National Republican., 1884-04-03
TIE Goop MEN oF DANYIL1E.


Mr.. RUM Hears Negro Make an Awful
Thrcnt-Tho Adventures OF Pa,r OF
Trousers.
The first witness examined by the Danville
subcommittee yesterday was w. n. Ruffin, of
the firm of fRuiIin, Wolfolk & Blair, in Danville,
before whose Office the riot of Nov. took
place. Mr.. RufIin was the framer of tho
Danville circular entitled Coalition Rule in
Danvillo." aud announced that ho heartily
approved of it, and with single minor point
inserted by another man upon revision. be-
liCved its statements were true. Mr.. Rutfin
was not in Danvile on the day of the riot.
He was examined with regard to the con-
dition of things anteccdent to 1t. He illus
tratod his statements with variations of mat
ters within his personal knowledge. On one
occasion whom somo negro murderers had
boon arrested no was passing party of col
ored men on the street, and one of them was
addressing his follows in very Incorporate
language, abusing the whites in the vilcst
manner. lie wished he could have some
chance to shoot some id white man. He
mover had chance to kill q white man, and
nothing on the face of the earth would do
him so much good as 20 kill white man.
Ho didn't care who il was. The man at this
took pistol out of his pocket and Just
toycd with it,"
n UOllccilhu bdU OH tuO CuGD near AT nunu
and listened to the whole haranRue, but did
nothing. 1t was one of the policemen ap-
pointed by tho coalition government there.
This was month or two before tho election.
On another occasion witness was asked by u
negro to advise him about voting. Witness
could not advise him to vote the democratic
ticket because of possible danger from negro
coalitionists, but did advise the colored man
not to vote ut all and not to register. lilo also
gave the colored man pair Of old trowsers.
Soon aftorward tho colored man came to him
and said he had been questioned by another
colored man as to why he had not registered.
Tho other had q copy of the registration list,
and threatened tho first with election from
the church aud finally with violence If no
didn't register and vote. Tho colored man
brought back the trousers and said he would
be compelled to register end vote. Witness
| told him the trowsers had no relation to tho
| voting.
| Henry Hill, coored democrat of Danvillo,
was examined. He had voted the democratic
ticket eleven years. He had been threatened, +,
but had not met with much difficulty, owing
to the fact that he usually went home whom
| he got through his business, and didn't seek
the com panionship of members of his own
| race.
Edwin Hill, respectable looking old coll
ored man, was examined. He. had always
| been q republican until the last election.
The reason no changed was because he was
always astraightout in everything and didn't
understand the mixture.
l.. ID. Clark, white farmer, living six
miles from Danville, testified that it was the
usual thing for negroes to go armed, and q
very rare thing for white men to do so.
b. L. jefferson white democrat), of North
Danville, lumber ana coal dealer, the morning
after the riot saw. five colored men in the
postofiice four of whom had piatols. He
employed twenty-five or thirty hands, and
saw pistols in their overcoats, but said nothing
to them about it. Knew that indictments
had boon found against several persons for
carrying concealed weapons. Got pistol
about month before the riot, because. from
remarks he heard used by the negroes, he
thought it time for the whites to arm.
| During the witness's cross-examination
there were some manifestations of heated
feeling by Senators Vance and Lapham, the
former accusing the latter of browbeating and
Mr. Lapham replying in kind.
Howard Cobb, democrat, of Danville, a
tobacco dealer, said his wife had been knocked
Off the sidewalk by colored girl, who
remarked, Next timo you had better get Of
before being knocked Off" Nothing else Of
| importancewas elicitod. f.
w. A. Cobb. of Danville, manager of q
tobacco factory, was examined without i'm
| portant result
Adjourned until to-day at 10 o'clock.