St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-04-01
THE DANVILLE RIOT.
The Riot Said Motto be Premeditated
Affair.
The Negroes Began the Shooting and tn,
Whites Clipped in.
But the White Carpet Baggers Caused al
the Disturbance.

WASHINGTON, March BE. Enright
| (white) testified before the Danville COM
mittee that he left the Opera house with
James L. Johnson, who, according to the
| previous witnesses, was said to have killed
two colored men during the riot Witness
said he was with Johnson during the riot
and Johnson did not fire at all.
! ]. E. Parkinson (white) said, there was
firing on both sides. Five or six shots were
fired by the cOlored people.
| T. j. Thompson saw pistols in the hands
of the colored men, about as many as in the
hands Of the whites.
r. L. Osborn heard one colored man say
when the officers were trying to disperse
them, 'We mean to fight Saw them fire
over their shoulders as they ran. One negro
said he was not satisfied with this thing, and
should not be until he saw Danville burned
down.
Charles H. Conrad, tobacco manufacturer,
Danville, was standing behind Captain
Graves, with his eye on Captain Graves pis-
tol, at the time he was said to have shot Geo.
Adams. Witness stated positively that
Graves did not fire the shot which wounded
Adams. He was chairman in the Democrat
ic Ward club, and in position to know
there was no generalization in bringing on
riot.
In the course OF his cross examination by
Sherman, the witness asserted, with much
earnestness, that it was mistake to suppose
there was prejudice against the negroes. The
prejudice was against the low down whites,
the scum of the earth, that came down there
from the north, the men who got the negroes
into trouble and then deserted them.
Senator Sherman asked, Ii negro, under
any circumstances stood any chance of get
ting their right to elect offices there being in
the majority.
Eyes, sir, if they vote with me.''
That's it if they vote with you"
.''You will never see it as long as YOU live.
nor as long as / live either, that Il set OF men
who own property and are trying to build up
Il town, and husband their resources, and ac-
cumulate wealth, will ever let negroes come
in and control that town. You may just set
that down as a sure thing.'
That is, the deliberate purpose of property
holders to prevent that"
$ say it emphatically, but only by fair
means"
g But you have already told US, the major
ity of those who own property will not allow
that government to pass from their hands
into the negroes hands, and worse still, into
the hands OF this poor white scum"
''Well, We despise those wore than the ne
groes, and worse than the devil.n
D. K. Richardson, white, was called.
Saw one colored man shoot twice.
George NJ. Hubbard, white, was patrolling
during the night with others, and shots were
fired at the party and returned. Witness
was wounded in the leg. His horse was
wounded by the same shot.
Green Williams, chief of police, Danyille,
examined. He saw the riot from a short
distance and saw the shooting from both direc
tons. Before the election he heard Squire
Tolliver, colored, make a speech, in which he
advised his auditors TO go to the polls with
loaded arms. People did not 60 hunting
squirrels with empty arms. The audience
chcered. The witness described the threats
which had been made by the colored men
against them fellows who should vote the
Democratic ticket. The witness named the
men to whom these threats were made, and
from whom he received his information.
James Woods, city sergeant, Danvilie,
Republican, described his efforts to restore
and preserve peace. He was satisfied the
riot was sudden ebullition, not a premedi
tated affair. On cross examination witness
said it would not have been safe to call out
the colored militia. He thought it would pre-
vent violence to put the Democratic party in
control He thought it would aggravate feel
ing to put colored men on the peace list.
Adjourned.