Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-28
THE DANVILLE INVESTIGATION.
Testimony on Roth Sides.
TWENTY-FIVE WHITE WITNESSES SWORN.

The Danville Investigation was resumed this
morning. aud twenty-five witnesses, all white,
were sworn at once. Wm. Il. kurtz. postmaster OF
Waynesboro Va. 10 miles from panville. was first
examined He described the state Of political feel
Ing IN his neigGhOrloOd, and said that he WAS HIM
sell the chief object OF local democratic enmy. He
id heard OF the Danyille riot first sunday, the
aaN after the riot. He had been told by 4 mail
messenger. who was an eX-tele-raph operator. that
leIesraIn had passed over the wires ordering
LARGE INVOICE OF PISTOLS TO pASvILlE.
This was objected to 10y Senator Vance. and the
objection was sustained. Mir Kurtz heard jo.ii-
ilcation speech after the election. A democratic
speaker said lie thanked God for the Danyille rio.
IL was Il blessing IN disguise.
l.. Vi. Shoemaker. of LynchhurC, but who up TO
laSl FEBRUARY mad been resident oI Daaylilr, was
c;tlic' He described the anteCedentS Of the riot
ne democrats. aS he gathered from conversation,
%lth them. were mulch excited. and said they were
tette: organized than ever before and were
DETERMINED TO CARRY THE ELECTION.
Ih"y had reason TO object 70 some OF tie local Off
cials then in power. The local government as a
whole was. however, IN witness opinion, an iln-
provement upon its predecessor.
Mt. j. ". SnnonS OF Floyd county. ninety miles
from Danville, was sworn. The DanvilIe circular
was extensively circulated before the election
First heard OF The riot on Monday, the day before
The election. The effect OF the circular was to
change about one hundred and fifty Votes in Ficyd
county.
''' i1iN NhilNl- tI fdfI:N. Va. Was C3iIfl lie
was coalition candidate Tor state senator. First
saw the Danylle circuiar at Alexandria on Friday
DeforH the election Never SAW moIe than two OF
the circulars. The circular caused change from
the ftadUster 10 the democratic side upon eeCtion
daS he democrats relied OH tie lace issue in the
Canvass
STIMULATING THE DEMOCRATIC VOTE.
MI c. l. Pritchard, OF Warren county. 30 miles
from Danvillc in the Shenandoah valley. WAS
called. Printed eXag@eratiCns OF the Danyiile riot
We're Circulated by runners the day before
eLectloh aid had the effect TO stimulate the demo
cratic party and 10 Change th. votes of Seiie of
the c0hIijiouStS. This effect grew OIL OF rcplesn
tations that line negroes were rising The D.nyille
circular also contributed TO this result
pANyIILE GRoCER'S ACCOUNT OF THE RIOT.
The republican side suspended examination at
this point, although few more witnesses remained
to be examined, and Senator Vance began the
examination in rebuttal by calling TO the witness
chair Peter '. Booth. a grocer OF Danyiiie.
He described the riot. lie saw the prelimi-
nary quarrel, and went to The Place \
c"tored and white man were 1igitng
with their fists. No weapons We're beng
uS'd- There were then about three white men ana
al least hundred and !iIty coorei men After the
Two nen were separated. witness turned To the
crowd of co.0red people and asked them 10 leave.
They refused and pistols, saying they had
been m.@used and would not leave. me witness
knew some OF the colored people. one named Redl
had pistol Witness did not know the names Of
any Others who had pistols. Witness went among
the colored people. and with several Others whom
he NAMED, tried TO get the colored people to dis
ItlSt NltUt-SS WIS lCl dTlffu. W men the nrliiI
began there were about fifteen whites ANA about
two hundred co!Ored men. There no alignment
or the whites. Heard no command 10 fire.
Witness did not see the whites when they
first fired. his back being turned There
would have been 10 possibility OF missing the
crowd OF blacks il the whites had been seeking to
XIII them. Witness colOred Inen fire. Witness
fully believed that ii the whites had not fired they
would all have been murdered. The whites ceased
firing when the negroes began to run Some or the
negroes turned they ran and fired back. Wit
ness never heard OF any preconcert TO bring about
a riot. In all the meetings attended 10y witness
the leaders cautioned their followers avoid riot
ing and violence. The election was a quiet one:
there never was Guieler one. Witness repeatedly
tried to get the coiored people TO VOTE but without
success. They said they didn't want TO vote Wit
ness heard portion OF Sims speech. In his opil-
ion il had great deal to do with raising the riot
Witness went out without pistol. After the
thing commenced he went back and got "a pistol
but the firing was over when he got back George,
ness said it was untrue. Witness did hot shoot at
any body.
Cross-eXamned by Senator Lapham: Witness
said II was Saturday afternoon. when negroes are
paid off and usually the street in large num-
berS When witness arrived on the ground Lee and
Taylor (white) had pistols drawn. Saw Redd. a
c0lored man, with a pistol. Witness named W al
terS Holland, George Lea and Bob Taylor. White
men, whom he saw with pistols among The white
rioters.
The crOSS-eXamnatiOn was continued at great
length, but without important Results.