The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-11-14

tho negro womcn organized and took an no
tive hand In tho work. They formed clubs
and tho mir was filed with rumoss of vio-
lent talk.
One of the most vigorous of these was n
former cook of ours, known as Aunt Char
lntte. who with her husband and family
had been living for years on the'cdge Of the
old homo place, rent free, except IN coca
sional barrel Of corn, which certainly did
not average two n year. The sunday be-
foro the election one OF ths young men OF
tho house entered the sitting room and
found Charlotte Visiting" In n ft OF i'll
humor and evaporation he ordered hor out
of the house. she boldly dehed him.
Hi, amt / got much right henh as yoeu9
! ain Rwine nowhar. Whar ! got to goY'
"Go to your friends whom you are trying
to elect, aud don't come back here any
more" etc, etc.. stormed the young fellow.
She rose and walked to the door, where
abe turned.
i know | amt gwine to dat man." she
said with fine soorn. ''cuz amt knew.
nathin' i all bout him. l ewino to come
right heah to Miss Betsey whenever ! gifts
ready. Now, yon heahY" and she marched
out. The entire family turned on the young
man. and to do him justice. when Charlotte
loft she had a quarter of his in her pocket
and a half amused, half angry apology to
her for his rudeness. Which reminds me
OF the saying of one OF our old servants
that she '~'sertney liked master to git mad
wid'' her, "Cuz il he belleis at me dat
means a quarter, and II he cusses at me
OATS nifty cents"
On election morning the open spaces
about the polling places we're filled long
before light. The rumor had gone abroad
that the negroes would try to get losses-
hold it. so both parties arrived early. and
when day broke there were at the poll
which l attended probably fifty men Of
both races. At the poll near the homes OF
tina candidates the forces on both sides
camped on the ground all night. It was
an anxious time. The poll at which l was
was in a section known by the unsavofy
name of "Helltown." and was Il strong re-
publican precinct. There were several dan,
gerous mon at it, particularly if they had
whisky.
The most dangerous was a white leader,
who had ''apostatized." He was told that
if a row were precipitated by him that day
he and not the negroes would be held re-
sponaiblc. The next was Phil. His vanity
being known to be one of his chief quail
ties, he WAS sworn in as a deputy constable,
decorated with u be ige. and SO made to
help conserve the pence he was Ill some
DANCE: of violating. The election passed
there as quietly rs n May morning, but it
did not ev%erywhere; Or. at least, the days
prece ing the election did not. When |
reached home l heard for the first time of
the fatal collision which had taken place
three days before in Danville. l believe
now. as / believed then, that a collision
might easily have precipltated in Hanover
but for the GOODNESS and good temper OF
our people, white and black. An incident
of the Danville riot was n speech of one of
, the old-time darkies there-Colonel Is old
body servant.
The leader Of the negroes after the riot
} issued secret orders that on election day all
negroes were to keep from the polls and alb
! STAN from voting, his object being. it was
charged, to create the impression that they
were afraid to vote. These tactics became
, apparent early on election when no negroes
: appeared. 1t then became the object of the
democrats to show that they were not in
timidated, and Colonel H., as he was get
. ting ready to go to vote. called his butler
and asked HIM if he had voted.
q Mar, sah." he said. II amt voted an
/ amt gwine vote"
/ Why? Are you afraid?' asked the
colonel.
, "Nar. sab. l amt feared: but y'all done
I shoot for it and win it, now you ken have
it,"
At another poll in our county that day.
= where the leader of the negroes was Davy
Wallace, the husband of another of OUT, old
servants who has lived with US ever since
the war. there were not less than fifteen
O negroes with old army muskets.
What are you doing with all those
8 guns" | asked one of them.
Q We're huntin'." he said. and perhaps he
t was.
r All of this. however, was some years ago,
" and Phil and Charlotte still live on the
= edge OF the old place and 90 over on Sun
G day or whenever they wish to get a better
dinner than they have at home, and nayy
a has his home, with his fifteen acres where
he and his wife live by gift rent free during
their lives, and they vote and work for the
republican candidates just MS they please.
Gen. Wlckham has a monument 10 his
memory in Richmond inscribed with the
$500 - - -.l =. L..
many of his old employees who owed their
q places to him, but who would not have
q voted for him to nave saved his life.
In the CITY where | live and, so far as
it know, in all cities it is just as it il i'll thu
county.
There is a great outcry about the negr,
l. being prevented from exercising his righ'
I'd of suffrage, and the democ alto member OF
congress- representing the X chmond dis
" trict was unseated two years ago on the al
legged ground that the neg oes of Jackson
ward has been prevented by challenges ant
Other dilatory methous from casting thei
IF votes. The polling of the vote in that ware
ID on that occasion is an excellent illustration
of the difficulties thot arise under our sys
st tenn. 1t was the same ut the last election
III The ballot box is placed just inside of al
le open window opening out on the street. an
the white voters stand i'll one line and tn
ID coloreu in another and vote alternately
le N tnnt watd the negroes being largely il
rs the majority form the lager line, as til
whites do in other wards. 1t is u motle
at crew. and some OF them stand nl day
n having their meals brought to ther
at there. Two chnllengers, one representa-
as either party. stand outside the window t
as challenge the votes upon information re
d, ceived by them beforehand. 1t is not i'm
n possible that occasional frivolous question
d, are asked, but this is inseparable from an
AZ system and it is not uncommon. Usually til
tie challengers have sufficient grounds fc
r, every challenge they make. There are i
that ward over a dozen George Washing
he tons and l think ever twenty William JOIN
On sons, which i'll itself is the occasion {
on much confusion, and when it is understood
r. that George Washington may live in or
40 place under the patronymic of the Fath'
an of His Country, in another Us Willia'
he johnson, and in several other places in tt
b. same town under as many other ditferel
a aliases.the confusion becomes endless.
he The ~negro's habit OF assuming doub
as names is SO we'll recognized tnat one cease
IN to be SUI prised ut 1t. Tho other day OF
nv came to my office with some pension pape
Nv to try to get a pension MS the wiaow of
Elf deceased union soldier. The papers he
been made out by an agent in Baltimore {
nat the statement of the woman's daughte
to and her name WAS given as 'Carolil
no Thompson, widow OF William Thompson
- tD.. Acct NN;r.,o , ,,,l .,u