Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-08-24
TIE cR1TrENpEN COUNTY OUTRAGE
One OF the Exiles, Now In Wichita,
Makes q Statement.

| HofC Sccu SO ulduy COuiuiCOtS W IAS
press of the country upon the recon
Crittenden county outrage that I, as one
who was banished from that county by
band Of armed rebels, desire to STATE
the facts as they actually occurred
Crittenden county is situated in the
northeastern part of Arkansas, separated
from Memphis by the Mississippi river
The population is about 5000, of which
1000 are colored and 1000 white. Fol
several years the colored people have, by
honest suffrage, elected men of theil
race to fill some of the county offices
namely, clerk, probate judge and asses
sor, always, however, giving the
Democrats the two best and most
lucrative offices, i. e. sheriff and
treasurer. They did this because
they thought it right to let the white
people have hand in the administration
OF the affairs of the county. The sheriff
is ex-officio collector of taxes and the
treasurer the holder of all county funds,
hence the money affairs were all In the
hands OF the whites. On the 18th day OF
July one Col. Smith came into the court
house when circuit court was in session
| and in pretended state of excitement
| said that he and several other white citl-
Zens had received letters without sigma
| lures warning them to leave the county
In five days under penalty OF death. He
showed the letters to the county clerk
| and others and said that the whites were
aroused over the matter. The clerk and
other colOred men at once drew up a pc
tition to the judge Of the circuit court,
asking him to have the grand jury there
IN session to fully investigate the
matter and to find out and pun
ish the guilty party. The white
did not want any investigation and our
petition was ignored. That night a secret
meeting was held, men were sent over
the county and kilograms to adjoining
counties, saying 1--WE are in distress, help
us" These kilograms were responded to
by bands of armed men. On the 18th. the
town of Marion was filled with men
armed with guns: they rode up to the
clerk office and in true desperate style
demanded him to give up the keys of his
office, and at the points OF score of guns
compelled him to sign his resignation as
clerk of that county. They then search
ed and placed him and his deputies In
line, under guards and went out to look
for all other colored men who had dared
to advocate the cause of the Republican
party. was sick in bed yet | was order
ed and compelled to get up and fall into
line with the balance. We were then told
that we could take our choice Of leaving
the county forever, or death. We had
no chance to make any preparation to
leave our homes forever; some had to
so without hats, coats, money or any
thing else. Men were forced to leave
their families and crops to the mercy Of
men who will stoop to any crime to
maintain and perpetuate Democracy in
the south. The colored officers of the
county were men Of education, and no
fault whatever could be found of their
official capacity, but they were Republi-
cans; they advocated its cause, and for
this reason they are today among
strangers. What evidence was there to
show that these letters threatening the
whites were wrote by colored men:
Those armed men searched
every colored mans house in
the country, they found no weapons
or any warlike preparation. 1t seems
reasonable that if the colored people of
that county had made any threats that
they would have made some preparation |
to carry those threats into execution. |
And those anonymous letters were only |
fabricated lies, manufactured by j. L. |
Smith and others, as a protect to carry I
into execution their plan to rid the |
county of the leading colored men. in |
order that Crittenden county might |
hereafter be carried by the Democratic |
party. What would the people of Wich-
tia think if an armed mob should come !
here and compel the officers of this
county to resign, simply because they
were opposed to the principles of democ-
racy? The Southern states are curse
% this fair land of America.
Yet in the face of the shameful
treatment that the colored man is re-
;eiving every day, because he wants to
affiliate and support the party who gave
lim all the rights that he enjoys. There
Ire colored men straying away, led by
silded promises. and advocating the
cause of Democracy, holding up the
banner Of the party which is daily she'd
ling the blood of their race and doing
Ill in their power to deprive them of the
lights given them by the great Republi-
AN party. 81 would rather be dog and
,ay the moon than such a citizen"
nave felt the oppressive hand of Democ-
'acy and my advice to men of my race
S to stick to the Republican party and
lon't be led astray by men advocating
my other party. w. II. WILSON.
One wooden manufacturer some time