National Republican., 1884-02-22

yankee city" witness dld nob tnlhk tnaV
ladies and gentlemen were any more i'm
poded In their travel Oh tho streets Of Dan-0
Vile than they arc in crowded streets OF
other cities. The charge made in the cirou-
lar is untrue. The negroes there are defer
ontial to white people. The witness ap-
pointed two white democrats to NIL the places
Of the two magistrates whom he removed,
and they still hold the Offices No mention
is made Of that fact in the circular. Witness
never heard hoard OF the plan, mentioned in
the circular, to take large negro settlement
into the city of Danyille. Witness was not
aware that there was any awful
wretchedness and humiliation" caused
by negro rule In Danville. The cir
cular was never circulated in Danville.
The witness charged the grand jury specially
concerning the Danville riot He told them
to inquire carefully into tho whole matter,
to discover how many were wounded and
killed, and for the sake OF law and good
order, to indict such persons as they found
guilty. BY tho law of Virginia the action
of Noel Taylor, aud Lea amounted to a riot.
The law on that point is the old English COM
mon law. There is great bitterness of foel-
ing, said the witness in Virginia on tho part
of the democrats against the coalitionists,
and it extends eAen to personal relations.
The witness himself had experienced it.
Men who were formerly cordial to him were
now treating him very coldly. This was not
generally true, but only of few men, and,
as he said, "it wasn't worth talking
about" The key note Of the last campaign,
the witness thought, was to excite race
prejudice and to draw tho color line.
If Sims denounced the gentlemen, whom
| witness knew, as perjurers aud liars he cer-
tainly did them an injustice, and, in the
opinion Of Witness the gentlemen so de-
nounced would have been justified in giving
Mr. Sims "a whaling" Witness never knew
Of any negroes being prosecuted or ostracised
| by their own race for voting the democratio
ticket. The first intimation he had Of any
thing of tho sort was contained in the test-
mony of q colored woman before this COM
| mittee. The witness did not think that either
); the United States courts or congress had any
jurisdiction in this matter, although he ad-
mitted that he was not constitutional law
| yer.
Witness thought any man might have
voted in Danville without molestation last
election day. He had never known Of any
intimidation Of colored voters until the last
election, If then. He did not think that tho
majority Of white citizens of Danville had
arranged for the riot with premeditaton in
order to intimidate the blacks, but he sup
| posed there were bad men there who were
very glad that the thing happened and
helped it on.
Concerning one paragraph in the circular,
Judge Lapham asked whether the witness
considered 1t fair statement.
| II do not" said the witness. II don't
think that anything in that circular was
ever intended to be a fair statement"
| Judge Blackwell was cross-examned in de-
tail as to the circular, the aim of Senator
Vance seeming to be to make him admit the
literal truth of certain statements, which
were in effect misleading to people ignorant
of Danville affairs, as were the people to
whom the circular was addressed.
Capt. w. p. Robinson, an intelligent white
man, agent for Baltimore guano company
and residing at Danville testified concerning
circular in his hand and said that it had not
been circulated in Danville, and that it con-
tanned forty lies. He said it was directed to
the valley and southwestern part OF Virginia.
He had got his copy from Washington as
none had ever been seen in Danville. Ho
read the circular section by section and
commented upon it. The witness then
took tho circular to refresh his memory,
and told, in effect, what Col. Sims said
of each section. Concerning each para
graph Senator Sherman asked the witness
his own opinion, which agreed every time
with the statement OF Col. Sims and the testi
mony of Judge Blackwell just given. 1t ap.
peared that under readjuster rule half the
stalls in the market were rented to colored
and half to white men. The democrats came
into power in November, and in January the
stalls were relet, rs usual, at public auction
| WIN inc r05ulU UndU tnree more negroes nave
stalls under democratic rule than under
readjuster control. Witness did not know OF
any complaint being made by the people OF
Danville of the acts of the coalition council,
except of the appointment Of the negro
policeman. 1t was very repugnant to the
democrats that negro should hold
any office at all, although they formed
a large majority of the population. Their
papers declare that no negro shall be ap.
pointed to any office. Concerning the insults
to white ladies mentioned in the circular, the
witness said that it could not possibly be
true for the negro would be killed as soon as
a white man could pull the pistol, which al
of them carried. Any magistrate would
have punished the offenders to the full extent
of his power. The one negro magistrate was
more severe than his brother white magis-
trates. The witness was magistrate Of Dan
vile, and no complaint was made to him
of insults by negroes offered to white ladies'
"It's all a humbug," said the witness, "about
negroes preventing white men from register
ing or voting. 1t could not be done" The
negroes were quiet aud submissive and more
deferential than white people, although there
are "bad niggers" among them who curse
and fight among themselves. Witness trav.
eled about the country considerably and
talked with the tobacco raisers. They told
him that Durham was paying more for to-
bacco than Danville. He never heard of any
refusal to sell their product in Danville OF
account of negro rulo there, as was charged in
the circular.
"Was there any feeling of apprehension
among the coalitionists of Danvile about
votingW
81 was appointed judge of election, and
after the riot declined to act"
The witness, by that event, learned some
thing of the bitter ness of feeling among the
democrats, and it was published in demo.
cratic papers that leaders would be killed II
any trouble arose. and he thought if he acted
rs Judge he might either be killed or COM
PEELED to kill somebody else. As evidence
of tie bitterness Of political feeling in Dan
vile, the witness gave description of an
assault made up II him by two white men
beceuse no voted for negro candidates
for the council. He was prepared
for them, and they made nothing out of it.
He was again assaulted by white man, who
called him dog because he was n readjuster
He told his assailant when the insult was
given that he would not strike him because
he was past master Mason. When witnes,
was struck, however, he event in pretty
lively and knocked tho democrat down
three times. Then the policemen interfered
tu save tho democrat from further injury
The witness was not in Danville on the day
OF the riot, but arrived there that night He
saw the armed men patrolling the town, aud
it seemed to him the most foolish thing tha
could be done, for the negroes were com
pletely broken in spirit and had no notion o
injuring any one.
Have you been insulted since then on ac