The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-04-16
EIGHT GOVERNORS OF ALABAMA
1874-t90t
No. 1e-Elections Riots in Barbour County

In a preceding number 1t has been eX-
planned that Elias NJ. I<eils. judge of the
city court Of Eufaula, scalawag, was the
counterpart in that section of the state
to Congressman Charles Hays and State
Senator w. B. Jones in the western part,
both scalawags. Jones was probably tho
ablest and most resourceful man of this
eoterie. A morbid aspiration for public
notoriety consumed him. He did not need
the emoluments of office. He was a cot
! ton planter on a considerable scale.
Keils came into view first as an officer
in the United States revenue service. Tie
had trouble in that position that threat
ened serious consequences in the United
States courts. When the legislature, elect
ed with Governor Houston met large
number of the most respected citizens
of Eufaula petitioned the lower branch
to impeach him as Judge 1t was charged
that he studiously abused his office lie
so administered it as to revenge himsei1
on the people for fhom, in the most part,
it was created to protect There were
about 10000 negroes in Barbour county,
while the whites numbered about 1000 less
than the negroes. If by some extrava-
gance of mind he honestly believed the
negroes should rule even the freak Oh
nature could not so justify his violence
to his oath of office as to release, not
haphazard. but by deliberate system. ne
gro prisoners who had been untried by
and procedure of his court by making
false entry ON his docket.
Keils was not alone of his class In the
eastern counties We shall present him
as he testified before the special commit
tee sent from the lower branch of Con-
gress ito investigate political affairs in
the State of Alabama" Before the COM
mittee sat at Eufaula, however, 1t gave
hearings at Opeika, near by. To Opeli-
l5a they called MIR. X. B. Smith of Cham
bers county. Smiths testimony gave a
graphic account of political conditions
and race excitement in his county. He
said while no collision Of arms had taken
place in the late campaign on election
day, the hostile feeling between the con-
testants at the polls was alarming. He
attributed it to the audacity of Richard
MoLemore, candidate for probate judge,
assisted by scalawag Congressman
| Charles Pelham. McLemore made an
appointment to address the negroes and
they turned out in great numbers. men
and women, to hear him. Before then he
had moved along smoothly with his plan
tation laborers, all freedmen. After Me-
Lemores speech the same negroes grew
Systematically vulgar and insulting to
him, so that as soon as their contracts
for the year expired, he dismissed them,
in sheer self defense.
This candidate for probate judge told
the negroes not to expect fair treatment
from the whites If the election went for
them. He related as fact of history
that emancipated slaves never receive
justice from their old masters. God alone
had been able to deliver the Jews from
captivity and 1t would be SO with them.
He explained that the pillar Of fire. was
the light from burning houses the Jews
Il passed on their way out of bondage The
southern negroes were not Africans. They
came from Ethiopia, country as good
as the near by land of the Jews. At this
| announcement the whole audience sprang
to their feet in widest excitement. Il
| never heard such shouting in all my life,
declared the witness. '"They gave God
the glory and called Him their Cod
few days after the election, when the
success of the white supremacy ticket
was generally known, Congressman Pei
i ham, who had been defeated, passed
alorg. Smith was directing some work
on the roadside which employed some Of
his freedmen. The negroes walked to the
/ travellers buggy to speak with him. He
| told them that the game was all up with
their party; Jeff Davis would return to
Montgomery and be inaugurated and re-
! establish the Confederacy 'the next
! Tuesday" This news greatly alarmed
the whole community of negroes.
The committee went 10 Eufaula and
there called on Judge Keils to testify.
/ Joseph G. Cannon native of North
Carolina, then representing district of
4 Illinois. later known as Speaker sCan-
ron examined the witness in part as
! follows:
%. State whether men, either colored
or white, are 'ostracised on account of
j their political opinions? A. Yes, that is
almost universally the case The white
republicans and their families are ostra-
cised. @. BY whom? A. BY democrats.
That is done in the churches and in the
schools: children even are ostracised in
the schools. @. On what account? A.
On account of the political views of their
parents. mans wife, for instance, is
osirscised in her church on account of
the politics of her husband. If repub-
lcan attempts to do business of any
| kind, he is prescribed
| Edward Oden, negro, 27 years of age
testified that he was at Eufaula on the
day of election. He came in from one of
the country beats. fiye miles out of town.
hto vote. He had marched In with a body
of 500 negroes from the direction OF Co.
lumbus. Ga. Another negro testified that
he lived a considerable distance from En-
faula. He had collected 45O men of his
race from the plantations of Barbour
, cornty. They were apprehensive lest they
y should not reach the polls in time for the
sotng, so he went into camp with them
| ,tfr1,t
: about 9 o'clock.
The whites knew Kels had given 'n-
: structions. They understood that the
project was to hold the negroes in heavy
! lines at the polls, SO that repeating Nigh,
be more readily practiced and the ap-
proaches made more difficult to them.
, Testimony seems to establish the fact
that the bloody riot that came about II
I o'clock a. m. began under these circum-
: stances, to-wit: The negroes under The
t influence of Judge Keils and former Gov
ernor Parsons, both of whom had made