Morning journal and courier., 1884-07-24
gne anarna1 and Gn1rier.
ThursdaY. July 24, 1884.
REFORM IN COPIAH COUNTY.

In his great speech in Boston the other day Senator Hoar showed what the reform CTS who intend to vote for Cleveland will really vote for. He pointed out that the chief support of the Democratic candidate would come from the solid South, and then showed how the South has been made and kept soffd-He referred to the Copiah coun- ty case, which he investigated few months ago. A band of 150 Democrats composed, as was admitted, of ''the best citizens," armed with rifles and shot-guns, rode about that county for fortnight before election intimi- dating Republicans. The day before elec- tion the armed company waited upon Print Matthews, the leading Republican of the county. Matthews was the principal citizen of the county, wealthy merchant, with two sons in college, and two grown daughters in his house. He was generous, brave, liberal benefactor of schools and churches The Demo cratic witnesses testified that everybody liked him if it were not for his politics. They drew up in the road near his gate and sent him demand in writing that he should ab- stain from voting the next day. He answer ed the messenger: Ut seems to me this is 8
 
 ment. I have tried to be useful to society every way that could. I have never done any of you any harm. I admit that it is in your power to murder me, but am going to vote tomorrow unless you do kill me-" Matthews went to the polls and cast the first vote in the morning AS he placed it in the box, Wheeler, who was the Democratic challenger, shot him dead with the charge of one barrel in the heart and another just below the throat A mass meeting was held the next day, the murder was approved, and few weeks after the murderer was made city marshal of Hazelhurst.
 Any reference by northern Republicans to this dastardly crime is called waving the bloody shirt" and we are told that the Re publican vote in the South is not suppressed by force and fraud. If there are any among our readers who think the time for waving the bloody shirt has gone by we invite their attention to the following from the Brook haven (MississippD Democrat, prominent party journal published near the scene of the murder of Matthews:
 It is true it has already been intimated that the Republicans are going to make an eSS1CSo1f fO III oCaUe. " 8 would recommend moderation in this respect. We take the present opportunity thus early in the fight to throw out 8 friendly warning to the more reckless and unprincipled dema- gogues of the Republican party in this and adjoining counties not to let their spatriot- ism" get the better of their discretion If they are endowed with ordinary judgment even of that kind which personal safety may be supposed to engender-they may see the handwriting on the wall" reflected in the light of recent events. We invite every Republican to be true to his party and vote according to his convic- tions. Let the colored man exercise his right in this respect of his own vo- ition, without fear or hindrance But let there be no bulldozing And let it be at once understood that it will be an act so per ilous that none but fools will undertake to antagonize the colored race against the whites Let this, we say, be understood defi- nitely. It cannot be too earnestly or too speedily impressed, and if the fate of Print Matthews will add any weight to our utter ances, his party will have reaped more bene- fit from his death than he could have con ferred on it by living. "A word to the wise l is sufficient
 There is no misunderstanding the meaning of this. And as long as the state of affairs indicated by it exists in the South, so long will the Republican party have mission | worthy the support of the purest and most 1 particular Independent