Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-05-26
TAR HEELS OBJECTED.

some llttlo IflCllOn III OudFlOlIe ldSl
Tuesday. The race question is strong
ly to the fore in North Carolina just q,
this time, and the idea of marching be-
hind a negro drum corps was some
what distasteful to the North Carolina
soldiers. A member of the Jasper
Light Infantry relates the incident as
follows:
"You see we had the best drum
corps in the city-in fact the only one
that was really entitled to be called a
corps-and when we arrived Monday
night it attracted good deal of inter.
est. The boys handled their drums Sc
well that big crowds would gather
around them whenever they began to
heat, and we thought that instead oi
exciting prejudice we had made quit a
hit. In fact it was not until next day
that we had the slightest intimatlon
of objection or unreasonable prejudice,
"During the morning there came
echoes of hostility to our drum corps
from North Carolina soldiers, and we
heard ofstatements by them to the effect
that if "those niggers took part in the
parade they would not )" but we paid
no attention to all this talk, as we did
not consider that it amounted to any
thing. Shortly before we went out to
take our places in the parade, how.
ever, somebody, presumably a mem
ber of North Carolina company, cut
the head out of one of our drums with
bayonet. We made an effort to find
out the perpetrator of this act, but
without success, and the affair made
most of US pretty hot.
"At the request of officers of several
of the South Carolina companies, Lieu
tenant Hart, who had been appointed
adjutant % Col. Boyd's staff, placed
the drum corps of the Jasper Light
Infantry at the head of the parade. II
was not very long, however, until
there were evidences of dissatisfaction
that was generally understood to be
on account of tbe drum corps, and
presently there came an order from
Col. Boyd that all the drum corps
should be sent back. This settled the
matter for the time being, and when a
band arrived to furnish the music the
parade proceeded smoothly"
After the exercises of the day were
over, the drum incident was discussed
| by the soldiers in the armory, and
Capt. Moore and Lieutenant Hart took
occasion to express their minds about
the matter. 1t looked at one time as
if there was going to be some serious
trouble; but Chaplain Johnes who had,
of course, maintained good judgment
unruffled all the while, managed TO
preserve the peace. Later, Captain
Moore marched his company through
the streets of Charlotte, with the drum
corps at its head, until all the boys
were satisfied of their complete vindi-
cation.
Although at first very indignant
that such a question should be raised
at such time, after thinking the mat
ter over fully, most of the Jasper boys
have come to the conclusion that, after
all, the Tar Heel boys were not much
to blame. The race issue is running
high in North Carolina just at this
time, and the whites of that state
could no more think of following a, to
them, unknown Negro drum corps,
than would the whites of South Car
olina in 1876. At the same time, how
ever, it should not be forgotten that
the matter involved raises delicate
questions that were difficult to settle
on the spur of the moment.
1t was Greenville man, it seems,
who smashed the drum. Since the
foregoing was put in type, the Green
Vile News of yesterday has arrived
with the following:
The nearest approach the boys came to
doing anything very gay was on the night
of arrival, when about midnight men,
Der of the company kicked hole in the
| Yorkville company's bass drum, which
the Yorkville mems drunken pet Negro
had been beating too continuously AND
without orders. When the Negro refused
to let up at the command of an enlisted
man in charge of the Greenville compa-
ny, the aforesaid enlisted man stepped up
to and into the drum. The only York
vile man, a sergeant, present, attempted
to raise row about it, and was promptly
put under arrest by Quartermaster NJ.
Iceland Smith, who arrived opportunely.
Members of the Jasper Light Infant
say that the above statement is incor-
rect in that no arrest was made or at
tempted.
SOLDIERS AND THEIR WIDOWS.
Clerk of the Court Wylie, on Thurs
day morning, received list of the Con-