Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1884-03-29
THE DANVILLE RIOT
The Taking OF Testimony Resumed Be-
fore the Senate Investigating Com
mittee at Washington.
Twenty-Five Witnesses Sworn and Ex-
amised- Evidence OF.
fered in Rebuttal.
Congressional Proceedings-The News:
paper Copyright Inspection OF
Meats for Export.

WASHINGTON, March 2S.-The Danville
investigation was resumed this morning,
and twenty-five witnesses were sworn a.
once.
VIM. B. kurtz, postmaster at Waynes-
boro, 200 miles from Danvile, testified
that he heard OF the Danville riot first
on Sunday, the day after the riot. He had
been told by the mail messenger, who was
an ex-telegraph operator, that telegram
passed over the wires ordering large in
voice of pistols TO Daneille.
This was objected to by Senator Vance,
and the objection was sustained
, Eurtz heard a iollifcation speech after
the election. A Democrat speaker said
he thanked God for the Banyiiie fiot. IT
was blessing in disguise.
Other witnesses testified that the Dam
vile circular was extensively circulated
before the election, and had the effect of
changing many votes. The Democrats
relied on the race issue in the canvass.
The Republican side suspended exam
nations at this point, and Senator Vance
began the examination in rebuttal by call
ing Peter V. Booth, a grocer of Danville.
He described the riot. He saw the pre-
iminary quarrel, and when it terminated
turned to the crowd of colored people and
asked them to leave. They refused, and
displayed pistols, saying they had been
misused and would not leave. When the
firing began there were about fifteen
whites and 200 colored men. There
was no alignment of the whites.
He heard no command to fire.
There would have been no pos
sibility of missing the crowd of blacks
If the whites had been seeking to kill
them. Witness saw the colored men fire.
He fully believed that if the whites had
not fired they would all have been mur.
dered. The whites ceased firing whenthe
negroes began to run. Some of the ne
groes turned as they ran, and fired back
Witness never heard of any preconcerted
plan to bring about a riot. In all the
meetings attended by witness the leaders
cautioned their followers tU avoid rioting
and violence. The election was a quiet
one; there never was more quiet one.
Witness repeatedly tried to get the col
ored people to vote, but without success.
They said they didn't want to vote. Wit
ness heard portion of Sims's speech. In
his opinion, it had great deal to do with
causing the riot. Witness went out with
out pistol, but after the thing COM
menced he went back and got one. The
firing was over when he got back. Geary
Adams had testified that the witness fired
at him. Witness said it was untrue; wit
ness did not shoot at anybody.
w. y. lance, q young man, ana MEM
|sber of the firm in front of whose office the
riot took place, was called. He described
the riot, and said that he seized his gun,
cooked both barrels, and stood in the door
of the Office. He didn't fire, but leveled
his gun when he saw the colored men
aiming their pistols. The bullet marks
on the front of the Office building could
not have been made by shots from the
white crowd. 1t was in this Office. wit
nesses had said white men went
and supplied themselves with arms,
there being, according to several colored
witnesses, a large quantity of arms and
ammunition stored there. Witness said
he was the only man in the Office and he
kept the crowd out. He refused to let
anyone in except two or three of his
friends. There were no arms in the Office
except gun held by witness, and one old
pistol, which was not serviceable. 1t was
absolutely untrue that there were arms
and ammunition in the office and that the
men went in and supplied themselves. 1t
had been testified that four men were seen
going into the Office on the day of the
riot with two guns apiece. This was false.
1t was false that the young men were in
the back yard of the office that forenoon
cleaning guns. Witness believed that if
the whites had not fired they all would
have been murdered. The negroes fired
as they ran. After the negroes began to
run the white men did not fire. Witness
saw some twenty-five or thirty black men
with pistols. All he could see in the
crowd had pistols. Witness was present
at the meeting of his club when the reso-
luton was passed to withdraw all patron
age from the Coalitionists.