Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1885-09-26
The panrille Riot Mr.. Wise Contra
dicted.

ten up for political purposes, and
before tie Seaats committee [ prorcd
IT,"
The italics are mine, and as to
the italiciSed word alonedo Inow
write. / feel personally called up
on to notice them because the firm
Of Berkeley & Harrison. of which |
am junior. represented the Demo.
Gratis ofDanville before the sub com
mittee of the Senate, while Mr..
Wise represented Malone, Sims,
ana all the bloody shirt clement OF
the Radical party, in what is known
as the Danville investigation.
The 30 called riot took place on
Saturday, Novemher3. 1883. Short
" after Congress convened Malone
Wise, Sherman, and that set took
the unprecedented and nnconStitu-
tional step OF having a Federal in
vestigation ola purely local State
matter-in gross violation of the
fundamental principles of this was
to frethe northern heart against
the southern people in view of the
approaching presidential election,
and prevent the peace and union
of all sections of our country. A Re
publican Senate ordered it, and a
Republican Senate wasthe ultimate
tribunal to pass upon it. Mark this!
Now. I defy. emphaticallv that Mr..
Wise proved that the nanville at.
fair was 4 murder gotten mp for po-
litical purposes by the Democrats
OF Danville. | assert, on the con-
trary. that the evidence taken shows
that tlle negroes forced the whites
into that affair. and that they pre-
meditated it, inStigated by mean
whites for base Radical purposes.
Hisregarding this assertion. is this
paper shall establish my denial
and brand Mr.. Wise'S assertion as
false bya common.sense, legitimate
and conclusive argument, without
waste Of words,
The subcommittee charged with
the taking of the testimony was
composed of Senators John Sllcr.
man and Z. G. Lapham, two motor
iouS haters of the South and pre-
Indeed partisan Republicans, and
Of Senator Zebulon b. Vance, as
noble as he is true. All the mar
shalS and other senatorial machin-
cry WAS Republican, and every facil
ity of securing proof on their side
was at their command, while none
who were not present can know
how we were hampered. will not
pause to cite evidence from the l.
2G0 printed pages Of testimony. not
to compair the character of orr de-
ponents with theirs. The testimo-
ny was begun on February II. 1854
1t was concluded April Il. 1854, by
shutting ont a number of our wit
nesseS and denying MS the right to
prove facts which we could have
proved by a dozen witnesses, then
present, facts pertinent and rele-
want, at which time Mr.. Wise cnt
a most memorable figure wide
page 1882, &C.,. ard the sub COM
mittee was adjourned snmmarily.
subject to the call of the chairman,
bnt,Sherman never dared call it.
The report of the majority, signed
by Senators Sherman, Lapham.
Hoar, Cameron, and Frye, was filed
soon, followed by the minority re-
port, signed by Senators Vance,
Pugh, Jonas and Salisbury. Com
pare these documents, and no one
need go further. But to proceed:
When these reports came in the
matter was ready for a hearing,the
testimony was in, the case was
presented properly; itonly remind
ed for the Senate to pass upon it
The Senate had a large Republi-
can majority. This majority was
eager for the proof which Mr.. Wise
says he had presented to it. Yet.
so disguised were his bitterly.prei-
udiced Republican senators with
the weakness and woful meanness
of his case that they pigeon.holed
the report and never dared bring it
up.
Now my point is that if Mr.. Wise
had proved what he said he did.
his Republican friends would have
been only too glad to so decide
Mr.. Wise is a lawyer, and he never
heard of a case in court, where all
the proofs were in, being allowed
to sleep undecided unless the coun-
sci for the plaintiff knew his proofs
did not support his claims. Mr..
Wise can now in the Southwest
SANDER us as much as he pleases.
but. at least, he shall not do so
without having tins false claim
hurled back at him, and my denial,
supported by the fact that never
did even John Sherman dare to
bring up the matter in a Republic
can Senate. / shall match Mr..
Wise whenever and wherever he
chooses with proof positive from
the records OF the case that | am
right and he is wrong.
One word more: 1t does seem
that rather than insult and SANDER
all our people Mr.. Wise might
those men who did the shooting
he knows their names-and say
that they were murderers and as
sassins, so that the opportunity
might be given of suing him for
SANDER and testing his veracity.-
Mr.. Wise is too pure and too good
to fioht q duel. He is brave enough