The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-10-07
fs6n tAs New York ssal
ELOKaDA CA3PEr.UA0GERs.
Hs'o Honest and Respectable csasens re-e Impris-
oassd on tho Tsssmony Of Wortaless Negroes
Biabets Findictiusaess--R gckcd JMries

Hs;o Honest ard Respectable cstissns rere I'"pris
o,'sd 0" tho Testimony Of Worthless Negroes
BGabeFs PiRdsctiueacss- Pscked Hrses.
LIVE OAK, FLA, July 26.-Iu 1871 the carpet.
baggers used the entire machinery of the United
States Courts to perpetrate n gross and indefen
sible outrage upon one Of the most respected clti
zens OF the State. 1t was committed in the sa
cred name Of justice without the shadow OF JUS
tice and showed to what lengths these disrepu
table political adventures would go in order Il
crafty their hatred of the Southern people and
to obtain a still further hold on the affections o
the negroes.
In the beautiful little town of Quincy was nv
ing A. K Allison, an old and we'll known citizen
who had held honorable place in the history OF
the State. He had been identified with its every
interest," was foremost In all projects OF enter
prise and progress, was esteemed Dy MS neign-
| bors, and was in every respect most worthy
gentleman. No man in the county bore higher
Or more unblemshed character. During the
rule Of the COnfcderacy he was an active mem
Der of the Legislature and in its waning DAYS
| President of the State Senate The Governor ol
the State at that time proud old South
| erner. OF pfncely wealth. he had thrown him
| self heart and soul and all he possessed into
the struggle. Seeing in these last days that ruin
was TO be his portion, he preferred to die rather
than face the destruction of all that had made life
Governor then and by this sad death A. X. ALI
son became Governor of The State, and served
| until ii passed under military rule.
| In the fall of 1870 Congressional election was
| held. Among other places Quincy had The eX-
| IRENE honor of polling large colored vote. In
| order to accommodate negro voters and to pre-
| vent crowdinV and quarreng as Ia precedence,
rallied way was extended TO the window, and
| the voters stood in line two by TWO, waiting
their turn to vote. A large number ot deputy
| marshas and deputy sheriffs were present, and
| for time all went quietly and well. Then two
| sweating negroes, with the insOlcnce that utimes
distngu ishes them, went 10 the front ct the line
and tried 10 force their way IN ahead of the 9TH
| ers. Vi course this led to II row. Knowing the
| dreadful consequences that would result from II
general riot, several of the white citizens inter
| tered in the interests %! peace. Among those
| who did so was Governor Allison. He Told the
| two negroes that they must take their place in
| the lines the rest had done, and explained
| them the necessity of 80 doing. No blows were
struck and no damage Was done. Moral suasion
| WAS the only weapon used The TWO negroes
went away swearing the most diretul vengeance
Governor Allison, having been actuatrd 10y
only the best of motives had no tear Of the
suit. After the election these two negroes went
before United States Commissioner and swnre
that Governor Allison had, by threats and vo
ence, caused them I" lose their votes How terri
bile these threats really were can be readily per
CelVeQ WncG TX is stated lna III lne pnllS WncTe
this awful intimidation prevailed the negroes out
numbered the whites about twenty 10 one.
From the necessities OF the case the grand juries
in those days were OF a rather low order. Gov
ernOr Allison was promptly indicted and
brought 10 trial The session OF The United
States Court was in Tallahassee. Philip Frazer
the presiding Judge The United States
District Attorney was "A Maine Yankee O5i-bcel
and one OF the most bitter and vndictive carpet
baggers that ever cursed the Stale A jury was
empaneed. and the farce of Justice began. The
District Attorney insisted that The lest oath be-
applied, and all ex-Contederatcs were ruled ont
of the jury box. 1t Was an infamous demand.
for il meant plainly enough that in his opinion,
every Confederate was a liar and II scnundrel,
unworthy of belief even upon oath. BY very
strange coincidence the majority Of hangers-On
around the court happened to be negroes and
carpet-baggers, and of this material the new jury
was formed. 1t was jury organized to convict.
a jury in whose hands the lite and liberty OF no
white Democrat would have been safe
One of witnesses for the defence WAS wild,
impClsjve lrishman, who allowed his feelings To
get the better oil his judgment, AMI INDUCED in
a passionate denunciation OF carpet bau gers in
general. He thus ruined his at the start.
OF course, the negro witnesses swore to every.
thing that was necessary 10 secure cOnvlC-
ton. The negro did not value his oath halt a,
much as he did slice of watermelon, and would
have lied at any time for the latter The cards
one result This hOnored and respected citizen
of rich and generous county Was convicted
and sentenced to SIX months confinement in The
common Jail of Leon county. The sheriff of the
county was a gallant soldier from Michigan,
and a noble hearted man all through He treated
his distinguished prisoner like honored guest.
and granted him privileges that might have lost
him his official position. But the shame and hui
initiation were 80 great that those concerned in
the prosecution of this innocent gentleman had
no wish to see the matter revived in any shape
Judge and sheriff have long since gone to their
reward. Governor Allison is living in hOnored
retirement In Gadsden county, and the District
Attorney, with no residence in the Stale, is
perpetual candidate for Congress in The Second
District of Florida.
II was the desire of the carpebaggers to
make shining examples of the more prominent
OF the Democrats. OF course they were glad of
any chance to prosecute any Soulhcrncr, either
high or low, but their cup OF Joy was filled to
overflow ing, when ON the oath of some negro
convict, they could bring gentleman of respec-
liability before the bar Of so-callrd justice The
Republican leaders knew thai they were despised
even by some of those who were forced for
time tO march under their banner, much more
so by The people among whom they had raised
the standard Of oppression and plumber Proba-
bly, realizing their own innate vicOuSness they
were uusparng in the use of The bower they
then possessed, to bring annoyance and expense
upon men infinitely their superors. Governor
Allison was not the only victim of their tOal
lack OF principle; other prominent white men
suffered, although not 10 the same extent The
records of the various United States Commits
sOners and Clerks OF United States Courts in
Florida for the past sixteen years would uncover
an amazing amount of injustice.
After one election 10 Columbia on the oath Of
disreputabe and irresponsible negroes the carpet
baggers hauled before the courts the Hon. Sias
L. Niblack and other prominent citizens of Lake
City. The charge was for intmdatng negro
voters, but Niblacks real crime was that he had
the audacity to be elected to Congress over the
Republican nominee These men were all torn
frnm their families at night by deputy marshals
who have hardly been allowed in gentlemans
kiic en-. When they arrived in Jacksonville
and were brought before the courts, the evidence
| was OF such himsy nature that they were dis
| charged. They had the almost inestimable priv
| lege of paying all their own expenses while in
| town, and their travelling expenses to their re-
| spective homes There was no redress, no apol
Ogy. All that the victims could do was to suffer
| patiently, and wait for the verdict of time
From Marion county, Colonel Robert Bullock,
| a prominent lawyer and an honest, upright gen
| tleman, was put through the same course of
| treatment that Niblack had received He was
| candidate for the Legislature. This consid-
| cred crime in the eyes of the ruling powers OF
the Florida wing of the grand old party A ne.
| gro readily found 10 swear evidence and
| intimidation, and Colonel Bullock was hurried
| to Jacksonville to answer for the hideou. crime
Of being u while man and Il Democrat The
charges against him and his friends were nor
| sustained, aud they also were allowed To return
| home al their own expense