Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-02-26
THE DANVILLE RIOT.
Testimony of COlOred Witnesses To.
day.

A coLoRED WITNESS WHO SAW TWO WHITE MEN
LOADING 125 SHOT GUNS THE DAY BEFORE THE
ELECTION.
The first witness called this morning before the
Senate committee on privileges and elections was
Stephen Long tcolored.) Was not down town In
Danviile at the time OF the firing on November 3d.
On November 2d he was at SchOolfleld:s hardware
store, and saw two white men loading about los
double-barreed guns. Saw no pistols there Had
seen guns In the store before, but not that manv
Did not know the men who were loading guns.
Could not tell whether they were CLERKS or out
slderS. DID not hear them say that there was
going to be riot. When be lett Schooreld's store
he went to another hardware store to buy pocket
knife; Saw white man there loading double
barrelled guns. gentleman came in and asked
the man what he was going to do. The man re-
piled that he was going to kill all the damned
sentence; did not know either OF the men
THE WHITE FOLKS GOING TO RULE THE TOWN IF
THEY had TO KILL ALL THE NIGGERs
Rufus Hatchett {colored) testified that he was In
vass' hardware store on the first Monday In &C.
tober. In came Mr.. Fox, and said to vass: "Isnt
this town in dreadful fix? 2" vass said s.Yes. W.
are not going to stand it. Before we stand It we
are going to Shed blood" Then Fox went OUT and
Charlie Holland came In and said to vass Isn't
them boys come YETI" Vass said: Mot yet, but I
have the bill of lading for them. am expecting
them on every train ! ordered 5O0n Then Mr.
Gerst came In, and said II the boys" did not come
soon there would not be any time Tor practice
Witness was at the post Office the Friday before
the riot, and he heard white man say: ''The white
all the niggers." Witness detailed a conversation
which he held with Capt Graves on election day,
In which the latter said that the riot had taken
place three days before he expected and that IL f.
broke out again the White people were going to
tor Vance, In regard his visit to vass store and
his quaint explanation OF the meaning he had
a!aeaed 10 IN me word boys was very amusing
made man with q little mouStache around here ~
| tstrok1ng his chtn).
BULLETS AND BALLOTS.
Manuel Harvey tcolored) said that he was at work
upon new warehouse on the day OF the riot heard
the nre bells ringing, and after that the pistols
nring but did not leave work until six O'clock He
old not vote because he had been used TO voting
with ballot. and there were so many pistols
around that day that he was afraid he would have
10 Vote Win bullet. He didn't want to do that
WHAT JAMES BRUCE SAW AT DANvIILE.
James Bruce (colored), was present in Danv1lle
on the day OF the riot He saw fifty or sixty col
ored people standing in the middle of the street
and about fifteen or twenty white men standing on
sons armed. Heard somebody say "get off the
street" and he got OF the street This was before
the en- b, %'s began When The
set Of sQutbs fired Off The people came rushing
| fore the election witness passing the demo-
cratic club room and heard some one, he thought
henry BarkSuale, say that the democrats intended
TO carry the election by fair means or foul
William Jackson lcolOred9 also gave description
OF the riot.
BARBER WHO DID NOT TALK MUCH.
| Acolored barber, Fillmore Hughes, was the next
witness He was an intelligent looking young man,
but the examination failed to elicit anything OF in
terest His testimony was evidently disappointing
TO the examiner, senator Lapham, VINO INQUIRED
| whether he had told anybody about what he would
testify to-an inquiry to which the witness re-
6pOndod with an emphatic negative.
Henry Reed (colore0 briefly described his expert
ence In the riot.
The committee then took recess until two
o'clock