The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-28
THE MISSISSIPPI MURDER.

A Hazlehurst, Miss letter to the Chicago
Tribune, written by man whose name must
be suppressed for obvious prudential rea-
sons, gives interesting particulars of the foul
murder of Matthews, the Republican COM
mitteeman, on election day.
~. P. Matthews has been a leading Repub-
llcan since the war; and occupied the office
of sheriff of the county for several years.
The Saturday before the election the South
ern chivalry tar-heels and cut-thToats cont
menced gathering here with their shotguus
and threatened the life of Mr.. Matthews.
On Monday the band of Southern braves was
still further increased by more tar-heels and
cut-throas from the rural districts increas-
ing the force to near two hundred. Part of
them then marched to MatthewSs house
with the intention of hanging him to tree
in front of his own door, but, seeing five or
six men sitting on the porch, they concluded
to put it off, as they feared some of them
might get few bullet-holes through their
bodies In the meantime Matthews
had been warned not to vote, but
either stay in his house all day
or take the train and go up or down the road.
He refused to heed these threats and on
Tuesday morning he was AT the polls as soon
as they opened, He went up and put in his
vote, saying that was Prant Matthew's vote.
He turned to go, when, just as he turned,
cut-throat by the name of Wheeler shot him
In the abdomen. He died Immediately No
inquest was held on the body. Wheeler was
arrested, had mock trial, was bailed at once,
and was carrying around his shotgun the re-
mainder of the day-the best man in Halle
hurst Many of the tar heels from the rural
districts manifested their joy by turning
somersaults in the Streets"
This is in one of the States of the land of the
+bo !, ce oGn, ~
of this spirit of brutalism and barbarity is
pictured in the letter:
"They may talk about the prosperity of
the South, but this country is growing poorer
every day. Thousands of acres are going
back to the State each year for taxes and the
State is selling the land as fast as il can at 81
per acre. No classes Of people prosper here
but the merchants and saloon keepers. The
farmers are dragging out a miserable exist
ence from one year to another. The blacks
are in a worse condition, if it were possible
They have but very little if any property. and
seem to want none. They will work few
days and buy bacon and cornmeal set down
and eat that up, and then go to work for
more. And so it will be as long as the world
stands. The people here will never change,
neither white nor black | think that the
rich men up North who are spending their
money so freely for educational and mission
airy purposes would do TaG more good with 1t
at home. The ministers dare not talk
against the sins of the day, and our editors
are in as bad a fix. Now. with the hands of
our teachers tied, how are the people to
know any more? They never will"
Let the South be evangelical, both politi-
cally and morally. If it take one hundred
years, there will yet be free ballot in this
whole country. The revolution in that di-
rection is one that never goes backward.