The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-05-06

soldiers. I missed from the small as
sembiy Col. Bill Henderson. who always
took part in almost everything of the
kind that went on around the place. The
only ans wer that / could get, on inquiry,
was. HWait and see Perhaps il was be
cause ] was still a boy, and they thought,
in MY lack OF discretion, might at some
time say something which would have
been better left unsaid.
AT one time shortly after midnight,
some little cOmmOtiOn was heard on the
street. Some of the men started for the
door l thought they were ready for
action The major went out to recon
hotter, but soon came back and reported
everything all right as the guards had
taken no notice Of the sound.
Three o'clock came, and then four. 1t
was getting near daylight and l could
scarcely keep awake. Well I said, if
there's nothing TO be done I'm going
home The major finally bowed assent
and left
Next morning the result of the cleo
ton announced. The county went
democratic by a majority of %. l was
barely of age and took less interest in
elections then than I DO now, but l knew
there must have been some connection be-
tween our meeting aud the result of the
election. There was general surprise, of
course, when the result was made known
and good deal was said about an unfair
election. but it ended in talk. There was
a crowd, and large one, at the vault
when the ballot box was taken out to
make the count, but there was nothing
unusually surprising or out of the way in
this
L endeavored several times to learn
the real object Of the meeting the night
before, but my efforts were useless. The
object of the assembly was kept a strict
secret by those who knew what it meant.
Thus matters went on for some time,
when about three years afterward re-
construction days over and democracy
again holding the day throughout the
state, ! was in Atlanta on business.
While there l met old Maj. Allen.
Hello, Bob he said I'm glad to
see YOU
We'll, was glad to see him, too. He
| left here shortly after that election, and
| l had been trying to find out ever since
what we met in that room for on that
memorable night. l asked him that qucs-
| ton the first thing.
well I'll tell you, Bob, he said I
was little afraid TO say anything at the
time, and to tell you the truth, few of
those present, except those who remained
| until morning, knew the object of that
gathering Perhaps you remember that
Bill Henderson was not at the meeting
Yes / assented, more light being
thrown on the matter.
Henderson, he continued, was in
that vault. 1t was he who doctored the
| box by candle light. He was concealed
in one of the apartments of the vault
when the box was placed there, and to
all appearances he looked like a pile of
old papers with which he was completely
covered. If he had been discovered by
those guards we knew it meant death or
the penitentiary for a long term. He
might have been tried by court martial
and shot. If that discovery had been
made those guards would never have
lived to tell the story. We were all
armed to the teeth, as you were, and be-
fore they could have given the alarm
they would have been put out of the way
"As it was when the door Of the vault
was opened, the entire thirty of us rushed
into the dark interior, and Henderson
quietly mingled with the crowd which
went out just behind the federal authori-
ties who took the box. At one time
it seemed that we were going to be called
on to act. That connection which YOU
Will remember was caused by a uegro on
| the outside who noticed faint light com
Ing from small aperture in the rear Of
| the vault. Henderson was informed by
! signals, put out his light and stopped the
hole with bit of paper. He then lighted
his candle and resumed his operations,
and in the morning we had a majority of
| 63 for the democratic ticket.
That's the way" said Col Foster,
that this county went democratic dur
ing the three days election, and it has
been solidly democratic ever since.
The incident l have related, however,
occurred long ago. We were forced to
| adopt extraordinary means to save our
| selves from ruin, that would have come
| from ignorance and corruption in places
of power"