The Red Cloud chief., 1884-03-07

SVIlhENSN OOllkAUESs
4 Review Of the Testimony Taken BY the
Senate Investigating Committee An
Organized Conspiracy to Kill or Lash
Republican votcrs-The Situation Worse
Than the Committee Expected to Find
1t.
A New Orleans special of February
81 to the Philadelphia Press gives the
following review of the evidence taken
up Il that time by the Senate Commit
tee appointed to investigate alleged
political outrages in Mississippi:
In the six days testimony which it has oc-
cupied in listening to some Atty witnesses the
Mississippi Investigating Committee has as
certaincd a state of facts worse than its mem
beers expected to find. 1t has been amply
proven that last fall the elections were car
ried by the BOurbons only after a reign of
terror by mobs, headed by Democratic poll
ticians and abetted by Congressman and
State officials from the Governor down.
In some counties the Independents were
counted put; in others they withdrew their
tickets the week before election. In COpiah,
where q few brave men were AT the head OF
the oppoSiti on, the Democrats drove the ne
grOes to.the woods by numbering some and
whipping others. broke up Independent meet
4 hA' Stioh ~ OetNy ~
regularly-organized and armed mob. disre-
garded all the appeals of peaceablc people for
the punishment Of these crimes. held public
meetings approving the use of force, picketed
the ~po:ling-places with armed men, drove
away Republican officers of cleo ion. and no
:ined their leaders not to go to the polls
POOR FA1E-
The strongest and best Republican in the
county. a man whom every witness, including
Democrats and c.ergymIen. has testified was
IN honorable, peaceful and wealthy man, was
notified not to vote. He expressed his intcn-
ton of doing SO. The mob under the lead OF
the Chairman of the Democratic Committee
drew lots to see who should murder him ut the
polling place. Knowing that ne was in dam
ger, but persiSting in voting. he was unre>iSt-
ingly murdered by the chosen assassin. an old
personal friend.
No sooner was il lone than the news was
telegraphed all over the country that Mat
thews was killed. and the victorious DemOcra-
cy drove OF Republicans. threatening them
with Matthews fate. a few weeks later the
murderer is chosen City Marshal, sent as q
delegate to a Prohibitory convention, and be-
comes q prominent candidate before the Leg.
tslature TOR the position of Commissioner OF
Railroads.
None of the criminals are punished. Grand
Juries. ministers of the Gospel. Sherlfis,
Mayors and practic.ng attorneys are silent
Arson and murder are not considered crime.
The best men in the community swore that,
while they Bid not approve of these proceed
in2s, they did not dare to object on account
OF universal terrorism. They adopted u more
civilized plan in Kinds County, as testiEei 10
by observation-disclosures Ware. "Wha'"'
demanded Senator Salisbury. "Over there
they counted the Republicans out. Do you
cali that civilized. =. Yes, compared with
deliberate murder. as 1t was in Copiah." was
Wares reply.
Nc one can doubt that there was in,imiia-
ton. Thomas Sinclair, a very inteiligen. col
orei man, who was a candidate tor Secretary
of state in 1869 as a Democrat, did not dare re-
main IN the county. and went TO Jackson at
election time. He had been Il Democrat until
two years ago. but he left that party because
he thinks they mean to eXrerIninate the ne
grOes. II was q slave" he said, land by hard
work / have accumulated money enough 10
buy l,UG acres of land with stock. with u steam
mill. but had to sell for half the assessed value
and leave the county," lie has taken 10 part
in politics of late. but he does not feel safe.
thorough system of terroriZatiOn pervad-
ed, the armed mob driving the cOlored men to
the woods. and on election day forming aCor-
don of men with shot guns about the polls. so
that many independent INSPECTORS refused TO
act and hardly any of their party voted. The
murder of Matthews was telegraphed and
sent to every pO!!in.-place. causing great Joy
among the democrats. and convincing thor
opponents thht IL was no use to vote. we
are going 10 carry this county, no matter ii
We have to Kill men, as testified 10y II dozen
witnesses, was the current tulk among tie
Democrats. Matthews. the most prominent
Independent in the county, was selected to
be butchered as an example for the rest
Richard Cogswell, Inspector of the Election.
testified that he saw Matthews shot. He was
i'm the room with i've Democrats. The moment
he deposited his ballot Wheeler shot him de ad.
Wheelers sOn-in-law. also armed, was keeping
guard at the do )r. All the Testimony shows
that the killing was a deliberate plot. logs
well had heard some one SLY that Matthews
carried a pistol to shoot Democrats with. II
don't blame him if he did, blurted out Sem
ator Frye. But that is all the evidence so far
in that direction On the other hand, Noah
Ramsey. a young white man, swore that he
heard Wool. Democratic candidate for Cor
oner. say the day before election that Mat
thews would be killed anyway. and so
would his brother If the latter was elected
Sheriff.
Henry Hodges. said, ut Tailhola. when the
news of the murder came: Il have known for
n week it was going to he DONE" Walter y.
Ware. q DemOcr ttic StOre-keeper at Halle
hurst. sworc that Mead. Chairman of the Dem
6cratic Committee. told him that. in accord
snce with agreement with a democratic club,
he had ordered q cannon fired as soon as Mat
thews was shot: ne had advised Matthews to
leave, but the latter hal been rOmised pro-
lection by the Sheriff. Sheriff Hargraves has
been accused of trying 10 deputiZe Matthews
to quiet the mob, in order to have him shot.
Williamson. the Democratic Mayor of Halle
hurst, testified that he does not think that
Hargrayes did it solely for that urpose
Ut. Cameron. a wcl-to-do merchant at
jackson, saw Wheeler in Il street-car Febru-
ary IA, and heard him say 10 a young man:
"HOar's is coming down here. If
] get a crack at him I'll kill him, too. l tod
Matthews not to vote. but he did. and | killed
him. , did not do il of my own accord, but
for the Democratic party. IL fell 10 my let,
and i am the man VINO OlO Tue dirty work
Finally DIR. A. +. Pitts. a cousin to Wheeler.
after a long series of questions, admitted,
though reluctantly. that soon after the cleo
ton Wheeler acknowledged 10 him that he
killed Matthews simply because he ha been
chosen by the Democratic regulars.
When u Baptist minister of Hazlehurst,
named Lomax, was on the stand he said he
was Il Democrat. Nothing could turn him
from his devotion to his acknowledgements.
He had heard of Matthews being killed, but
was not prepared to call il a murder. He
found it Was not safe to express an opinion in
public. and would not do so. AT a meeting of
PrOhibitiOnists the present month, the major
ity being Democrats, they had voted to send
Wheeler to Jackson rs Il representative to in
duce the Legislature to grant u PIOhibitOry
law to Copiah County. He thought Matthews
Y fair representative citizen, although u DEM
Ocrat. He sad he would not vote for an in.
6dei.
How about murderers;' asked Mr.. Hoar.
The question was evaded. The
was anxious to ascertain the popular feeling
in LOpiah. LImax said: If think the mem
hers of the mob are generally law-abiding, |
orderly citizens. 1t includes the most respect |
able and influential Democrats. as q general
thing. l think our people may be opposed to |
the mob rule. l never heard any one de-
nOunce Matthews killing much: some dissp-
privately he thought il best not to do it."
BAHKSDAIES SPEECH.
Congressman BarkSdalc is shown to have
made u speech u dyising the mob which parad-
ed and then attended in q body TO carry the
election. no matter what the issue. and ex-
pressed his hope that Frank Bufin, an active
Republican, would be hanged 80 high the