Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1889-02-05


the inspection of the corpus deficit and
observations of the scene of the transae-
ton cost him his life This made him
witness of the disguise and murderous
weapon of Bolton and the manner of his
fall. When afterwards an attempt was
to be made TO make out Bolton an I'M
armed and undisguised and innocent
and peaceful visitor to the polling place
and slain by the unprovoked violence of
the colored men, Alfred was arrested,
put in jail and hung upon no conceivable
incentive but to make away with his tes-
timony as to the murder of the two
Joneses and Fielder by the mob that took
them out of jail at BRENNAN and hanged
them.
THE COMMITTEE SAYS
after reviewing the testimony;
'sThese murders were committed upon
motives and interests of policy and the
purpose that had countenanced and
caused the raids on ballot boxes at that
election. The sacrifice of these worthy
and bIameless lives was demanded for the
suppression of their evidence, which
would have demonstrated the death of
Bolton as Detailing him i'll the act Of n
preconcerted attack upon the ballot box
at Llewellyn to defeat the election of the
Republican ticket. The committee can
not find any escape from this conclusion
upon the whole body and weight of testi-
mony. The evidence before the committee
showed no attempts were made by the
authorities of the county of Washington
or the state of Texas 10 bring to Indict-
ment, trial or punishment of the actors
in the several raids on the ballot boxes at
the election of 1886. No such attempt
had been made in respect of outrages
upon the ballot box and the shooting of
coloTed judges of election at Chapel Hill
in the election of 1884 The wrath of
this community was all excited and
was all visited upon white and cOlored
Republicans who had striven at the polls
to assert the will of the majority to de-
eide by their votes and canvass of them
pending election. -
Ia conclusion the committee says:
f'This actual case presents not unfairly,
features that illustrate the political dis
order which affiict persons of a country
whose population is at all nearly
divided between white and col
ored citizens. These disorders do
not alore disturb and threaten
the good name and security of the neigh
borhOods where they occurred, nor of the
states within whose borders the diSas-
trous mischiefs pass unredressed and I'M
condemned. They tend to weaken and set
back the sincere desire of the country at
large to obliterate all distinctions as be-
tween general political divisions in the
prevalence of justice, peace, good
will and equality of rights
in discussing and solving all problems
which affect the welfare of this great
people. No greater element for the for
nation of sound public opinion can be
suggested than that wider and wider
spread should be given to Il knowledge of
and interest i'll the real nature of
this and similar proceedings where
ever they may occur. Truth will
force out these evils and dangers.
Many mi scarriages, many shortcomings
in reaching complete success in the
efforts of the executive government for
the protection of the elective franchise
NAV be looked upon by the people of the
country with an indulgent temper, but
the absence of such efforts or languid
prosecution OF them will not long be toll
Grated by public opinion or left unYisited
by political condemnation
The committee recommends careful re-
vision of the existing laws regulating the
elections of members of congress and an
examination Of proposed legislation per-
tinent to the same subject which have
been proposed in congress with n view of
providing for more complete protection
of the elective franchise by act of con-
greSs and more efficient provisions for the
punishment of offenses against it,