The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-11-15
The Danville Riot.

The Danville Riot.
In times of intense political excitement,
there is nothing more difficult than to get
at the exact facts. with reference to the
origin and result Of any extraordinary oc-
currence of a political character. Parti
zans upon both sides seem absolutely inca
pable of drawing the line of unqualified
truth and the difficulty of getting truth
full statement is enhanced ten fold from
the fact that those familiar with the
causes which led to the occurrence and the
details thereof are either ranged upon the
one side or the other.
1t is this difficulty which. .confronts the
chronicler who desires to represent the
Danville riot in it's true light. The
statements sent out by persons who were
present and who represent the two re-
spective parties, are so widely at variance
that neither can be wholly accepted with
confidence. He who would nothing ex-
tenuate OF set down ought in malice, must
take the prominent facts, as they are known
to exist, and draw his conclusion there
from. without regard to the representa-
tions from a party standpoint on either
side.
That the original Danville circular was
partizan device, no fair-minded man.wh
read it, can for a. moment doubt. The
very fact that its circulation was sup
pressed at home, until it had. permeated
the remotest districts of the State, was
prinsa facie evidence that those. who con-
cocted it were afraid to let it meet the eye
OF the men most familiar. with the truth
or falsity of the statements...it contained.
Not only. .this, but those statements bore
the mark of falsehood on their face. II
the Republicans had a clear majority in
the city, why should theyswish it1diyided
into separate. wards, when THE effect OF
such division would be. to throw THE city
government in part in the. hands. of the
Democrats? And then, too,ithe repre-
sensations made.of the business condition
Of Danville were soIabsolutelyat war with
the reputation the city has borne for years,
that men instinctively. branded them as
untrue. These, with the statements made
from the records in answer to the circular,
proved as false nearly, every. charge pre-
ferred, and left the men whose signatures
had been used, to defend their veracity as
best they could. The situation, under
such a pressure, became desperate. The
s'circular" threatened to prove q terrific
boomerang. 1t had been denounced rs
false before the people most familiar with
the facts it assumed to deal with, and
among aUltOm 1t avas not intended circulate.
In this straight the signers called upon
their party friends to stand by them and a
counter meeting was held. Meantime the
utmost excitement prevailed and party
hate was at white heat. Weapons were
being purchased asif a war were imminent,
Then came petty quarrel between anegro
and q white man ma place where. crowds
of the two races were gathered, and pis-
tolls were jerked from their holsters. AT
what appears to have been q given signal,
the Democrats came rushing from the
various portions of the city and COM
menced an indiscriminate fire on the
blacks. AS the result Of the shooting,
seven negroes were killed and a number
wounded. The only white man who seems
to have been seriously hurt received his
wound from one of his own race by an ac-
cident. The negroes. q large majority OF
whom We're unarmed, fled at the first sound
Of a shot. Their only object seemed to be
to get ont of the way.
These are the facts as we have been able
to gather them from the representations
made by both sides. Let any unprecedented
man look the matter squarely in the face,
and answer whether or not the response
bility for these murders rests with the
Democrats. The negroes may be ignorant.
but they are not fools enough to precipi-
tate bloody riot when they know that
they are amarned. The fact that at the
first shots the Democrats came rushing to
the scene with pistols in their hands
shows that they had prepared themselves
for bloody work, and the further fact that
they opened an indiscriminate fire on the
blacks, plainly demonstrates that they
knew before hand against whom thell
weapons were to be used. The proportion
of white to black injured, evidences upon
which side there was deliberation, in whose
hands were the weapons, and the purpose
for which they were employed.
Not in all the history of, Virginia is
there SO black a page as that which marks
the Sd of November, 1883. 1t tells tale
of atrocious outrage, against law and order,
against the fair name of the Common
wealth and against humanity. 1t would
have been better had both political parties
been buried in soundless sea, rather than
that such disgrace and outlaWry be per-
petrated within the confines of the State.
For years to come5the Danville murders
will hang like a milestone around the neck
of Virginia, holding her back whilst less
favored commemorative are speeding
forward in the race for material develop
ment and prosperity. We look upon it as
the duty of every good citizen to condemn
in unmeasured terms the men and the
methods that have brought such disgrace
upon the State. Instead of holding meet
ings to applaud the cowardly conduct Of
the Danville rioters. the Democrats would
have shown themselves more entitled tt
the respect of mankind if there had beer
courage enough among them to publicly
brand, as it deserved, this stain on tfe
States escutcheon. .ss.
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Hoist on their own Petard.
The Democrats Of Rockingham have
put their foot in it. They made technical
objection to the counting of the vote on
the ground that some of the judges Of
election had certified the returns from one
precinct in favor of Jos. b. Webb ant
from the others in favor of J. B. Webb
oil han