Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-09-30
Wises's Falsehood About the Danville Riot.

One of John Wises favorite hobbies in
this campaign is the Danville riot OF 1855,
and he characterizes it in every speech he
makes in the following atrocious language ::
''The Danville riot was deliberately
planned scheme of the democrats to muir
der negroes for political purposes. 1t was
foul, cowardly murder by the so-called
best people of Virginia. -
This is his own language, and is made
in face of the notorious fact that for weeks
a republican special Senate committee, in
1884, headed by John Sherman, and assist
ed by John Wise himself, was engaged in
an examination of all the facts in the case !;
that the evidence on both sides was taken
at length and fills 1890 compress printed
pages and that, after all of this formula
bic display and buster, the aforesaid re-
publican Senate committee adjourned su-
marily, subject to the call of the chairman,
and that Sherman, aided and Allotted no
doubt by Wise and Senator Malone, took
care never to call together again that COM
mittee of investigation.
Besides, the report Of the majority of
this committee, soon after filed, was signed
by Senator Sherman, Lapham, Hoar, Cam
eron, and Frye. the leading republicans OF
a republican Senate, while the minority re-
port was only signed by Senators Vance,
Pugh, Jonas, and Salisbury, all democrats.
But when the whole case was ready for a
hearing upon these reports before repub-
lican Senate most anxious to convict dem
ocrats upon any plausible preteXt, they
were very careful to pigeon-hole the reports
and abandon the whole subject-thus CIV
ing the lie direct to Wise's charges against
the good people of Danville.
But this is not all In the republican
Eo4n oh and 10 1I11x
which nominated Wise for Governor, quite
an angry debate took place between Col.
Sims, of Pittslvania, and some of the color
ed delegates, in which the colored delegates
openly charged that the Danville riot was
the sole result Of sincendiary speeches made
by Sims on the eve Of the election We
let the Fredicksburg Free Lance, edited
by prominent republican, state the facts
in this case, as follows
CAT the conven zion which nominated Mr..
Wise, Col. W. E. Sims, prominent actor
in the Danville affair, in attempting to
change the plan of organization of the par
ty, by which Gen. Malone might be strip
ped of some power, made speech that was
evidently producing some effect upon the
convention, when he Sims was violently
attacked by A. W. Harris and Peter Carter
(both colored) who asserted and publicly
declared UHdC GUNS UGOHe fDdS TCSpOuStOte
for tue terrible events that had made Dan
vile slaughter-house for negroes. That
to ais incendiary ard denunc;atory speech
was due the Danville tragedy. The charg-
es were publicly made in the presence of
friends of Wise and Malone, both of whom
may have been present, and yet not one
came to the front to deny the CHARGE
Now, do not these indisputable facts from
the highest republican authorities com
pletely refute the SANDER Of Wise and his
party against Danville and convict them
of uttering and propagating the shameless
falsehood, purely for political effect, among
the ignornant and malicious portion of our
population? And can any respectable
white citizen of Virginia so forget his race
or his regard for public veracity and honor,
as to give his vote or endorsement to a man
or party whose cause is sought to be upheld
by such SANDER and falsehood?
We think not; nor do we believe that the
candid and fair minded colored people OF
the State will take much stock in such a
rotten and fraudulent concern.-Lynchbmg
Advance.