Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1884-02-16
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE DANVILLE RIOTS.
Testimony of Both White and ColoreA
Witnesses.
WASHINGTON. Feb. Is.

flots was resumed this morning. The first
witness was Edward ". Hatcher. (whife)
who according to the testimony of Jack Redd
yesterday, assaulted the latter and wished to
shoot him. The witness asserted that he had
DO firearms on that day. Had never carried
any other weapon than . pocket knife for
twenty years. Was not in the vicinity Of
the market where the alleged assault on
Redd occurred on that day.
The witness saw marks of bullets on sew
eral buildings in the rear of white peoples
dwelling of which the bullets must come
from the crowd of colored people.
j. c. Regard (white) testified he arrived
at the scene Of the riot after the first fight had
terminated, He was armed With q pistol
Senator Sherman put the question, "Did
you fire on that occasion?" Witness, 81 de-
cline to answer that question" The witness
declined to answer As to whether he struck
Reed, but asserted he did not shoot ut
Redd,
The witness refused to say how many
times he shot into the crowd on that day. In
reply to Senator Vance the witness said that
there we're not more than half a dozen white
men in the crowd when he first arrived.
There were so to 100 colored men all angry.
The witness thought it was necessary for the
crowd of white people to Are.
R. w. Glass (colored) was called and said
he didn't feel safe in telling what he knew
about the riot. Senator Lapham, "why not?"
Witness III live in Danville and have got
to go back there. The witness had heard
it said that q any negro who testified
Mr.. Chairman.
Senator Lapham, 81 have q right to know
the ground of his fear"
The wituasa hoiuw aaurad told hia sfopy
Heard pistol fired; rushed to the scene, as
the cOlored men are accustomed to do !;
found some 70 colored men and 25 white
men the white men and the policemen were
telling the negroes to leave. The negroes re-
replied, "We are not doing anything. Why
should we leave?" Heard Hatcher saw
This is q white mans town and I'm damned
if we don't rule. You are all going to get
killed if you don't leave" Then the white
men drew pistols. The witness named
Hatcher, Lee, Gov inton and Oliver whom he
saw have pistols. Lee gave the order to FIRE,
and they did fire. Then the colored men
began to leave. The whites came out of the
opera house.
How many?
1t looked like three or four hundred of
of them. They. the whites, went into the
hardware store and got pistols. Saw the
pistols, twenty Ave or thirty Of them and q
bag of cartridges in q real estate Office where
he took refuge and the white people came in
and supplied themselves. When all the
n, groes had left, the witness heard the whites
going about the streets shouting "Hurrah
for we democrats" Laughter. Saw Hol
land shoot. Thinks one of these four first
men shot him.
George A. Lea (white) said that he was
one of the door keepers at the opera house
meeting. The orders were to keep the mig
gars out. After description of the riot the
witness said the negroes rushed up and de-
manded to see the face of the id white man
who did the shooting, Whereupon the wit
ness went out and showed his face.
In reply to Senator Sherman whether he
fred the pistol, the witness declined to an
swer The witness saw several pistols in the
hands of colored people. There were not
more than Is white men at the place during
the riot.
Senator Sherman-.'Why did you carry
arms. did you think pistol would be use
ful?'
Witness-No, sir; eight or ten negroes
rushed up and complimented me on the way
l had seen fair play between Noel and Law
son. Good negroes were allowed to escape
through the store. The witness stated as
n IedsOu why a pistoi, thoe hc uou
heard Squire Toliver, "a leading brndle
tailed readjuster republican," say that few
of North Carolina citizens had come to Dan
vile and he would have it understood that
North Carolina could not rule. The witness
and his brother were among those singled
out as being in danger and were advised to
carry arms. He believed that the first vol
lev was fired into the crowd of negroes, but
after the latter began to run many shots were
fired in the air. Some eight or ten pistols
were pointed at Taylor and himself. If the
whites had not used pistols we should have
been shot into smitherens and not only that,
our wives and sisters would have been muir
dered in their houses. The direct cause of
the excitement was the Sims speech. The
original cause was the cold blooded murder
of one of our best citizens bv our readjuster
brindled tailed mayor. There was no hard
feeling against the colored men as unequal
in point of law. The objection to the vote
of negroes was on account of their ignorance.
The town government was run by the United
States officials in the custom house there.