Morning journal and courier., 1884-03-11
Gibson Sheds More Eigh1
 On Their Conduct
THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.

The DRnvtll0 Ama1r-CoIonel Sims and
 the Speech Which Led to the Array
 Fearless Man Who Called Things by
 Their Right Names.
 WAsHNaToN, March 1O.-The DanviIle in- vestigation committee got to work again this morning. Colonel w. B. Sims, who made the speech which led to the excitement be- fore the riot, was examined. He went at length into the history of the last two cam paigns in Virginia. He addressed the citizens of Danville by request; in his speech he crit icised the circular of the Democrats and said every man who signed that paper, knowing it's contents, had told wilful and malicious lies against the colored people. He appealed to the white men and asked if it were not mean and eowardly to islander the colored race in the way the circular did. His remarks led to considerable excitement and he was told while he was on the platform that certain white men had threatened to shoot him. he advised the meeting to keep quiet, stating that he thought he could settle the matter. He told the audience that if the men wanted to shoot him that daylight WAS the time for them to accomplish their pur pose. ''I said, D continued the witness, "that the men who signed that signed that circular would not hesitate to stab me iu the dark or shoot me in the back that I had never known 8 liar who was not a coward and I branded the men who were threatening to shoot me as towards. said further that if Ihad erred would publicly apologies. went on and showed by the records of Danville that every allegation in the circular was false" He went on to state that it was evident the Democrats were anxious to provoke violence and he advised the colored people if they had weapons to leave them home and go to the polls and vote quietly so as to not give provo cation to the whites. He had no idea from the exhibition of feeling displayed that night that the colored people would act contrary to- his advice and instructions 1T feel guilty l to day of having unintentionally and unwit- tingly in the interest of peace and order given them advice which was seized upon as l be- 1 lieve by their political enem ies to slaughter them on the following day when they wer e unarmed." AS soon as the meeting adjourned I he went into the Mayors office where he met Dr. R. V. Baxter, prominent Democrat. Baxter said the men whom he had denounced
 
 and that if witness would apologize he could quiet the crowd and witness would not be killed. ''I said," went on Sims, "that I was in the habit of calling things by their right names and I had | no retraction to make" Next morning he was told a crowd was waiting for him and would shot him as soon as he appeared on the street. He did not believe that towards shoot men in the face or in the day time and he went out and was met with scowls and mutterings. He was not molested, however, and drove out of town to fill an appoint | ment.
 Other threats were reported to him the next day, but he refused to keep away from Danville because his absence would be looked on as an abandonment of his principles. Two men aimed guns at his buggy, but did not fire. The Mayor subsequently, advised him to leave town as the mob was looking | for him. Witness was still determined to use every exertion to bring out the colored vote, as he honestly believed they could carry the county. After hearing further details by witness respecting the work of the campaign and the great crookedness which he main tained existed in the Democratic ranks the committee adjourned until tomorrow.