St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-29
DANVILLE RIOTS.
Conclusion Of Testimony of Reliable
COntrabands" and POO White
Trash"
Accused Parties Swear They Shot Nobody
ane Didn't Intend to Hurt Anybody.

| WASHINGTON, March 2S.-The Danville in
vestigation was resumed this morning and
twenty-five witnesses sworn at once. w. B.
Kurtz, postmaster of Waynesboro, 200 miles
from Danville, testified that he heard of the
Danville riot first on Sunday the day after
the riot He had been told by the mail
agent who was an eX-telegraph operator that
a telegram passed over the wires ordering a
large invoice of pistols to Danvile. This
was objected to by Senator Vance and the
objection sustained. Kurtz heard a jollifica-
ton speech after election. The Democratic
speaker, he thanked God for the Danville
riot. 1t was blessing in disguise. Other
witnesses testified that the Danville circular
was extensively circulated before the cleo
tion, and had the effect of changing many
votes. Democrats relied on race issues in the
canvass.
The Republican side suspended examina-
tons at this point and Senator Vance began
the examination in rebuttal by calling Peter
v Boothe, grocer of Danville. He des-
cribed the riot. He saw the preliminary
quarrel, and when it terminated witness
turned to a crowd of colored people and ask
ed them to leave. They refused and display
ed PISTOLS saying they had been misused and
would not leave. When the firing began
there were about fifteen whites and 200 color
| ed men. There was no alignment of whites
| He heard no command to fire. There would
have been no possibility of missing the
crowd of blacks if the whites had been seek
ing to kill them. Witness saw the negroes
fire. He fully believed if the whites
had not fired they would all have been
murdered. The whites ceased firing
when the negroes began to run. Some
negroes turned as they ran and fired back
Witness never heard any preconcert to bring
about the riot In all the meetings attended
by Witness the leaders cautioned their follow
ers to avoid rioting and violence. The cleo
ton was quiet one. There never was a
| quieter one. Witness repeatedly tried to get
| the colored people to vote, but was unsuccess-
full They said they did not want to vote
Witness said he heard a portion Of Sims
speech. In his opinion it had great deal to
do with causing the riot Witness went out
without a pistol. After the thing commenced
he went back and got his pistol, but the firing
was over when he got back. Geo. Adams had
had testified he had fired at him. Witness
said it was untrue. Witness did not shoot at
anybody.
w. j. Dance, young man, member Of
| the firm in front OF whose Office the riot took
|
He seized his gun, loaded both barrels, and
| stood in the floor of the office. He did not
fire, but leveled his gun when he saw 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 witnesses had
said white men went and supplied themselves
with arms, there being, according to several
colored witnesses, large quantity of arms
and ammunition stored there. Witness said
he was the only man in the Office, and kept
the crowd out. He refused to let anybody
in except two or three Of
his friends. There was no arms in the Of
fee except those held by witness and one old
pistol, which was no good. 1t was absolutely
untrue that there were arms and ammunition
in the Office, and that men went in there
and supplied themselves. 1t had been testi-
fed four young men were seen going into
the Office on the day of the riot, with two
guns apiece. This was false. 1t was false
that young men were in the back yard Of the
office that forenoon cleaning guns. Wit
ness believed if the whites had not fired, they
would all 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 a resolu ton was
passed to withdraw ali patronage from coali-
tionists.