matthews to remain in his
house on election day and under no cir
cumstances to go to the polls to vote.
Matthews disregarded the warning.
He went to the polls and voted, and as
he turned away from the ballot box he
was shot dead by the Captain of the
regulators. The Democratic story is
that he had pistol in his hand, and
| Wheeler was afraid that he might cause
trouble. Therefore Wheeler. having a
shotgun in his hand, shot Matthews
down, and in so doing demoralized the
colored men and rid the Democratic
party in Copiah County of their worst
enemy
On Wednesday, the day after the
election, the Democrats showed their
appreciation of Wheeler's work by
meeting and adopting resolutions warn
l lu2 hdIIutW5 IcldLlNco blldb IL HInGl az
tempted to avenge his murder the
Democrats of the county would regard
| them as common enemies of society,
and would visit upon them certain and
swift retribution. They also adopted
a resolution warning the Matthews fam
| lily to keep out of politics.
Wheeler, the murderer, was at once
released on bail, and went to other pre-
cincts in the interest of the Democratic
candidates. The Coroner summoned
no Jury because Wheeler told him, that
he admitted the killing and there was
no need of jury. On Thursday, two
days after the election, the Mayor of
Hazlehurst issued proclamation, stat
ing that with the assistance of the
| Sheriff and the Chairman of the Demo-
cratic Executive Committee, he was
prepared to maintain order. About the
| same time a note of warning was handed
to the Judge of the Circuit Court to be
read to the people of Hazlehurst. 1t
warned Amos Burnett, Chairman of the
Independent Committee of Copiah, to
keep out Of the county.
1t appears that some of Matthew'S
followers needed further disciplining.
A few nights after the election the regu-
lators visited several colored men who
had voted the Independent ticket, Civ
ing each one hundred and fifty lashes
with a new grass rope four double, and
killing one old man, Tom Wallis.
The result is panic among the col
ored voters and decentralization among
the Independents in Mississippi. This
is what was aimed at, and the State
Committee seems to have indorsed the
action of the leaders in Copiah County.
When the Democratic Sheriff of Copiah
Candidate for re-election) asked for
troops the Governor sent him forty
stand of arms and three thousand
rounds of ammunition. That is to say,
instead of sending troops to preserve
the peace, the Governor sent guns TO
arm the Democrats. = Chicago Jgtev
Ocean.