Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-26

hitted that ReadJuster speakers had been
incorporate in their language. but iusti-
Ieu nN y as pelng In reply to Bourbon abuse,
Washington to Virginia, nor aid he know
OF any assessments being levied upon
once holders during the last cam
palgn. The facts of the DanviIIa
Riot had been exaggerated. but its
outcropping had not. 1t had been reDre-
senle9 oy the whites as negro uprising,
ana ana the whites had been appealed to to
ASSIST their fellows in danger with their
votes. This had aided to secure a Dem
oeratic victory.
NIRGINIAs REAPPoRTIoNAIENT.
In reply to Mr.. Sherman the witness
said that the present Legislature had
taken steps to steal the State for an time
by changing the election law. Fifteen
keadJuster members of the Legislature
had been elected and some of their sue
cessOrs had not even made contest. Mr..
wise said that he did not advocate social
Intercourse between the races. No negro
nad ever presumed to claim social privi-
leges, by reason of political affiliations.
with him. The colored members of the
Legislature came to his house to consult
MN, but they always came to his kitchen.
lie did not suppose that Mr.. Tilden adj
mltted to his parlOr the wharf rats and riff
ran OF New York who voted the Demo-
cratic ticket. Mr.. Wise said that there
naq been no disturbance on election dav
IN virginia. He had failed to keen one Of
MS appointments during the canvass
that at Observation-Disclosures of infor-
nation that there would be trouble. He
was willing to die, but Manchester was
tne last place he would select to die in.
ne had no doubt that there would have
oeen a very disgraceful scene if he had
gone. The Democrats of that town had
afterwards marched with a transparency.
It's wise man who knows when to
come to Manchester"
PICKING THE CIRCULAR TO PIECES.
Ihe witness read the Danville circular
through by paragraphs, commenting uDon
each paragraph as he read it. In general
MS statement regarding the circumstances
"hlch We're made the causes of complaint
IN tne circular was that he had either not
neafd OF them or that he knew of his own
knowledge that there was no ground for
such complaints. He denied the state
ment attributed to him in the circular
that the patronage of the municipal gov
ernment should be used for the purpose
Oh building up the .CoalitiOnist party,
What he had said was that where persons
applled for positions, that other things
Delng equal, preference should be given
TO Coalitionist. He regarded it as only
proper that the party which was respon-
slble for the conduct Of municipal affairs
should share the patronage. Commenting
on the charges made in the circular
against the cOlOred people of Danyille he
said that those people would compare fa-
Vorably with the labOring classes of peo-
pie anywhere. He said that he had AL
ways regarded the Danville circular as a
polltlcal canard. 1t was gotten up for
use outside of Danville, and helped the
democratic cause greatly in other
parts OF the State. If it had been
used IN Danyille he thought that because
OF It's slanderous assertions it would have
hurt the Democrats. If he could have
had 1t printed he would have used it in
DanVllle as campaign document for the
Coalitionists.
AN INFLAMMATORY CAMPAIGN.
He had no hesitation in saying that the
riot would not have occurred but for the
lnf1ammatOry speeches made by the Demo-
cratic candidates and equally infamma-
tory articles in the Democratic news
papers. The preparations that were made
before the riot indicated that there might
be trouble, and caused grave apprehen-
slons among the Coslitionists. Among
the preparations was the purchase
OF arms in large quantities by
the whites and their storage
IN unusual places. One of these places
OF storage was in an insurance office near
where the riot occurred. The arms were
carried In and stored in the yard of this
insurance ONCE on the morning before the
riot occurred. The witness was subjected
to long cross-examination by Senator
Vance without anything being elected in
contraction OF his direct testimony.
ONE OF THE JURORS TEsTIFTEs.
Preston Watkins, a colored resident of
Danyille, and member of the grand jurv
which investigated the riot, was the next
witness called. He said that the testi-
mony had been submitted to the grand
jury that white men had first fired over
the heads of the negroes in the air and
that the negroes were rushing upon the
whites threateningly,wh the latter again
fired. 1t was upon testimony of this sort
that he consented to the finding of the
Jury. He never expected to be able to
ascertain the facts about the riot, and
after about forty witnesses had been ex-
amlned he was willing to close up the in
qulry. On cross-eXamination the witness
SAID that he knew few colored men in
Danyille who carried weapons. but could
not recall the case of any who carried
them before the riot. 1t is the talk of the
people that many of the colored people as
well as the whites habitually carried
arms. The witness himself carried arms.
COLoRED DEMOCRATS.
In answer to question as to the treat
ment of colored men who vote the Demo-
cratic ticket, by the colored people of Dan
vile, he said that he thought that it all
depends on their standing; that if a man
of any note at all votes with the Demo-
Gratis, the cOlored people think that he is
hetraying his race and his party He
mentioned the names Of several cOlored
men in Danville who voted the Demo-
cratic ticket and yet stood well, socially,
with their own people.
On the redirect examination by Mr..
Lapham, the witness stated that he did
not remember that any testimony had
been given before the grand jury that
during the riot colored men had rushed
upon the white men with drawn pistols.
A colOred man named Poteet, who was
the next witness called, testified to hav-
ing overheard a conversation between two
white ex-pOlicemen on the morning of the
riot. They were distributing bills and
arranging to go to several houses and get
something, he didn't know what, but sup
posed it was arms, because one of two
white gentlemen from the county. who
were standing by, said that they had
better leave, as there was going to be hell,
and that "they were going to fire on the
niggers this EVENING"
DESCRIPTION OF THE BATTLE,
The witness a short time afterwards
heard fuss up the street and was told
that Hense Lawson and Noel had had a
fight. He saw Hatcher across the street
with pistol in his hand and saw Jordan
come out of Blair's store with pistol in
his hand. Hatcher said, "Fire on the
d-n sons of BIS if they won't leave''
Then they began to fire. Two colored
men fell, one in front Of the witness and
one behind him, and he ran for shelter
into drug store and out of the back door
of the store and got away. Every white
man he saw on that day was armed.
White boys between Is and 20 years of
age had pistols and shotguns in their
hands. He did not see any colored people
with arms. The committee then adj
iourned until to morrow.
MATTHEW'S MEDDLEsOMENESs.
Copiah County Democrats UnYeiI Some