Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-02-20
C0PIAH COUNTY,
Smoke from the Shot Guns of Missis.
sippi -Tesiim Ouy before the Sen.
nte Sub. Lnm miltpp.

hte SuDstOnlmlttee.
New Orleans, February l0.-The
subcommittee of the United States
senate investigating the Copiah couu-
", Miss, outrages, resumed the hear
ing of testimony to-day. David Bell,
cOlored, testified that he was chairman
of the Republican executive commit.
, tee of Copiah county; saw armed men
riding about at night before the elec.
| zion; his home was visited by a party
of about twenty-five men; they took
election tickets he had for distribution
away from him; they were mixed tick
| cts, Republican and independent, and
the name of Miller, Democratic candi-
date, was on them. Witness was now
assistant sergeant-at-arms of the Mis-
sissippi senate. He was given the po-
sitIon, he thought, through the inilu-
ence of n n. Miller, whose name was
on his tickets. Witness declined 10
give the name of the man who took
the tickets away from him; he sup
p sed them to be lot of drinking fell
lows. He denied having offered to
testify for the ID mocrats; witness voted
the Indepeudeut-Repu ticket on
election day, as did most Of The color
ed men in the neighoorhood. They
were not inundated.
Mrs. Wallace, colored, widow of
Thomas Wallace, testified that ON Fri
day before the election, AT about one
O'Clock, a party of armed men came To
her house aud asked who lived there.
Her husband replied, Thomas Wal
lace They sad they had a writ for
his arrest. \ man outside said he was
West Dunbar, Sheriff of Osyka. Ri
nally the crowd pushed the door open
and went through the house. They at
tempted to throw rope over her hus-
banu's neck, when he threw up his
hands, asking what they meant 10 do.
One OF the men then shot MIN in the
neck; several shots Were fired, one ball
striking her in the arm and passing
into her husbands neck, killing him.
They then went away. She did not
know who they We're. After her nus
band was killed she went to the woods
and remained there until after the
election.
II. A. Bondurant, white Republican,
testified that the reign of terror pre- |
vailing in Copiah county preceding |
the late election was caused 10y armed |
men riding over the country commit
ting outrages, rs detailed by other |
Matthew'S store, fifteen miles from |
Hazelhurst, when mob came there |
and fired through the door with their |
pistols and guns, and shot off can
non. Armor aud Matthews were with
hiIn in the store. The mob shouted
some one had better get away from
there. They cursed them all the time
they were around the store, and some
said, Lets swing them up" Wit
ness frequently met these armed men,
but they did not modest him. He re-
lated incidents attending the meeting
at HaZelhurst The mob was there.
Barksdale said he was glad 10 see the
faces of men riding about the town;
they were determined TO carry the
election regardless of the issue. Banks
dale advised them 10 hang f. NJ. Buff
kin so high that birds of prey could
not bury their beaks in his body.
Geo. B Hamilton, white, of Hazel
hurst, testified concerning the killing
of Matthews on election day. Witness
was clerk of the election. When the
tables had been arranged and every
body ordered out in order that the
polls might be opened, Matthews said,
II am here and / will vote" Witness
heard some l,ud talk between Mat
thews and Wheeler. When Matthews
was shot down, he was standing six
feet from witness. When the smoke
heared away, witness saw Burch,
Wheeler and Matthews in the room.
Wheeler was standing about eighteen
feet from Matthews with pistol in
his hand, reloading it. He saw man
stoop down and pick up pistol from
alongside of Matthews body. Wheeler
was challenger for the Democrats aud
Matthews for the Independents.