Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-11-12
MAHoNEs ROW AT THE POLLS.
The True Story of His Attempt to Gre
ate a Disturbance-PistOls Drawn.


Our dispatches gave fair synopsis of
the row which Senator Malone created at
the polls in Petersburg, his home, last
Tuesday. The following from the New
York San is fuller account:
There was an angry crowd of Democrats
at the Fourth ward voting precinct last
evening. All daY long circulars had been
scattered throughout the town by the Ma
hOnites, in which the negroes were eX-
hOrted to ''avenge themselves for the MUIR
der of six colored men at Danvllle by
Bourbon funders." These circulars, if
not originated by the Senator, were at
least sent abroad with his cOnnivance. At
about u O'Clock the Senator, accompanied
by his son. began to make the rounds OF
the polls. At 4 p. m. his VENICE
drew up at the Fourth ward voting place,
at which there was a crowd OF WHITES ana
blacks, in number about 100. The senator
took his stand near the polls and watched
the vote. At about this time negro VINO
had been around the precinct all day was
persuaded by the Democrats TO vote with
them. He was handed Democratic
ticket, and advanced to deposit his ballot.
When he gave his name negro clerk
used some language which was in the
nature of an insult, and the Democrats
resented it.
(Which ticket do you want to voteW
him.
81 want to vote this ticket" said the
negro. indicating the Democratic ticket
which he held in his hand.
The Democrats applauded him. and he
handed in his ticket. Then the Senator,
who had been spectator OF the scene,
pushed his way through the crowd until
he stood near the negro and right IN the
midst of the Democrats.
81 have come to see fair DlaV.N he eX-
claimed, land / intend that everybody
shall have his rights"
This language was so imperious that an
aged and respected gentleman, a promi-
nent tobacco dealer, retOrted:
"You are pretty man to talk about a
free ballot and fair count. You nave
been cheating ever since you have been in
politics.
The crowd gathered closer together and
waited for the Senator's reply. The
negroes backed him solidly and the whites
confronted him as he stood opposed to Mr..
Long, who had thus remarked upon his
qualifications as a champion of free bal
lot. A pistol or two was shown, and
there was an OminOus silence for a
moment. Suddenly there was a commO-
ton in the crowd, and a man was seen
elbOwing his way through. He was But
Ter Malone, the Senator's son, who holds
a Senate clerkship. AS he got near the
centre he cried out:
81 will kill the first man who attempts
to insult my father"
Then he brandished heavy cane in
one hand and pistol in the other. Cd
d-n it, have pistol, tOO,' shrieked the
Senator, and there was clicking of
pistols all around.
In moment young Mahone's pistol
was snatched from his hand, and he was
hustled about rather roughly. The
crowd hemmed the Senator in from all
sides, waiting for him to produce his pis-
toll, but as he was jostled about he still
kept his weapon concealed. A negro en-
pIoyed in one of the government offices
pulled out his pistol, but the sight of a
cleaning revolver near his head fright
ened him so badly that he instantly put
it up. The Senator would have been a
doomed man a minute afterward but for
the GOODNESS of several Democrats. They
elbOwed themselves to the front, sur
rounded the Senator and begged the an
cry and excited men to desist, assuring
them that they would hurt the Democratic
cause if they persisted. The crowd di-
vided and the Senator escaped unhurt,
with the exception of a shaking up.
Young Malone was the first man to
produce pistol, and the Senator was the
first to make threat. A Democrat who
took the weapon from Malone the younger
Walked up to the polls, charged the Sena-
tor and his son with carrying concealed
weapons, and called upon the judges to
order their arrest. The judges, of whom
the majority were Mahonites, declined to
take any action. The Chief of Police,
who is Mahonite, was also made ac-
quainted with the facts, but he would not
make an arrest, and so the matter stands.
The Democrats are highly indignant at
the Senator's action, as it had all the APP
pearance of being premeditated attempt
to force a disturbance in a Democratic
ward, and thus have the vote thrown out.