The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-03-05
DANvILLE RIOT.
SUBCOMMITTEE AGAIN INVESTIGATING
John $. Wise Explain. His Kitchen Te.ti-
mony-pcnt Care to Take Issue with the
omcial Reporter. bat Revises that on
cars wsk-The Mayor OF Danvilie ON
the stand-Other Witnesses Testify.


WASHINGTON, March 4.-The Danyill'
investigation was resumed this morning
BIZ. sherman said that Mr.. Wise WISHED
70 make correction in hfs testimony or Il
make an additional statement.
Mr.. wise, taking the witness chair, said
Wniie ne did not wish to make any issue
win the official reporter In regard TO th,
language imputed to him In connection
WIN the visits Of the colOred members o.
the Legislature TO his house. still as gen
erai statement Of his dealings with the
members OF the Legislature the report die
MIN injustice. What he referred TO was {
particular instance OF q person who had
come to his house TO see his mother and
had called upon him to talk with him. lie
mentioned 1t not as a reflection upon then
IN any sense, but to illustrate that that mar
in that position was less eXacting than q
white person similarly situated would
probably have been. Before he began bi'
testimony he had asked the reporter Ia
submit notes TO him for insertion OF tho
tables, &c.
Senator Vance: "Well, now, Mr.. Wise
| wish TO ask you. sir. how are we to I'm.
derstanC YOU in relation to this correction
DO you SAY that the statement which the
reporter made is not what you said, or that
! 1t is not what you wished or intended to
J says?
| Mr.. Wise: g say this, sir ! don't care
to make an issue with the reporter as 10
whether he took nv exact words or not.
say do not believe he did. At the same
time, pursuant to what had been the un-
derstanding from the moment testified, !
revised it for the reason that before spoke
n word told him desired 10 revise the
testimony and put in tabulated statements. -
Senator Sherman said that when Mr..
Wise first applied TO him for leave 20 re-
wise his statement he (Shorman) told him
he thought he would be allowed the usual
privilege accorded 10 members OF Congress
: to revise his testimony.
Mr.. Wise said he would like to add one
sentence more lin so far rs my tcstimo-
ny is sought to convey the impression that
| made a discrimination between colored
and white members OF the Legislature rs a
rule in their communication with me, it
does them and me injustice. | have always
treated an official call upon me, by whom
soever made, without any discrimination
whatever, and always expect to do So"
The following is the official report OF his
remarks, which Mr.. Wise revised: "The
IdNl tilGl N-ltt Will NV III hONN
not mean that invite them to nv house.
! could not do such a thing in Virginia and
maintain any social standing. There is no
such condition there. Black members OF
the Legislature have come to consult me as
to politics, and they go to my kitchen and
send up their message, and 90 to the back
yard and see them "
Mr.. Wi>e's revision is as follows: "The
O., lot I fNof,, ,,nIiffoolIx
not mean that invited them TO my house
socially. / could not do such thing IN
Virginia and maintain any social Standing,
and there is no such condition. For eX-
ample, a black member Of the Legislature
came to consult me as to politics. You
would have thought that, being a member
OF the Legislature, he would have gone to
the front door, but he went to the kitchen,
his mother being cook, and sent up his
message, and went to the back yard"
j. j. Verser (white) was called. He was
DEPUTY collector of internal revenue. He
said that about ten days or two weeks be-
fore the election he was passing a store,
when Graves, its proprietor, stopped HIM
and began talking politics. He said they
were gong to carry the city and county.
Graves SAID he was friend of the witness
and wanted to give him q piece OF advice.
He advised witness to stay pretty close to
his room on eleclion-day, as there was go
ing to be trouble, and he did not want to
see him hurt. The next day II. III. Wool
folk (DemocraO stopped him and told him
there was going to be trouble; that il wit
ness remained in town he would surely be
killed. Voolfolk advised witness to go to
the country. J. Il. WestbrOoks. on the
night before the election, told witnes. that
the Democrats had made up their minds to
carry the election. They Ecould not stand
Malone and Niger rule any longer"
After the election Westbrooks said TO wit
ness: "Jim, what told you came true,
but it came three days earlier than we eX-
pected." Witness saw armed Democrats
at the polls on electiOn-day, and that COL
ored men were afraid TO go TO the polls in
consequence.
Charles Wooding (colored) was called.
He met Mr.. Lea on Sunday night. and was
advised by him to go home. Witness re-
torted that he had as good right to be on
the street as any other man. Lea said that
they Ube DemocratS) were going to carry
the election any way, il they e." had to Kill
the last id Niger in the county"
Walter Gay (mulatto) was called. He
heard the speech Of Sims, and did not en-
dorse il. lie thought the circular could
have been condemned in better way.
Some OF its signers were good and reputa-
BILE men, who had attached their names
without being fully acquainted with its con-
tents. Witness believed that had it not
been for the rio. the ReddiuSterS would
have carried the town. The cOlOred peo-
pie were united in the ReIdiuster cause.
They were so united because 1t was natu-
raj for them to unite against party which
denied them their political rights. He
knew OF no secret organization among the
colOred people.
Daniel Digger (white) was called. He
described the riot. He saw Hatcher fire
the first shot, and believed that but for that
shot no negroes would have been killed
that day. lie knew Hatcher had denied
having been armed. Witness knew as
well as he knew be lived that Hatcher had
n pstol and fired it. Witness voted the
straight Democratic ticket. He saw nothing
on the day of the riot to indicate that the
whites were in danger. Nothing which he
saw justified the statement that the
whites fired in self-defence. The riot
was uncaIled for. 1t was brought about
by nulSCTett young Hlch' iuC $50"
citizens Of Danville did not sanction ii.
About one hundred shots were fired during
the riot. Had they been shot with preci-
sion at least fifty negroes would have been
killed. Had witness been included In
Sims's criticisms he would have he'll the
Colonel personally responsible for his re-
marks. The colored men were in the habit
of carrying arms. Colored men had drawn
their pistols on him, "The razor" said
the witness, ais very formidable weapon
with the blacks" Knew Of that part Of
Danville called " HELPS Half Acre."
Thought it was about as near hell as was
possible. The section so called is inhabit-
ed by low colored men and women.
A recess was taken from 1880 p. NJ. to