The Indianapolis journal., 1884-01-11
THE MURDER OF MATTHEW'S.
How the Dead Man Was Regarded Before His
Death Became Political Necessity.

In simple justice to the memory OF my Hur-
dered father, J. P. Matthews trust you will al
low me to reply to the shameless and false state
ment of Congressman Barksdale which find in
your issue of December IA, 1888
First-Barksdae denies making the assertion
in his speech on the night preceding the election
that the Democrats should 'carry the election If
fhey had to do so at the muzzle of their guns;
and, to sustain him. he produces the certlhcate
of J. L. Meade, drHnken irresponsible dead
beat and leader of the mob which murdered
my father, and some others who were also IN
the mob There were many reputable citizens,
not in the mob, present, one. leading minister
of the gospel and man Of the highest character,
whom Barksdale does not call upon for certh-
cate. None would doubt his ability to procure
certifcateto to any falsehood from Meade, Wheeler
or their aiders and abetters IN
crime Barksdale knows that he not only stated
what has been attributed to him, but in the same
speech said of f, M. Bufkn a Republican mem
ber of supervisors of the county: 'You should
hang him so high that the birds of prey could
not bury their beaks in his carcass" And he
knows how nearly his advice was followed in this,
and how completely it was followed IN carrying
the election at the muzzle of the shotgun"
Second-Barksdale says my father was sheriff
during the Ames regime and accumulated large.
fortune; he banded the negroes against the whites
and taught them to hate and in every manner to
antagonize them as their enemies" etc Barks-
dale knows that my father was IN good CIR
cumstances when he went into the sheritfs
Office; that he was good business man; that
as an officer and man. outside OF being
Republican, he stood high with all He
knows that my father is the only sheriff
who has gone out of the Office in Copiah county
since the who has not been a defaulter it
being generally Democratic county. Barksdae
knows that Democrats Of the county repeatedly
insisted on my fathers becoming "a candidate for
sheriff on their ticket telling him if he would
that he could hold the office as long he wished.
He knows, what the record will show, that dur
ino dnniO ct,la4io VIII effOItS
were made to remove my father every promi-
nent Democrat in the county petitioned the Gov
to retain him speaking of him in the highest
terms as an officer and citizen. AS one of the
many evidences I could give of the falsity of
Barksdale's slanderous statement, here give in
full a letter addressed to my father by Judge Tim
E. Cooper now on the Supreme Bench written
after my father had been sheriff for many years,
and covering the Games regime"
CRYSTAL SPRINGS, Miss, June 27, 1871.
J. p. Matthews, ESD:
Dear Sr-Your favor received. herewith nclose
you bond from the claimant for the property levied
on regret, as l am sure do many of your friends
beside me that our difference in political views makes
it necessary for to vote against you in your cand
daey fs the office which you have filled so acceptaby
TO all classes in the county So far as my feeling to-
ward you a and officer concerned they are
of the ndest and is only the cursed principles of
the extreme of the Republican party which makes
It absolutely necessary to defeat the organization of
the party in this canvass that makes the office for
has more faithfully and honestly filed Office than
you. more acceptably to the people
am happy to be able to say the same thing in
gard TO Harvey and while l expect to work against
your party and vote against both of you yet sat
isfed that except your id politics you both
good men as we can select from our side These are
my honest sentiments, and the only ones expect to
express. Your friend ETC. TIM K. COOPER.
Barksdae knows that the Democratic Tax
payers League in 1873, had my fathers books
as sheriff investigated by committee of Dem
ocrats and the report of that committee was
that the books were correct.
Do not these strong facts crush forever every
aspersion which Barksdale would cast upon the
memory of my father, aud need l follow his
shameless ISLANDERS furtherl One would have
thought that this congressman would scarcely
nave referred to the 'Ames regime" when it is
remembered that it was during this re
gimeT that Barksdale, then editor of the Clarion,
bargained and intrigued with the Pilot (Ames's
organ) for a division of the public printing in
such way that it is claimed the State was de-
frauded out of many thousand dollars If his
record during this regime was as free from
suspicion and taint as my fathers he would be
fortunate.
Third-Barksdale says: Matthews went to
the polls with pistol in hand and was killed"
Now the three judges of the election COXwen,
Bankstone and Hamilton-two of whom
Democrats-befOre whose eyes the murder was
committed have already publicly stated that this
is not true and that no pistol was visible until
after the murder, when it was taken from my
fathers body. No living man will state to the
contrary Does this falsehood need further
answer? .
Fourth---Again, he says that in a speech before
a crowd of negroes my father denounced
Democrats Of Copiah, when standing at his side
was negro with shotgun in his hand Now
he does not state where this speech was made,
or who are the number of respectable citizens"
who verify it; indeed Barksdale knows, as every
honest man in the county knows, that there
is not a, shadow of truth in the statement.
My father made but four speeches during
the canvass, two at Hazlehurst and two in
no {r1 Nov Raplyc1a1a 10 10
tell the public where this speech was made and
who were the respectable citizens who gave him
the information! If not will the public not be
justified in believing that this, like other similar
statements, is a coinage of his own brain and
shameless slander on the memory of man he
has aided in having murderedl
Fifth-Again, Barksdale alludes to it as per-
sonal difficulty between Wheeler and nv father
The murderer himself has since the murder
stated that there had been no i'll feeling between
himself and my father: but a short time before
he had taken tea at our house; he has now an
open account at our store; but few weeks be-
fore he had solicited my father to support him
for mayor The last person in life to whom my
father spoke was Wheeler When he came to-
ward the polls, they, IN pleasant manner, spoke
together until Wheeler said: print if / were
you would not vote to-day, and in one moment
afterward shot him down because he did vote.
Indeed, it is now an open secret that lots
were drawn as to who should be selected to
carry into effect the resolution which had been
given my father the day before by the mob,
mot to vote, and to kill him if he attempted to
do So" The lot to do the bloody work fell to
Wheeler and it was only to do the behest of his
party that he did the deed
Sixth-iarksdale says, in his effort to exoner-
ate the Governor, that the sheriff apprehend-
ing riot telegraphed the Governor for troops;
that the Governor responded by ordering com
pany Of militia to the scene but recalled the
der before the troops left the capital" Yes, he
did recall the troops but did he not send the
State arms down to be placed in the hands of a
mob, headed by Meade Wheeler, and others?
college ON the train with these arms. which had
been put on at jackson and were distributed as
stated on their arrival at Hazlehurst, and they
have been in the hands of the same men since,
under pretence of riot, but in reality in the in
Il