The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1883-12-07
THE DANTILLE RIOT.

SO until its happy end,
Your life shall ncrvcr lack friend.
THE DAN7ILLE RIOT.
DANvILLE, VA, November 21.-The
committee Of forty appointed at Il meeting
of ci,zcus on the 10Th inst. to inquire iuto
all facts aud publish full and true state
mont Of the cause and circumstances lead
iny TO the riots here on the Sd inst. and also
statement of the conduct the people from
that date to the close OF the day Of election,
concluded its labor this evening Thirty
seven witnesses were examined. the testi-
mouy taken covering about eighty pages,
to be hereafter published. The report is
-sisncd by Major W. IT, Su,herlin, chairman,
and the balance Of the committee of forty
The report, almost word for word, is as
follows:
That on the 18th instant the committee
organized and appointed proper sub COM
mittces, and by publication in the Daily
Reyistcr requested all persons having iufor>
nation OF the matters to be investigated to
appear before tn, sub committee at the Office
OF notary public and testify as to such
matters. That said sub committee attended
regularly at said office from the morning
OF the l2th till the evening of the 2lst,
during which time thirty>scven witnesses
were duly sworn and deposed before the
said committee. The witnesses so dcposinc
were tor til" most part known to the com.
mittee personally, and represented all classes
and vocatiOns among our citizens, including
two policemen present at the riot, cXertng
themselves to quiet the same. All these
witnesses, whose names are signed to their
dispositions, arc known to the citizens Of Dan,
vile, and will be recognized as intelligent
and thoroughly reliable After careful
aud impartial consideration of the evidence
taken. your committee submits the follow.
ing statement Of facts developed thereby:
First. That by their success in the
election OF large majority Of their party
nominees to town offices in the May election
OF 1857 and the subsequent appointment by
the council so elected o! negro pulicrmcu,
as we'll as by the conduct CT the officials so
elected. there was cugcndcrc1 in the minds
Of the negroes Of Danville Il belief that, us
against white men, they would receive the
support and protection of the municipal
government, iii consequence of which belief
they became rude, insolcDt and ntolerant
TO the white citizens and the bad temper
and i'll feeling between the races thus gene
rated continued to increase and was Of late
greatly aggravated by the heated political
canvass preceding the last election, and that
in the midst of the intense excitement Of
the last days of the canvass, William f..
Sims, the coalition candidate for the Senate
from Pittsylvania County and Danvilc,
made, iu front ofthe court house Of the town,
on the night Of the I'd of November, most
inccndiary and violent speech to more than
500 negroes, in which hedcnounccd many of
the most respectable and prominent white
citizens Of the town as liars. scOundreiS and
cowaIds," because of their exposure Of the
evils Of negro rule in DanvilIc
Second. That on the morning following
the night of Su's's speech the excitement
OF the blacks and whites alike was violent
and acrimonious, and among the negroes
there was Gn evident expectation of a con
tlict. That about midday two negroes in
suited white man On the public streets
and engaged him in fight, which was ended
BY the white man going away. That at
least two hours later in the day, and while
large portion Of the meu of Danvillc we. c
assembled ut the Opera House in public
meeting, the same white man. when i'm a
buggy aud on his way out of town, was
again loudly and repeatedly called on and
insuitcd By one Of the negroes with whom
he had been previously Sighting during the
day. and he thereupon, in spite Of his pre-,
OK rcsSrd viousl ydcterHinitiOn not to engage
in II further difficulty because of the ;hcu
public excitement, having called two friends
to insure fair play and assuring them he
wouIduse no weapon. engaged in Gstcuila
upon 'iIc streets with the negro That during
this tight a large number Of negroes gathered
Ground, but were kept from interfering by
the two friends Of the whi.c man until Il
policeman arrived, when Che combaiants
were separated and each taken away from
!he street. That short time thereafter the
negroes assembled in large numbers around
the Two friends OF the white man and SOME
tec or fifteen other whites who had gather,
ed about them, and with loud cxclamations
and great violence Of manner asserted their
determination to have their rights, and their
belief that conflict between themselves
and whites wos inevitable and had as well
come then as at any other dag, as well as
their readiness for it at that time. That
these negroes, numbering not less than 200
IN open defiance uf the authority Of the
policemen. who repeatedly commanded
rbem {" dispcrse, and in disregard of th"
rcrsuasions Of the white ulon who united