The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-09-25
Lake was There.
And He Says Tillman was
Literally Out Of Sight.
To tie Editor of The State

Benjamin Ryan Tillrnan is such a
falsi6er and he has so many slaves to
endorse his statements that it looks
worse than useless to contradict his
assertions, but pardon me for correct
ing him. In his speech, as reported
in the Ne~s and Courier. of Septem-
Der the 18th, 1895, he said:
Another incident gives even a
more striking illustration OF the
claim put forward in behalf of my
dead friend that he deserves the hon.
or more than any other of redeeming
the State.
"On the day of election there
were twelve companies of United
States infantry in our county. They
had been sent there to averawe the
whites aud encourage the negroes to
vote. Six of these companies had
been distributed at various election
precincts in the county, where the
heaviest negro, vote was usually Cast.
The other six were at Edgefeld
Court House, under command Of
Gen Ruger. The negroes in large
numbers, probably 5000, massed at
the court house before day the morn
ing of election. Gary had antici-
pated this, and the evening before
the election about 800 picked men,
over half of them from Saluda, with
their baggage wagons, provisions
and arms, had taken possession of
the court house and Masonic hall,
and were in readiness to obey the
orders of their chief. whatever they
might be. There was no sleep The
camp fires cleaned out brightly
though it was cold, drizzling rain,
and Oakley Hall, the generals resi-
dence. was like a military headquar
ters, while 6ddling and dancing was
going Oh in the two buildings | have
mentioned 1t had been agreed be.
tween Ruger and Gary that the
whites should vote at the box in the
court house. while the negroes
should vote at the school house,
another precinct oue-half mile away "
On that particular day the Edge
field Rifles, commanded by myself,
were the only occupants of the Ma
sonic hall, and no Saluda men were
there. We were armed with Rem
ington rifles, and were ordered to
take tina! position by Gen. NJ G.
Butler. From the windows of the
hall we could rake the public square
and the streets in front of the court
house. where the voting was going
OH.
1t was this same company that
had already taken the guns that Ned
Tennept's negroes bad been armed
with. from the Jail. when several
companies Of United States troops
were camped within one hundred
yards of the Jail, and the same COM
pany that euelled the riot at Mich
Glover'e farm and the same COM
pany that was ON the streets of Edge
field for three months, guarding the
town; and it was the commander of
the Edge6eld Rifles at that time, as
the man who organized the company
for the protection of the white people
of our community, aud as soldier
who saw the first gun Of the war
fred on Fort Sumter. in April, 1861,
and was in every battle in which his
command was engaged up to July
80, 1864, when he was buried in the
crater around Petersburg, Virginia,
and dug out by the enemy and sent
to Fort Delaware, where he was
prisoner of war until after Lees sur
render | most positively assert that
in all the troubles in Edge6eld coun-
ty in the days of negro rule, never
saw Benjamin Ryan Tillman where
there was any danger
GEO B. LAKE
E1noHold Sent ia 1SQ5