Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-16
COPIAH AND DANVILLE.
BOTH INVESTIGATING COMMIT
TEES HARD AT WORK

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10, 9 A. M.-The
subcommittee of the Committee of Privi.
leges and Elections of the United States
Senate to investigate the alleged outrages
In Copiah county, Mississippi, arrived
last evening, having been detained eight
hours at Pensacola junction. The investi.
/ CATION begins to-day. Witnesses have
been subp9naed to appear. The commit
tee has not yet decided whether the inves-
tlgatlon will be concluded here or at some
point in Mississippi.
THE FIRST WITNESS.
NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 10, 10 P. M.-The
subcommittee of the Senate Committee
on Privileges and Elections met in the
custom house, in the Office adjoining that
OlCollector Badger. There were present
Chairman Hoar, and Messrs. Cameron.
FRYE, salisbury and Jonas. The first
/ witness examined was Leon II. Matthews.
son of j. p. Matthews, who was killed
at HaZlehurst, COpiah county, Mississippi.
he said that he had lived there all his life.
ana was a candidate at the election on
November Z. He was active in politics,
and had canYassed the county. He con-
sidered the voting population as to color
ABOUT equal, but thought that the cOlered
people bad small majority. He believed
That the independents had 500 majority in
the county, but the Democrats carried the
election. The respective parties can
Yassed the county together.
BLOOD CURDLING CHARGES.
There were some slight disturbances
after tine canvass and clubs were
organized Dy the Democrats WHO went
armed and mounted. They murdered
some, whipped others and put ropes
I e
not hang them. Three weeks before the
election he saw man who had been
whipped in the southwestern portion OF
the county. He also saw Tom Wallace.
who had been killed by the same party
who were said to have done many similar
acts. On the day before the election he
saw an armed mob at Hazlehurst. They
marched through the town, halted and
sent message to his brother, warning
A few days before the cleo
| ton cOlOred church was
| burned. The Independents had ATTEMPT
ed to organize club there. The mob
carried cannon all over the county
and fired it occasionally. The witness
brother sold goods throughout the cOun-
ty. Shots were fired through his door
by mob. Armed bands notified the
Matthews family that if any trouble Oc-
Cured the latter would be held response
bic. The witness was a merchant at
Hazlehurst. Several of the men in the
mob owed him and his brother for goods.
and had run away to avoid payment.
UNPRoYOKED MURDER CHARGED.
Erastus Wheeler was very friendly
with his brother, and was at his house a
short time before the election. Wheeler
had no difficulty with the witness brother
ana could have had nothing against him
outside of politics. As soon as the polls
opened on November :, J. p. Matthews
went 20 vote and was shot down by
Wheeler just as his name was checked on
the poll list. The witness learned this
from election officers. He heard the re-
port of gun and ran to the polling place.
The door had been closed and he pushed
1t open and saw his brother lying
there dead, shot through the
breast. On his way to the
polling place the witness met Wheeler
and other armed men. The armed mob,
who were riding over the county before
the election, declared that they would
carry the election with shOtguns, if neces-
sary, or with the knife. The witness gave
the names OF number of persons who
were in the armed mob, among them that
of D. l.. Mead, Chairman of the Demo-
cratic Committee of COpiah county.
OTHER ALLEGED HORRORS.
The witness mentioned the killing of
Frank Sage and the shooting of his wife.
the whipping of Henry Potter. assaults
on David Bell and Solomon Smith. and
other assaults on colOred men by an
armed mob, He said that these outrages
had the effect of frightening the colored
people and driving them to the woods.
They were afraid to sleep at home. Some
lew voted on election day, and others
Went-t0 the election polls, but feared to
vote. There were only three or four col
0red meu in the county who were thought
to be Democrats. Most of the Outrages
were committed on Beat 3. The armed
bands were composed of Democrats.
APPEALS WHICH EVOKED THREATS.
The witness made a statement concern
ing efforts made by his brother and him
self and other political friends to have the
county officials take some action to check
the outrages. They finally applied to the
Governor, but nothing was done. After
making athdavitS against a number of the
mob Sheriff Hargrave went to his brother
and endeavored to get him to serve writs
that had been issued. HIS brother had
been apprised of a conversation overheard
between Hargraye and Mead, to the effect
that If Matthews attempted to serve the
writs, he was to be followed and killed.
Hargrave and Mead declared that they
had not had any such conversation. The
information had been received from a
cOlOred man.
THE INSTRUMENTATION.
The witness was crOss-examined by
Senator Jonas. He said that the Repub-
licans on election day were all armed
with pistols. He and his brother, who
was killed, had pistols on them. He did
not see any body killed or whipped. He
saw Tom Wallace after he had been
Ofh rrhn
whipped. The witness was engaged
three or four weeks in canvassing the
county. He did not meet with any armed
bands, but heard OF them. He saw an
armed band in Hazlehurst on the day
before the election. There was politi-
cal meeting there. During the canvass
no violence was offered to the witness or
any member of his family, but they had
received anonymous letters and resolu-
tions of warning.
THE MURDERED MANS son.
John NJ. Matthews, son of Matthews
who was killed by Wheeler, testified to
having seen an armed mob at Hazlehurst
on election day. He also gave hearsay
evidence as to the conversation between
Hargrave and others in regard to the con-
spiracy to kill Matthews. A shot had
been fired through his uncle's store door
in the country, and the next day COM
mittee OF nine men presented him with a
resolution threatening all the members of
the Matthew family, including the women
and children. He detailed the incidents
connected with his departure for Oxford
on the Sunday preceding the election, and
his return on Tuesday after his father
had been killed, showing bad feeling ex-
listing against them. He read resolutions
passed by mass meeting of citizens of
Copiah county, warning the Matthews
family and their friends against any at
etmpts at revenge.
These are the resolutions which
have been published III the
Congressional Record, and printed in the
News when Senator Sherman introduced
them in the Senate.
The witness said that his
father was several years Sheriff
of Copiah county, and was the only Sher-
iff who had not been sued by the county
after going out of office. His father
was lame and was a small man, weigh
ing only 135 pounds.
THE INDEPENDENTS CHAIRMAN.
A. w. Burnett, Chairman of the indie
pendent Executive Committee of Copiab
county, testified, substantially confirming
the testimony Of the previous wit
nesses as to outrages, and the efforts
made by the officials to stop them.
The witness detailed the circumstances
OF his being shot through the thigh. and
dangerously wounded, by Frank Hayes,
few weeks before the election.
DANVILLE's ARMED BANDS.
The Sable Witnesses Fail to Give sher-
man Many Solid Facts.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-The investi-
of fHr Ill