St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-03
DANVILLE RIOT.
The Negroes Said to Have Been
Thirsting for the Blood of the
Whites.
The Testimony Interesting, but Telling
Very Badly for the Negroes, Who
Were Bound on Mischief.

WASHINGTON, April 2.-The first wit
ness examined by the Danville
committee was W. n Rufin, of Danville,
before whose Office the riot took place.
Rufin was farmer. He wrote dynamite
circular, entitled the Coalition Rule in
Danville," and announced he heartily APP
proved of it, and, with a single minor point,
inserted by another man upon revision,
he believes its statements true. Ruffin
was not in Danville the day of the riot. He
was examined as to the condition OF things
antecedent to it. He illustrated his state
ment with variations of matters within his
personal knowledge. On one occa-
sion when some negro murderer had
been arrested he was passing q
party OF colored men ON the street, and one,
addressing his fellows in very intemperate
language, abusing the whites in the vilest
manner, said, she wished he could have
some chance to shoot some damned white
man. He never had chance to kill man,
and nothing on the face of the earth would
do him so much good as to kill a white man.
He didn't care who it was.n The man, at
this, took pistol out of his pocket, and
''just toyed with it." On another occasion,
witness was asked by q negro to
advise him about voting. Witness
could not advise him to vote the Democratic
ticket, because OF possible danger from the
negro coalitiouists, but did advise the col
ored man not to vote at all, and not to reg
lister. He also gave the colored man pair
OF old trousers. Soon afterwards the colOred
man came to him and said he had been
questioned by another colorcd man Us to why
he had not registered The other had 4
copy of the registration list, and threatened
him first with election from the church, and
finally with violence if he did not register
and vote. The colored man
brought back the trousers, and said
he would be compelled to register and vote.
The witness told him the pants had TO rela-
ton to voting. Aside from the riot and its
attendant circumstances, the relations be-
tween the two races were most cordial, as
was possible between servant and employer
class anywhere. Witness described an in
terview between Col. Sims and himself, de-
nying the correctness of Col. Sims version
of the matter i'll several particulars
Henry Hill, colored Democrat, gave as the
reason why the colored people did not divide
like the whites did, that they were afraid to
use their reality for voting for their beneficial
OH account of their fear of bulldozing.
Edwin Hill, cOlored, testified that he had
attended 4 meeting where a colored speaker
had recommended that the colored Demo-
Gratis be Saturated (assassinated) where
upon witness thought matters were taking a
personal turn and left Witness afterwards
met the man who claimed to have credited
| them and the man ''pulled off his hat, and
his coat and his westcoat, and throwed them
down, and jest doubled his ham an rubbed
it up and down my nose, and sed he, L am
thar, and l will drink yo' blood or you mine,
and didn't prevent it, for l took it for
granted he had feeling towards me for
voting de ticket"
L. L. Clark, white, a farmer living six
miles from Danville, testified it was a usual
thing for negroes to 90 armed and very
rare thing for a white man to do so.
j. r. Peasants, white, had heard the ne
groes say they wanted to kill some damned
poor white people. The negroes were very
lmpudent and generally armed.
| Adjourned.