New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-09-05
BAILEY'S RECORD.
Senator HOar Shoes Hoo He AideG
Crime against the Ballot.
[FRom THE TRIBUNE BUREAU

IND y
9 voice. almost from the grave. arises to demon
,.a+e the travesty Of which Mr. Bailey was
Guilty in venturing 10 criticise the President as
rash as untitled to lead the government in
time of peace" as lacking due respect for tho
law and he Constitution. Mr.. BaileY'e aScIser
&c none other than the venerable Senator Hoar.
NOW living critically i'll, and Mr.. Hoar's descrip
zion of the part played by Joseph w Bailey
now Junior Senator from Texas in the famous
Mississippi outrages is 10 be found in a report
made 10 the Senate during the first session of
the xLvIIIth Congress. Report No, 512)
In 1888 the better clement throughout the
country was stirred to the extreme of indigna-
t,on bv the foul murder of ]. P. Matthews re-
spected citizen Of Copiah County. Miss he hav-
ing been shot dead. when in the act of casting
his ballot, by Erastus Wheeler, the Democratic
challenger of the polling place in what is known
as Beat g." So great was the indignation
aroused by this and other outrages in that
State that a Senate committee was appointed to
investigate them and the facts herein stated
are taken from the report signed by George F.
Hoar chairman and Angus Cameron. John
Sherman, William P. Frye and E. G. Lapham.
Senator Hoar. as chairman OF the committee.
drew the report, in which he relates that body
of men. consisting of about one hundred and
fifty persons, Of which Erastus Wheeler was
major and Joseph W. Bailey captain" terror
tied the voters of Beat 8" and committed fear
fuI outrages against law and order. These men
we're mounted ninety Of them armed with guns,
the remainder with pistols buckled round them,
army style. hanging on the horns of their
saddles" writes Senator Hoar. About two
weeks before the election the armed company
above named began riding around the country,
taking with them a cannon They began oper-
atoms al the lower end of Beat 81 but for twelve
DAYS ranged over the county Their operations
were largely conducted at night They kept up
a constant firing with their guns and cannon.
The cannon was burst but was replaced by an
other. These disturbances which were com
pared by several witnesses. who had been SOL
diers. TO the firing in a holly contested battle
were committed in the dead of night IN the local
tiles where colored people dweit in large num-
bers They killed. wounded, whipped and other
wise outraged q large number of persons. In
two or three instances II IS claimed that the
person injured had a personal enemy who had
Joined the Democratic mob, and, under cover OF
their society, had gratifed his own hatred In
one Instance, and in perhaps two, this may be
true but in every case proved before the COM
mittee the persons committing the crimes
avowed il as their purpose TO carry the election
for the Democrats. in every instance the per
son committing the offence was Democrat and
the victim Republican or independent"
An attempt 20 organize 2 colored Republican
club is described and is failure is related as fol-
lows: a party OF white Democrats including
Ha-graves. brother OF the Democratic Sheriff;
Hart who shot Burnett Bailey and Morrison,
two Democratic lawyers, and others rode over,
broke UP the meeting and compelled oliver, who
was TO speak TO ride before them back to Halle
hurst. The church was burned the following
night oliver fed to the woods, where he lay
several weeks. only returning after getting a
promise Of protection from Meade, the chairman
Of the Democratic Executive Committee"
Various outrages perpetrated by this armed
mob are described in detail in the report of Mr.
Hoar's committed Warnings We're sent TO all
Republicans not to attempt to vote, or they We're
forced at the point of pistol TO swear that
they would vote for the Democratic nominees.
The reign Of terror instituted by the mob in
command of Wheeler and Bailey eliminated on
election Gay, when Wheeler shot Matthews in
Geld blood because the latter persisted in cast
ing his ballot after being forbidden TO do so by
Wheeler. Matthews was warned by a resolution
delivered to him at his residence to keep away
from the polls. The resolution read:
whereas It is thought that the public interest
himself from the polls on election day; therefore
be il
Resolved. That Print Matthews be ordered to
keep within his Enclosure tomorrow.
Adopted by citizens Of Copiah County this 5th
Gay Of November, 1888.
When thi~ resolution was handed to him Mat
thews replied:
This is a very strange proceeding for re-
publican government. I think have as much
right 70 vote any Of you. have never done
any Of you any harm. I have tried to be useful
10 society in every way that 1 could. Now
John, you have got it in your power to murder
me, 1 admit But going to vote tomorrow
unless you do kin me-"
The report relates the events Of election day
up to the time that Matthews appeared at the
polls, and continues: Matthews was selected
by the Republicans present when the polls
opened TO act as their representative. He said
he had to go home, that his daughter was sick.
ana he sat down together on bench and
talked pleasantly in ordinary tone. What
they said was not overheard. But Wheeler him
self afterward said that he said to Matthews:
Print, would not vote to-day If l were you
Matthews Went 10 the table and handed his
ballot open. 10 the election officer The officer
handed ii back to him and asked him TO fold 1t.
de took the ballot in both hands, when Wheeler
who stood at a distance Of eighteen feet shot
him with both barrels, in the breast. Twenty
Tour buckshot lodged in him, charge just
below the throat. the other between the breasts.
he fell Instantly dead to the floor, American
citizen, on his native soil, within earshot of his
home, in the act of casting his ballot. man
Drawer and kinder never consecrated the battle
field with his blood"
Of the treatment OF Wheeler as a result Of
this outrage. the report says He has remained
wholly unmolested in Copiah County from that
day TO this" Wheeler was soon thereafter APP