The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1899-04-13
STATEN ENTOF FACTS.

ed by Revenge, Seek Through Per-
jury to Fasten HcinOus Charge on
Prominent Young White Man-The
Attempt Proves a Boomerang, Re-
cOiling With Ten-FOld Force Upon
Themselves-They Threaten a Cen
eral Movement on This Line Over
the Whole State.
K1TrpELL, N. c., April 10th, 1899
As the negroes of Vance county, striking
at me, have brought an Infamous and utter
ly groundless charge against an innocent
young man and false reports of the matter
have gone abroad, greatly to his annoyance,
it is incumbentupon me to state the facts
Although my family have at this place
| for more than a century been noted for
their sympathy and consideration for the
colored race, and have for Years used my
power as the largest employer of labor in
and charity for them, my stand at certain
critical periods has made the negroes my
enemies, or rather furnished the negro pol
iticians with eagerly sought capital.
They harbor against me many grudges.
The we'll known assault of the negro George
Brodie on young white girl was commit
ted on one of my farms. | was absent at
the time but my sons took an active part in
capturing the offender and at the trial l
lent such aid to the prosecution as was nee
| essary.
When the negroes at this place invaded
the white waiting room, insulting and near
ly assaulting a white clergyman who pro-
tested against their high-handed action, |
withstood them with such emphasis as to
render a recurrence of the outrage unlikely
if not impossible
Such influence as had exerted in fur
thering the passage of the separate car
bill. Although l ADVOCATED equal accom-
modations for both races this seems to
have disgruntled them most Of all. This
can be accounted for only by the inference
that the negroes of Vance county, with
characteristic insoence, valued above all
other things the opportunity of forcing
themselves into the presence of ladies in
show Of social equality.
But to return to the question in hand.
For the above reasons has this wholly I'M
warranted spite been gathering head and
constantly seeking an opportunity to wreak
itself. Repeated attempts to form a labor
boycott against me have SO far failed igno-
miniously. The only ones who could be
induced to join it welea few whom we had
already black-listed for open approval of
Brodie's crime.
But whatever be the outcome | should
not value business success 4 feathers weight
against what to me seems the paramount
duties Of Southern citizenship.
Baked At boycotting, seeing that threats
of assassination had no effect and that
threats to burn my property were equally
futile-for it is kept night and day under
armed guard-with devilish cunning they
determined to strike blow, compared to
which all the others, had they all been sue
cessful, would have been nothing-to strike
at the honor and good name of my family.
A negro girl, the mother of a bastard
child and of VIGOROUSLY loose character be-
fore and since. was severely reprimanded by
one Of my white managers for larking with
coiored man in one of my plant cellers,
where the duties of both carried them. Catch
ing at anything to shield herself she &C
cused the young man, my cousin, of forciblv
OBTAINING her. The matter was reported to
me. After sharp and wholly unbiased
investigation found the charge groundIess,
and slanderously false, and directed that
the whole family, long in my employment
and in many and many pinched times my
bene6ciaries, be at once discharged.
Then one Aaron Smith, Republican
4 ""kSeoi, lhC gun duut HUSBAND, aQ-
vlsed by the negro lawyer and legislator
Eaton, brings against the young man the
charge Of assault with intent to rape.
Under coaching she swore that in the
cellar. lighted by window, two DOORS a
lantern and two twenty -candle-power
lamps, the three latter all within ten feet of
her. and while white man, . colored man
and q colored woman were in eight feet of
her and in point blank sight, and other
white men and colored men stood at the
head Of the stairs, ten feet from her and in
sight, that the young man without speaking
to her made desperate and repeated attempts
to assault her.
The five eyewitness testify that The
charge is wholly and damnably false. Her
own witnesses as far as they know anything
corroborate the Eve eye witnesses. 1t was
believed that the three negro witnesses
could be forced to perjure themselves and
that their evidence would overbalance that
Of the two white men,