East Mississippi times. (Starkville, Miss.) 19??-1926, 1912-03-08

Mclaughlin who was poor
sort OF creature at best went to
st. Louis from Holly Springs and
became assistant to the district
attorney He seems to have suf-
fered partial change of heart.
Some five or six years ago he visit
ed Starkville. Some one saw him
on the street and pointing him out
to Prof, Maxwell, said: There
is your friend" Maxwell then
said to him: Hello there, do you
know who | am?" You are Mr..
Maxwell" replied Mclaughlin.
Didn't you swear lies on me at
Holly Springs?" asked Maxwell.
l was mistaken" " humbly replied
Mclaughlin.
Any low yagabond and camp
follower from the north who was
willing to affiliate with the negroes
was able to make political tool of
them at this time. Contemporary
with Mclaughlin in Oktibbeha
county was one Mcbride who had
been whipped out of Chickasaw
county where he had been negro
school teacher. Becoming a negro
school teacher at Osborn, in this
county. he was found guilty of
rape committed on one of his pupils
and was forced 20 leave the couu-
try. One Leak, a carpetbagger,
also taught negro school in the
county and was at one time presi-
dent of the Board Of Supervisors.
He was whipped on the streets of
Starkville by Thos. Gillespie for
writing an insulting note to Giles
pie sister when she asked him to
pay just debt. He died of pneu-
nonia in StarkviTle not long after
he received this thrashing.
Another low vagabond was
Shirt" Wilson, so-called because
he was tried for the theft of a shirt
from the negro with whom he was
living. Though making a speech
in his own defense he was convict
ee and jailed, but falling over in a
tit he wfs released and permitted
to leave the country.
The men who gaye the most
trouble in the county and held the
negro vote together the longest
were not these low characters, but
men of good family and reputation,
many of them natives of the coun-
ty who became republicans after
the war for the spoils of office.
w. E. Saunders, the two Sullivans,
Woodward, Hale and F. s. Pate
were men of this type.
In the early seventies the demo-
cratic political organizations of the
county made it point to intimi-
date, and if necessary. whip the
leaders of the negro drum COM
panies and break up the meetings
of these organizations. IfpOsslble
the drums were always secured and
destroyed and threats made of
more drastic treatment if any fur
ther meeting, marching or drumming
was attempted. These measures of
expediency were not always car
ried through without bloodshed.
Before the democrats were as we'll
organized as they were later, there
was a political speaking at the
Chootaw Agency. The democrat
ic organization had arranged to
have signals given with horns if
trouble should arise. The negroes
marched to the speaking in solid
phalanx with drums beating. This
proving very offensive to the dem.
ocrats an agreement was made
that both drum beating and horn
blowing should cease, after which
both parties dispersed, On his way
home from the speaking young
Sessums met negro named Todd
Hudglns going toward Chapel Hill,
a negro church and favorite as
sembling ground of the negroes,
with his arms full of guns. Asked
what he was going to do with so
many guns so late in the evening,
the negro answered; I'VE are 60
ing to kill every white woman and
child in this Beat tonight. Our
club meets at Chapel Hill tonight
and | am carrying the guns to
them Tense as the atmosphere
was this was all that was necessary
to make young Sessums resolve
on desperate measures. Ascend
ing u high hill he sounded the
note of alarm upon his horn.
ITO be continued.