The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-02-21
SOUTHERN oUTRA1Es.
Work of the Congressional Investigating
Committees,

WORK Oh tMS SOM&resskOudk 1nVesuBhuuk
Committees.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 20.--The United States
Senate committee investigating the Copiah
county (Miasissippi) outrages, continued the
examination of witnesses yesterday.
H. r. Benjamin; white man and a Repub-
lican, testified that he went to the Tail Holt
precinct to vote He sa one man with gun.
There was considerable disorder. 1t was un-
derstood that arms were stacked near there.
Armed men came to his house q few days be-
fore the election. They seemed to apprehend
trouble and wanted the witness to advise every
body to stay at home on election day. Wheeler
was in command. They said they had tried to
persuade the negroes to vote with them; now
they were going to make them do so. One
member of the band said that the company he
was with didn't find many negroes at home;
they we're in the woods. The witness heard
cannon firing Sunday evening. He thinks it
was for the assembling of troops. The witness
believes that the movement of armed men had
he effect to drive the negroes and some women
and children to the woods, and preventing the
men from voting.
j, B. Allen, white man, next testified. He
said, II am member Of the Independent COM
mittee. My brother was secretary of the DEM
ocratic committee. I received proposition
from my brother that we both withdraw, as
there was going to be trouble, but declined.
On the Saturday before the election. many
men belonging to the mob, came to my house
and advised me TO join them, saying that if
did not do 90 my house or gin house might be
burned. / declined to join the mob. fol-
lowed the mob over to Frank Hayes's. saw
the latter at6er his leg had been shot to pieces,
and his wife shot four times. 1 heard of more
shooting for two weeks preceding the election
than have heard before or since. left the
Confederate army in 1866. At Tail Holt, on
election day, the Democrats pretended to re-
ceive dispatches from various points, giving
accounts of the killing of negroes. did not
vote. 1t was well understood that arms we're
stacked near by. There never was q more
ridiculous report in circulation than that the
negroes were going to rise. The negroes were
timid. 1t was charged that Matthews was go
ing to arm the negroes. No white man believ-
ed this report"
Noel Ramsay, white man, testified as fol-
lows: 81 formerly lived in Copiah county. On
the evening before the election 1 heard ID. G.
Woods say that Matthews would De killed, and
L. III. Matthews, if elected sheriff, would also
be killed." Woods was the Democratic can
ddate for coroner.
W. W. Bnfkin, white man, testified: II
went to Tail Holt to vote. saw six men
there with guns. No colored men were there;
they had been run off. Several negroes were
at the polls, but the white men cursed them
and drove them away. I heard Henry Hart
mann, Democrat, say. when the report was
received that Matthews had been killed, that
he had known for week that Matthews
would be killed that day."
B. f. Gazey, white man, testified substan-
TALLY the same as the preceding witness, con-
corning armed men riding over the country,
and the effect produced on the colored men.
@. Williamson, white man, testified: II
am native of Mississippi l was mayor OF
Hazelhurst last year. I saw body OF armed
men the Monday before the election. saw
three or four men with guns on election day
Prior to the election, Barlow and Matthew
made an affidavit before me. They charged
the men with shooting into houses in the
county. gave the writ to the sheriff. / IN.
derstood that some of the men were in town
ready for the trial, but there was SO much ex-
| citement that declined to hold court. did
not think it prudent TO undertake the trial OF
any of these men. When Mr.. Cramps house
was burned, an affidavit was made against
Norman and Little, but the cases never came
to trial, and Mr.. Crump finally withdrew the
affidavit, The District Attorney advised me
to alloS Crump to withdraw the affidavit
Matthews was an earnest Republican. He
owned a good deal of property in real estate.
There was nothing against him but his politics.
consider that large majority of the Demo-
Gratis OF Copiah county are opposed to violence,
and favor law and order. Wheeler, who kill
bailed in Sc, 600. Murder is not bailable of
fence in Mississippi.
Hanry Edwards (colored) testified: Five
armed men Vs&H my house at midnight on
the Sunday befol 'Htion. One presented a
pistol to my head d. ID had got to vote as
he wanted me to. He asked Ipe il | would
vote the Democratic ticket. L .nsffy pfom.
sed to vote the Democratic ticket. They had
put rope around my neck and pulled it
tight
Thomas Sinclair (colosed) testified: I was
the candidate on the Democratic ticket for SEC
retary of State in 1879 At the last election
acted with the independents. went TO jack
son the Thursday before election because
did not think it safe to remain at home. Game
back on the Saturday before election. Saw a
body of armed men. They did not bother me.
1 own 1000 acres of land and employ several
hands. When came back all the
colored men were out lying in the
woods. Didn't vote myself Some few colored
property is taxed at $4,000. l would sell 1t for
half Its value and go away, but no one will buy
it. Nobody ever molested me; don't think the
majority of the Democrats in Copiah county
lieve in allowing the colored men equal
chances; one-third favor violence against the
colored men and it seems as though they
wanted to exterminate them. No Democrats
made speeches condemning violence.
Richard Coxwell (white) a democrat testi-
fed. Was an election officer. J. P. Mat thews
handed me his vote and while the clerk was
looking on the roll for his name I heard gun
fred. cav Wheeler standing in the room
and Matthews lying on the floor. Saw Mat
thews and Wheeler talking when together a
short time before Matthews fell When Mat
thews fell saw pistol by his side. No one
had come into the room and there was nothing
TO indicate probability of a difficulty. Demo-
cratic members of the committee were re-
quested by Chairman Hoar to have witnesses
ready Thursday morning.
Albert Galloway (colored) said he thought
the preliminary fight was a personal affair,
merely fair fight and the colored man was
whipped; the matter should have ended there.
He thoaght that the whites and blacks were
equally bl2meable for the gathering. Saw one
colored man, Davis Lewellyn, have a pistol.
The shooting was wholly done by whites. Wit
ness left the scene of the riot in compliance
with the advice of whites. Witness did not
vote.
Q.-Why?
A.-Well, perhaps I might have been safe;
couldn't tell, you know; hate to own it, 1
was skeered.
he story of the DanviIle Massacre Con-
tinued.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 20.-The Danyille in
vestigation was resumed at 10 o'clock this
morning. Capt. Graves, at his own request,
was recalled to correct an impression which
had been left by his testimony yesterday. He
asserted that he was never a negro trader for
profit, but had inherited slaves and had sold
four or five of them and had purchased others
in their places.
W. H. Barksdale (colored) clergyman,
said He distinctly heard the order from the
whites, "Shoot, shoot" There was no re-
sistance on the part of the blacks nor did they
have arms OF any kind. The whites followed
the retreating blacks. Witness thought there
was no danger to the whites from the colored
people. He had never heard any threats by
colored men, although his opportunities for
herring and knowing their sentiments were
| excellent.
| Senator Sherman-Mr. Barksdale, did you
| vote on election day?
No, sir, did not.
| Will you tell us why you did not vote?
Well, sir, | felt that the colored people OF the
| city ought to be in sackcloth and ashes praying
instead of going to the polls, and when went
| on the street and saw the blood of those men
my heart was full of grief. / knew them all
| from boys. Then I saw men that were armed
and didn't know what might be the result.
| Consequently L didn't go to the polls at all.
! Witness further described the sentiment of the
| colored people as he had gathered in inter-
| course with them after the riot. They general
ly said. in effect, if can't go to the polls and
| vote except under lead and powder / won't go
| at all. Under cross examination by Senator
| Vance, he insisted that the crowd of colored
| people was composed in part of women and
| children; his attention had since been called
| by white men to bullet marks on the buildings
in the rear Of the position where the whites
| stood during the riot. The failure of the
| colored people to vote was not, to his knowl-
edge, the result OF any orders received from any
| source.
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