The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-10-30
LIFE Of DIN RUSSELL
Continued from 2nd page.)
no DIsFRANCHIsE NEGROES.

publican papers OF the NOfuh ldSC yes'l
! telling them that this is an oppor~
| tune time in which to disfranchlse the
| negro? 1t was because he knew that
| the Republican party had carried the
| requisite number of States, which en-
/ abled it to propose an amendment 10
| the Federal Constitution eliminating
| the negro vote, and he wanted the
| party to do that. This is hard, but
| it is the cold fact as to those letters.
| The question is, are the negroes ready
for that? ,,,rr,,,,
"THEN TOO HE is BY NATURE
| VINDICTIVE AND INTOLERANI. |
WISH | HAD THE VOICE OF An
| lARCHANGEL, / WOULD SfIAh y
THE VERY GROUND UPON WHICH
EVERY NEGRO STANDS THROUGH
| OUT THE LENGTH AND BREADTH
| OF NORTH CAROLINA, SAYING TO
| HIM PAUSE BEFORE YOU LEAP,
OR YOU WILL BE DASH ED TO
PIECES UPON THE ROCK OF DIS
| FRANCHISEMBNT.'
| A COLORED EDITORS ESTIMATE.
There is another negro who edits
the Wilmington Sentinel who tells the
following story: Il went around to
see him Cbefore his nomination.) At
ter getting me in his house, he had
this to say: / want nothing more to
do with any such damned cattle as
YOU. You are damned traitor. You
go to hell. You are too damned indie
pendent a negro for me- These are the
words which were spoken by Judge
Daniel l.. Russell in his own house
to me. If a man does not respect his
own house, he is a poor speciment for
Governor, and if he has no more Chris
tianity in him than to be cursing out
men for no reason in the world, then he
is not fit to be Governor anyhow. The
negro race has not an enemy greater
than this man. He is spiteful, revenge
full, preiudiced and minus of every
quality which a Governor should pos
sess.' Then the editor of the Sentinel
told of how he had indicted a poor, old
crippled colored man for larceny for
no greater crime than milking the
Judges cows ''It was during this
trial. said the editor, that he used
these words all negroes are natural
born thieves. They will steal six days
in the week and go to church on Sun
day and shout and pray it off, and
now such a character wants to be cleo
ted Governor at he hands of the very
people whom he has cursed and abused
on so many occasions"
These opinions are noted in order to
show that the people of all classes and
conditions should pause long before
casting ballot for a man who is thus
hated most by those who know him
best, by both white and colored.
CALLED NEGROES THIEVES.
During his serpentine canvass"
around the State during which he has
lett trail of slime, he has, of course,
denied all these saying against the
negroes, about the s'savages" and the
thieves" but his denials don't go up
against the facts.
Just to get at the perfect truth, |
took occasion to find out the real facts
as TO his calling negroes thieves, etc,
and / viii give the true story.
About six or eight years ago Russell
had three negroes. Edmund Green and
two others, tried for alleged stealing
Of his own cattle. It, of coarse. de-
ponds upon whose oxen were gored.
He himself assisted in the prosecution
before the late Judge Ship. had an all
white jury, and the negroes were sent
20 the penitentiary. They were de-
Tended by Messrs. Marsden Bcllamy
and Jonn d. Bellamy, of this city.
Mr.. John Bellamy was kind enough to
dictate to me what Russell did say
about the negroes ON that lccaslon.
| The exact words were taken down
by him at the time, ani here IS what
| he -aid verbatim:
GENTLEMEN OF THE JURY, you
| KNOW IT Is THE NATURE OF THE
A r
/ STEAL, ALI. THE WEEK AND SHOUT
1T OFF ON SUNDAY. They have no
distinctions in society among them.
If one is sent to the penitentiary, as
soon as he gets out, he comes back,
and is received 10y them with open
arms and treated like martyr or an
uncrowned hero. And these night or
gies that they have nothing but the
reverDerafions of pagan Africa. If
one of them steals or commits any dia-
bolical crime, they do not condemn it,
burt treat him ais though he were per-
| secuted"
Then, said Mr.. Bellamy, turning
around and looking at me, Judge
Russell noticed that ! was taking notes,
on which he remarked, apd added: i
don't know that they ought to be
blamed for that; for they are just try
ing to get back some of thap labor out
of which we have robbed them for 200
years
So much to gelt history straight as
TO this, as well as to show how in one
breath, this man gives forth birthstone
| for the BLACKS, and then contemplate
denunciaItion of the whites who
were involved in am institution
| from which he was a greater benef-
ciary, perhaps, than any other young
man in his county of Brunswick.
RUSSELL TOOK TO HIS HEELS.
But this was not the only tilt he had
with Mr.. Bellamy in court. This gen
tleman tells of how Russell tried to
strike him once in court with stick
and a general row ensued, wherein
Russell fell down under crowd and
crawling out on his belly, fled from
| the courtroom and down the street,
even leaving his hat in the courtroom.
This incident is nrOducad here tn show