The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-11-20
Thomas F. Bauard
A Friend to North Carolina in the Dark Days of Revo-
luton,

N.
fitting instruments for his dark and
bloody intent In violation of the Con-
stitution Of his State, he made these two
strangers to his people officers of militia,
and having declared two countries Gala
nance and CaswelD in Il state of insur-
rection, he gave the unhappy residents
over to the tender mercies of these two
ruffianS.
Following Kirk, Bergen and Holden,
Jr., we have William Il. Albright, com
missioned Il brigadier general by Holden,
"A vindictive, violent. INSCRIPTIONS man,
as he is termed by his neighbors, whose
eXctability of temperament is proven no
less by his own testimony than the fact
Of his being an inmate Of a lunatic asy-
! lum during "A large portion of the time
embraced in the inquiry of the commit
: tee. This man actually dictated what
he called and is now published as the
/ confession of w. T. Bradshaw, and
put into that statement what he pleased,
and such stuff is called testimony.
but the majority of the committee
rely largely upon Mr.. james II. Boyd,
whose sole testimony seems to justify
/ them in the remarkable conclusions they
have come to in respect TO the condi-
| ton of society in North Carolina The
| testimony of this witness is deemed
especially reliable, and attention is there
fore drawn to it. + The witness
is very young man, and, by his own
| statements, has little or no
personal knowledge of the mat
ters whereof he speaks He be-
| gins by stating that he was initiated by
his own law partner Long and volun-
tarily He took an oath of secrecy as
to these and other facts, which he seems
to have broken without hesitation. He
| could not have left the order from any
| profound conviction of its dement's, as
he had so little knowledge of them
Having attended but one meeting of the
order, at which nothing was said or done
but the initiation of members. No record
was ever made, and his knowledge is
based upon hearsay only, and the names
of his informants not given. His inn
pulse to confess seems to have been
caused by mixture of sheer fright and
bribery.
at is n matter of serious surprise and
regret that the majority of the commit
tee. upon the testimony of witnesses,
destitute of character, and against the
evidence of men of the highest reputation
in the State of North Carolina, have
come to the conclusion that it is neces-
sary for Congress to intervene to pre-
vent anarchy in that State. The under
signed believe that all the disorders
which exist in that State were created
by the unjustifable and unconstitutional
4 10 ffc
government. The evidence taken before
the committee, meagre and partial in its
character-tak in secret, and with lit
tie opportunity allowed to call witnesses
to refute the falsehOods manufactured
by the chief criminals in the recent dis
turbances to eXculpate themselves and
eliminate whole communities of limo
cent people-disclose, nevertheless, some
striking and important facts. The first
is that the State of North Carolina en-
joyed comparative peace and quiet after
the war closed, and until the reconstruc-
ton acts of Congress were put in force
| by the army; and the second is, that
since the State Government thrust upon
them by Congress has passed under the
control of the people of the State. in the
election of August, 1870 peace and quiet
and good order have again assumed their
|
| sway.
"The period intervening, marking the
epoch of reconstruction, from August,
1868, to August, 1870, also marks the
period of disturbance, disorder, and
crime; and it may be said, and the evil
dence proves, that during this time the
State government of North Carolina was
Il conspiracy against the property, the
| peace and the political liberties of the
people"
Speaking of the carpet-baggers. 1T
was through the influence of these men
and some few others, native to the
South who confederated with them that
these laws were pressed upon Congress
to disfranchise the body of the Southern
people and disqualify them for official
position, and at the same time to give
the suffrage to the negroes. But the ne
groes thus made the masters of the des-
TIMES of these States, would no doubt
have followed the cOunselS of their form
er masters if they had been left to them
selves and hence, to gain their object,
it became necessary for the carpet-bag-
gers and their allies to destroy the SYM
pathy and good feeling which had always
existed between the white people and
the black people at the South, and which
marked all their relations even during
the war, when the blacks worked cheer
fully and faithfully to support the wives
and children of the Confederate soldiers
at the front, and remained steadfast and
obedent to their masters to the last. In
order to accomplish their purposes the
Loyal Leagues were established, the ne
groes were initiated, bound by oaths,
| harangued in their secret meetings. kept
from work by promises of dividing the
| property of the white people among
them, instigated to steal the food they
needed, but which their political occupa
| tons prevented them from gaining by
| their labor.
|
"Thus was the reconstruction of North
| Carolina accomplished upon loyal basis
IA basis composed of ignorant negroes
and unprincipled carpet-baggers, ce-
mented and sustained by military power.
! The result might have been forseen.
The majority of the committee allude to
! this matter as showing the latitude al