Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-29

positive and Overwhelming. Az some
precincts guns were carried to oyerawe
the colored voters. Numerous cases
were stated by colored men where their
wives and children have been interiered
with, the horrors Of certain reenslave-
ment held up to them, frightful stories
told them TO influence their feelings
and arouse their superstitious fears. and
tbs wife and mother induced to threaten
her husband that she would abandon
her home and disown her sons If they
persisted in their purpose Of voting the
Democratic ticket. j.
will now give you the rerJdiim de-
position of a colored Baptist minister
and a man of no ordinary nerve and in
telligence:
John 81. Ransom being duly sworn
dcpose eth and saith:
!. Question. What is your age, oc-
cupation. race, and place Of residence?
Answer. | am forty-eight years old
a minister Of the gospel am colored
man. and reside in Mecklenburg coun-
ty. Virginia.
>. Question. How many churches are
You pastor of. aud where are they To-
Gated?
Answer. Three churches. Two in
Boydton district and one in Buckham
district. of this county.
3. Question. How many voters are
II embers Of your two churches in Boyd
ten district, and what were their poll
tics heretofore?
Answer. About 260 voters. and here
tolore voted the Republican ticket.
I. Question. Did any of the members
of said two churches express an inten-
lion not to vote the entire Republican
ucket at the election on the Sd of No
vembcr, 1885 and. If so, what part Of
the ticket and how many?
Answer. About one hundred OF the
two churches. said they could not vote
for ). Il. Jones, but that Charles h..
Finch was their preference for the
House of Delegates from this county.
Out of this number of one hundred
about twenty-five carried out their in
,cption and did vote for Mr.. Finch.
The remaining seventy-five were in
| undated in various ways. their super
stitious beliefs worked upon by the
supporters Of j. r. Jones, Republican
candidate, and in this way prevented
from exercising their free will in said
election. Ny race is weak-minded
and super,titious. and believe in
copWring and trickery. and peo-
pie who are low enough
10 work upon their superstitious feel
ipgs can influence them to a greater eX-
tent in this way than by threats and
CIcn acts Of violence. \ great many
were deferred from voting for {. l..
Finch by reason of J. L. Jones and his
supporters operating upon their super
sjitIOus fears in various WAYS. Many
were threatened by }. K. Jone-'s sup
porters With expulsion from their church
/ if they failed to vote for him. Many
others were intlmidated and forced
to vote for Jones by threats Of So
cial ostgaciSm made by Jones's sup
rc.tcrS. They, the supporters Of
/ Jones. even went SO far on two
occasions shortly before said cleo
ton as TO hold Republican political
meetings in my church and threatened
20 expel ne from the pulpit if | dared
to continue TO advocate the election Of
| Mr.. Finch. My church-members and
myself were specially opposed to J. r.
Jones. These Republican meetings
! above mentioned, which were held at
NY church, were not held by my mem
bers. but by a lot Of j. r. JoneS's
political allies ard bulldozers from
Boydton. Among them mention the
names Of Henry Hayes, Robert Hicks
IAN eX-penitenti,ry convict, Lewis
farIar, Aaron Beard, and others, and
at that time they made threats if they
could get hold of me they would beat
lie with a club; and all because | re-
| fused To advocate Jones's cause and was
in favor Of Mr.. Finch. These same men
subsequently had a nght-meeting at
one Of my churches and undertook to
decoy me there, as | believe, to do me
Violence. Besides the one hundred
voters, who are members Ofmy church,
before referred to, know Of some
forty or fifty other colored voters in
Boy dton district who would have
also voted for Mr.. Finch in
the last election had they not
been compelled by Jones and
his Republican bulldozers and sup
porters by use of like methods as those
above referred to to vote for the said
Jones.
5. Question. Do you know of any
instance in which colored men were de-
ceived on the day of election into voting
otherwise than they wished by Jones
and his supporters!
Answer. | know of one instance.
Lewis Wootton, colored man, who can
Lot read, was deceived by one of Jones's
supporters in voting a ticket with the
name of Jones as q candidate when he
supposed be was voting for c. l.. Finch.
i. Question. Have you been much
annoyed by JOnes's supporters on ac-
count of your politics?
Answer. AS soon as it became
known that was in favor Of Mr.. Finch
and opposed to Jones, several weeks
prior to the election JOnes's support
ers and party friends commenced to dog,
tease, annoy, and follow me up contin-
uously until after the election; a COM
plete system of espionage was inaugu-
rated by them against me. They even
had guards appointed to watch me on
election-day, and went so far as to per-
suade my wife to leave me, and large
numbers came to my house in my alb
sence for that purpose. The rImor was
all over the community that my house
would be burned by Republican bull
dozers if continued to espouse the
cause of Democracy.
:. Question. Were there any colored
people in any other parts of the county,
| if they had been allowed freely to exer-
else the right of suffrage, who would
have voted for Mr.. Finch, but who
| ,-ota1 for lanes