Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-11-20
The Cause of the Danyille Riot.

The Danville, Va, Times, of Nov. 9th,
gives the following account of the speech OF
W. E. Sims, Mahoneite, which SO infamed
the colored people in that city as to cause
the unfortunate riot which occurred there
on Nov. 9th. There can be no doubt as to
whom the blame belongs in this matter-it
was Mahone's desperation that led him to
urge the negroes to riot. Here is what the
Times says of Sims's speech:
Friday morning, notice was scattered
over town that W. E. Sims would speak in
| Danville that night, in front of the Old
Postofice, in answer to the Danville circu-
lar. AS the Democratic club was to meet
in the same building, and suspectiug the
indammatory nature of the address which
was contemplated, the owners of the build
ing objected to his speaking there. When
the time came, therefore, the negroes adj
jourhed to the courthouse yard. A little
before clock, Mr.. A. M. Wheeler rose
and spoke about 10 minutes, simply urging
his hearers to keep quiet on the day of cleo
ton; not to go armed to the polls, nor dc
| Having finished his remarks, he left the
| Squire Taliaferro then rose and spoke to
kill time until the orator of the day arriv-
ed
When he concluded, Sims arose amidst
the shouts of at least 500 negroes. He
stood ON the steps of the courthouse, with
large torch light before him. The negroes
were packed closely round him and only
about 10 white men could be seen on the
outskirts of the black crowd and they wfs2
Democrats who went to see and hear what
was going on. The writer was one of them,
and we must say, it was horrid spectacle
enc lone white man, standing up amidst
a vast crowd of Africans who were yelling
and whooping at the top of their voices,
and at night.
He rose with the famous Danville circu-
lar in his hand and the first thing he did,
waste read tie names of all the signers,
US in number men of the highest stand
ing and universally respected. He COM
menced by calling them all liars. Then he
began to read the circular by paragraphs,
commenting as he went, and trying to an
swer the charges. 'tAnother lie, " he would
say, at the end of each sentence. About
every 10 minutes for the space of an hour,
he pronounced the men who signed the cir
cular, Glars and every time he did it, the
negroes applauded. His object seemed to
be, to inflame the minds of the negroes
against those gentlemen, and to stir up bad
feelings between the rich and the poor He
ridiculed most of the signers of the circular
as if to set the colored hands against them
and some of them he charged with the most
rascally conduct Not satisfied with abus-
ing those whose names were on the paper
he went QUITO his way to attack other good
l1<, III ~ H. H.
cular contained 45 lies and the men who en-
dorsed it, knew they were lies. When he
finished reading and commenting on the
document he read the names of the % sign
ers a second time, saying, they were all a
set of '1iars, scoundrels, and towards"
just think of it, speaker denouncing in
that style % of our most respectable citi-
zens and the negroes yelling their applause
with hellish delight Can anything be i'm
agined better calculated to bring on row !?
And yet those white Democrats, who heard
the diabolical harangue and heard the
shouts of the negroes stood it. And they
did it, for the sake of peace. 1t is great
wonder that some man, inhanled by the iu-
suits offered to him and his friends, did not
offer violence to the speaker. Had he done
so bloodier scene would have followed than
that which was enacted on the following
day.
Thanks to the high sense of duty of our
law-abiding citizens and their love of peace,
they bore it all, andssnot hair of Sims's
head was touched. Moreover, they permit
ted him to get in a buggy with James Yer
ser and drive out of town, next day unmo-
Tested. They knew that if any one of them
had attacked him, it would in all probabili-
ty, result in q general fight between the
whites and blacks. We are glad thatib SO
happened, as it places our men in the right