The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-26
The Testimony.


WASHINGTON Feb. 25-The first witness be
fore the Danvile investigating committee was
Congressman John S. Wise, who stated the
issue of various Virginia campaigns The
Funder party, he said sought to perpetuate the
race issue. He introduced papers to show that
the whites brought on the difficulty at Danville
for political purposes, having despaired of win
ming the contest otherwise.
Senator Sherman asked if the Funders were
inspired by objections to persons or to race.
The witness said it was objection to race The
men appointed were unobjectonable. The wit
ness said that Danville and Pittsylvania were
the most lawless communities in Virginia. Pitt
sylvania county and the adjoining county in
North Carolina were alike in this.
Senator Vance-That is Republican county
by 2 large majority, sir.
The Witness-Yes and wherever there is a
Republican majority there will be Bourbon shot
guns.
Senator Vance-And there will be a large
number of convictions to the penitentiary.
The Witness-And crowds will go down before
the mouths of Bourbon shotguns.
Senator Vance, don't know as there is any
necessity for you to assail North Carolina here,
sir.
The Witness-I allude to these matters with
regret
During the cross examination by Senator
Vance several sharp passages at arms occurred.
L
first knew you, thirty years ago, you belonged to
the K N. know nothing) party. Now you be-
long to the N. K. NEGRO .killing) party
Senator Vance retorted: when | first knew
you, you were a secession Democrat; now you
are "a"
Wise-Hardly. I was only nine years of age.
and could not have been much of a seces-
siOnist.
Senator Vance-Oh, we'll, when man pleads
the infancy act, have nothing more to say.
A Lotto tho a4+ i4r,Io Of
the men had changed. ''You Ito Senator vance,
came up here to teach us Democrats debt-pay-
ing, when you had repudiated your own debts
and had never been Democrat"
Senator Vance admitted having been a Know
nothing, but defended himself against the
charge of ever being a repudiator. A man who
said he had ever advocated reputation stated
that which was untrue.
Mr.. Wise hoped Governor Vance did not in
tend that to he an insult.
Senator Vance said he did not, but wished
merely to state fact in reply to some assertions
personal to himself
The witness said the facts of the Danvile riot
had been exaggerated, but its outcropping had
not 1t had been represented by the whites as
a negro uprising, and the whites had been ap-
pealed to to assist their fellows in danger with
their votes This had aided to secure Demo
cratic victory. Mr.. Wise said he did not advo-
cate social intercourse between the races. No
negro had ever presumed to claim social
him. The cOlored members of the Legislature
came to his house to consult him, but always
came to his kitchen. He did not suppose that
Tilden admitted to his parlor the wharfrats and
riff of New York who voted the Democratic
ticket
F. B. Ralston, collector Of internal revenue at
Danville, testified that he had always regarded
the Danville circular political canard. He
had no hesitation in saying that the riot would
not have occurred but for the iu1ammatory
speeches made by the Democratic candidates
and equally indammatory articles in the
Democratic papers. Preparations made
before the riot indicated that there
might be trouble and caused grave apprehensions
among the Coaltionists Among the prepera-
tons was the purchase of arms in large quaint
ties by the whites and their storage in unusual
places. One of these places of storage was an
insurance Office near where the riot occurred.
Arms were carried in and stored in the yard of
this insurance Office on the morning before the
riot occurred.
A colored man named Potter testified that
every white man he saw that day was armed.
White boys between fifteen and twenty years of
age had pistols and shotgms in their hands Did
not see any cOlored people with arms. Ad-
iOuIIred