Year: 1874




whom they met. Everywhere they went they
Cursed the niggers" and white Republicans, boasted
how tbey treated such cattle in North Carolina. and
advised the murder OF them ALL


Some men whom they filed pretty full of their ap-
n,e brandy responded to their boasts. Sumter
Comfy. they claimed, knew how to do these things
as well as the North-Carolna Ku-Klux, and the as
sassiuation of Billings and Ivey cited in proof
As far as | could learn no man with whom they
talked so conhdentially ever admitted that ne was
personally present when either of those men was
killed, but the detectives say that great many
were anxious to have share OF the honor.


"On the day we arrived in the county" said MIR.
Hester eve saw more than 100 armed men riding
about the vicinity of Belmont in the eastern part of
this county hunting for Bob Reid. and they would
have killed him if they could have found him.
There was meeting at Belmont that day and they
expected Bob Reid to speak. though they had
warned him beforehand that he must leave iand
make more speeches"


when did you see these men y asked were
they formed like company with officers VINO CON-
manded thcmp


"Well 80 men went from this town. beaded Dy
the Sheriff That was just to give the thing the
color OF law, you know. We saw them all along 'ne
road; sometimes there were six or eight togetner'
sametimes two aud they all said they were hunting
for Bob Reid" =.


This about all COulu IedIu liOm Dii' AA"''NN
sbont the Belmont affair." which furnished the foun-
datop for several sensational stores except that he
showed me an anonymous letter which he said BOD
Reid had received through the Post-Ohice, warning
him not TO make any more speeches and to leave the
comfy before the end of September. The letter
was written on small scrap OF paper, but saw no
envelope or other evidence that it had been through
the Post-Ofice There was nothing about it from
which able to judge whether it was genuine OF
not.


THE BELMONT AFFAIR AS DESCRIBED by A con-


SENTATIVE.


In order that may give in connected form all
that learned about the trouble at Belmont, shall
here dIgress from my interview with Hester. and
tell now the other side of the story. got it from
Major j. G. Harris, who was in 1870 Democratic can
didate for Congress in this district. Major Harris
has ALWAYS been conservative. On the Fourth OF
July. 1866 by invitation of the Union Leagues OF
this county. he made speech to the negroes, In
structng them as to their newldutiessand privileges
In 1870 when there was real reign of terror in this
whole region he canvassed the Congressional Dis
trict denouncDg every stump secret poltical
organizations of every kind, and advising and Deg
ging the people to abstain from all acts OF violence
He Is prominent in all good works here. and the ne
groes tell me he is one of the best men they know,
and one of their truest friends. If such men as
Major Harris cannot be believed, then there Is no





hope for this community


From him learn that Bob Reid is member of
the Legislature and that after the ASSASSINATION OF
Ivey be became very much alarmed for his own
safety II is possible hat he actually received the
threatening letter which Mr.. Hester showed me.
At any rate Reid thought it necessary to have an
armed guard at his house at night. But the more
armed men he had the more he seemed to get fright
ened and so he went on increasing it from day to
,lo {ba xubi ito Opla Twin m n
vicinity began to be alarmed, not knowing what
Red's object was and nobody. white or black,
felt safe.


A REPUBLICAN REIGN OF TERROR


For a few days there actual reign of terror
In that neighborhood; the blacks left the cotton
fields and fed to the swamps the whites barred
their doors and prepared for instant Defense and
called upon the Sheriff of the County TO come and
disperse the negroes He gathered posse of 80
men here, sent for more from various parts of the
county, and started for Belmont. Reid and his men
heard that they were coming and fed. 1t was on
that day that Messrs Hester and Beach arrived and
they found to use their words, terrible state OF
affairs have DO doubt that the armed men they
saw, who had been summoned by the Sheriff, told
them they were hunting for Bob Reid and, as many
OF them were probably rough characters, and had
been drinking whisky pretty freely, they may have
been incorporate in their language. But nobody
WAS hurt, and Republican meeting at winch
speeches were made by negroes took place In Bel
mont the very day that all these things occurred,
for Mr. Hester himself told me that he was present
there part of the time and that it was not molested
Reid, it has been reported, was run out OF the
county that day, but he is now back, and L saw
letter from him to Hester, yesterday, asking for a
detachment of troops, and to-day there is report
that he has been appointed Deputy United States
Marshal and furnished with guard of two OF three
soldiers. | know nothing of the truth OF this re-
port.


"NINETEEN NEGROES SHOT AND NOBODY HURT.
One other affair similar to that at Belmont, oc-
CURED in the northern part of this county, and 1t
has been reported in Administration journals
here and telegraphed to some Northern papers, that
nineteen negroes shot in fight which occurred
there The facts which have gathered with great
care are these: Warren Dew, negro and political
leader for some purpose which have been unaDle
TO learn, gathered about him considerable
body of blacks armed with guns, and this caused
the white people to fear that trouble would ensue
Some of them then went to Gainesville ana called
on the county solicitor who is Republican, and
asked him to advise them how to protect them
selves. He told them to make the proper afhdavlts
aud have warrants issued for the arrest OF the
blacks that they might be put under bonds to keep
the peace. This was done, and deputy sherln went
out with three men to arrest them. Ihey refused
TO be arrested and the sheriff returned iof aage
posse and when that appeared the negroes
into the woods. II shot was hred on eltner sloe'
about which there is some difference OF testimony
arrested 10 of the blacks, and they gave bonds to
keep the peace


HOW THE OUTRAGE MARKET is BULLED


/ shall be obliged to reserve for future letters
what have to say about the assassination OF
Billings and Ivey, and many other interesting
matters about this county; but must not close
this letter without calling attention once more to