The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-07-08
AN INCIDENT IN THE RECON
 SEDUCTION DAYS OF ALABAMA.
The Wild Run from Montgomery to De- catur made by Capt. c. H. BeaIe
 With the Cah Wagner Min

The Wild Run from Montgomery to De-
 catur made by Capt. c. H. BeaIe
 With the Cab Wagner sfin-
 strel Company. N
 When the noted Sumner Civil Rights bill was passed by Congress soon after the civil war, everyone of that time remembers the effect 1t had in good old Alabama which had been cursed and scourged by ignorant members of her Legislature which was composed of me- groes, soalliwags and carpet-b -bagsers.
 On March II. 1875. Wagner's Min strels appeared in Montgomery. The negroes, backed up by this obnoxious bill, tried to exercise what they claim ed was their rights" by taking seats in theatres and trains alongside the whites. On this occasion they passed the word that they would buy seats in the theatre with the whites, when heretofore they had always been ex- cluded to the gallery. wagner's agent had instructions not to sell tickets to negroes anywhere but for the gallery. but by some chicanery they got the tickets in the. dress circle, among Mont gomerys fairest daughters. The ques- tion then was,s how to remove them without frightening the ladies. When the curtain went up. the company marched in and took their seats for the overture. Wagner sitting on the end WlIH I4fuDOuTAnS u1Id. Sa1tAHB HE eyes over the audience. he saw the ne- groes in the dress circle and knew at once this would never do. so he put down his tambourine. advanced to the footlights, and announced that there were negroes in the dress circle and they would please vacate and go to the gallery where they would find good seats. and the performance would com rnence We'll. you could have heard la foI etn6H with hated breath, ready to back Wagner. The negroes did not move. A game of bluff, but it did not count in that game. Wag- ner waited patiently, still the negroes made no move to vacate. Wagner left the stage and returned quickly with pisIols in hand. saying to the whites: Ladies and gentlemen, stand aside; will clear the dress circle of those col cred gents" Pandenonium reigned; men were on their feet instantly, and the negroes went out of that dress cir cle Kicked and cuffed, and made nasty retreat to the street. The peri 'rm- anee then commenced, and much praise was given Happy Cal"
 Next day trouble commenced TOT Wagner. as negroes commenced swear ing out warrants for Wagner before the United States Commissioner. N. $. McAfce of Taliadega was United States District Attorney: Captain J. W. D'm- mick was United States Commissioner. Wagner and his agent, Prown, were ably defended by Colonel H. A. Herbert, Colonel Tucker sayre. Colonel Virgil Murphy, Judge David Clopton--all vol unteering their services and Colonel Herbert making telling speech on the mountaineering of the civil rights bill. The Commissioner held with the attorney, and refused to issue any more warrants; then the negroes swore out more warrants before another Con- missioner, Barber by name. This threw Montgon. cry into a state of excitementi men with stern faces and detefmlnation promised to back Wagner and see this thing through the streets were crowd- ed with both negroes and whites. ex- pecting trouble any moment. Cai Was' flee WkIch was over Blount Weatherlys drug store facing corrt Square He was surrounded " ni- friends ~no were considering how to get him out of the city before the United states narshals could 1ervs other warrants