Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-09-23
The Danyille RiOt-Mr. Wise Contradicted.

Inc DanVlllo hlOt-Mfs Wlco Ooh1i ouioeoe'
DANv1LLE, Va, September 9, 1885.
To the Editor Of the Dispatch
In your excellent report of the speech of
Mr., John S. Wise at Marion, Va, is the
following:
e'Of the Danville affair Mr.. Wise spoke !:
sI say it was murder gotten up for po-
litical purposes, and before the Senate
Committee proved it,"
The italics are mine, and as to the itallsed
words alone do now write. feel person
ally called upon to notice them because
the firm of Berkeley & Harrison, of which
I am the junior, represented the Demo-
Gratis of Danvilie before the subcommittee
Malone, Sims, and all the bloody-shirt ele-
ment of the Radical party, in what is
known as the Danville investigation.
The so-called riot took place on Satur-
day, November 3, 1883. Shortly after
Congress- convened, Malone, Wise, Sher-
man, and that set took the unprecedented
and unconstitutional step of having Fed
eral investigation of purely local State
matter-in gross violation of the funda-
mental principles of our Government
The purpose of this was to fire the northern
heart against the southern people in view
of the approaching presidential election,
and prevent the peace and union OF all sec
tions of our country. A Republican SEN
ate ordered it, and Republican Senate
was the ultimate tribunal to pass upon it.
Mark this Now, 1 deny emphatically
that MIR. Wise proved that the Danville
affair was murder gotten up for political
purposes by the Democrats of Danville.-
assert, on the contrary, that the evidence
taken shows that the negroes forced the
whites into the affair, and that they pre-
meditated it, instigated by mean whites
for base Radical purposes. Disregarding
this assertion, in this paper | shall estab-
lish my denial and brand Mr.. Wise's as
sertion as false by a common-sense, legiti-
mate, and conclusive argument, without
waste of words.
The subcommittee charged with the
taking of the testimony was composed of
Senators John Sherman and E. G. Lapham,
two notorious haters ofthe South and pref
udiced partisan Republicans, and of Sena-
tor Zebulon B. Vance, as noble as he is
true. All the marshals and other senator
ial machinery was Republican, and every
facility of securing proof On their side was
at their command, while none who were
not present can know how we were ham.
pered. l will not pause to cite evidence
from the 1890 printed pages of testimony
nor to compare the character of our de.
ponents with theirs. The testimony was
rnn on Fahmarv ID 1894. II was con.
I'd Anril IL. iS84 bv shuttino ont a
or IF orr witnesses and DENYING IFS
to nrove facts which we could
Id nv a dozen witnesses. then
.ts nartinent and relevant. at
M Wise cnt a most memoir
no Iv,da naoe 1889 &cI and the
'n;t+ea vas adjourned snmmarilv,
aot 80 tbe cali Of The chairman Int
49, " .a r 6ared coll II
Tha ronort Of the majority s;oned Inv
sonators Sbarr,,an Tanham Hoar Camas
~ a,d Frno nos f1Iad SOON .eol!o,So5 -,
a. ~, az . 80 saJ ~ iomou ny
Wonaa p,,g,, 49, 80 snJ S9 ~ Sbn%uoi
ro $3.50 oonas, anu ~ ~ %oieDy
'noSo d. ooou -. a1o W. ono Loeu
20 lul'nei. ~. w pao.oou non . eo'. :
tepolts caine AZ, :no maIeet wac ioauS III a
nearing, lne 'esumo a "ae ~, .no oas1
was presenIeu piopoliy ~ oniy M eH G.l
iol Cne penaOo w paSe upon ~: no Ttl:
nau lalge epuo fo. H. n roof oh NJ, Me-
MaJorlty was easet ior Iue PLY. "n w. MI
W. use says ne nau p ts. W ~: ~ d. ~
ulsgusteu "ere nls oitteii y-pleJuuioeu No,
Puelican SENATORS VIII Ine Meak 4has . anu
wolul meaiiI iI VI nts Cs'o en"V 10y
Plgeon-noleu tne fepofl aiio heSer o"reo
pr14g IL up. .c,, W.T..
NOV my pun. rs 'ha' ~, - NJ -. =" P 1se n19
proven "Iac no salu no uiu' ni1 I'epuplt