Year: 1874

|
SUMTER COUNTY vIsITED-UNwnIJNGNEss OF THB
REPUBLcINs THAT THE rRIRUNE CoRREsPoND-
ENT SHOULD VISIT THE SCENE OF THE OUT
RAGES-THE BELMONT AFFAIR AS DESCRIBED BY
UNITED STATES OFFICERS AND PROMINENT CON-
| sERvAuvEs- -oTHER SPECIMEN "oUTRAGEs"-
| NINETEEN NEGROES SHOT, AMI NOBODY
HURT


| trRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRbuSsI
LIVINGSTON, Sumter Co., Ala, Oct. S." II will be


useless for you to go over to Sumter or Greene or


Choctaw or Marengo County, said almost every
Republican whom met in Montgomery last week.


"If the Democrats know who you are they'll con-


vince you that everything is quiet that there il no


reign of terror, and that the reports, which
sure you are well authenticated as any reports
can be- are wholly without foundation"


Then III 90 incog.." was my reply


If you do that they'll all suspect YOU Of being
detective or deputy marshal and they won't talk
to you. The best thing for you to do is to see u s.
Marshal Healys two deputies, Randolph and Will
ford, who have been mp in Sumter County, and can
tell you all about it, and then go down to Mobile aud
attend the examination Of the prisoners. who will
be taken there the first of the week" In short,
advised not TO make this trip by every Republ-
can with whom I conversed in Montgomery. they
did not desire that | should personally visit tho
scenes of the reported outrages and greatly pre-
ferred that 1 should gather my information at Ito
capital of the State.


The Democratic leaders on the other hand, were
anxious that should investigate the whole matter,
and for that purpose should make personal visit.
go as q correspondent of The TRIBUNE, or go III
disguise; talk with Democrats and Republicans,
negroes and white men; interview the detectives
and United States Marshals; visit the camps and
converse with the military officers: and all ask
is that you shall report just what you find to be the


truth. We know that this State has been greatly
slandered, but we don't want you to take ouI word
for it 60 and zee for yourself"


] left Montgomery Tuesday morning and took tho
western train on the Alabama Central Road from
Selma on the same afternoon Benefits Station -
the nearest point the railroad to this place. and
having learned that it consisted simply of two
three negro cabins, telegraphed for a buggy 20
meet me at the train which was due there at about
half past o'clock in the evening. When arrived
it was quite dark there being no moon and the
smoke from numerous forest fires filed the air like
thick fog. As stepped off from the train, negro
man, who was the only person I saw, asked my
name and said that he had been sent from Living
ston to meet me. He had come from this place alone,
distance of eight miles, five of it through thick
forest, and he had started after dark. This fact,
thought did not betoken a condition OF very great
terror on the part Of one Sumter County negro, at
least.


AN INTELLIGENT REPUBLICAN,


The ride to this place was very cold and nneom-
Portable One Part of the way it @ corduroy
road every log of which seemed to have been


loosened by the long continued droutb, and upon


which the buggy jumped and bumped like q rail-
car that has been thrown from the track and is
dragged over the ties. There was nothing along the


road to interest stranger, Tall pne-trees stand
ing closer together and bearing more foliage than
- fba PM fina IN nj Nnrth
| bounded the view on either side and there
nothing to be seen but a strip of sky overhead and
the white dust of the road beneath My driver
knew very little except that the crops were


short, meat 10y which he meant bacon high,


and cotton low. He had heard Marsr ben" say


something about the shooting of Tom lvey and that
the Yankees" Federal soldiers were arresting


people for it, The negroes were all at work Ear


as he knew, though on his plantation they


waiting just for the last scrappin" of the cot


ton to open. He should vote the Radical ticket but


didn't know who the candidates were or what Offices


were to be filled. He asked me if reckoned Pres


ident would be elected this FALL and when Itold


him that it was Governor that was to be chosen,
inquired who was Governor now, and seemed
to have heard of him.


reached Livingston at nearly midnight. and the
town was as dark and still the grave. As drove
around the square which iDcloses the Court house,
tall frame building with numerous small windows,
and of boxlike architecture saw,the white tents Of
Capt. Ms's company of the 2d United States ID-
fantry and one two prvates were standing guard
at the entrance of the Courthouse yard The lees
said about the hotel the better it is like the major


ity of such houses in Southern villages of few hun
dred people, Very few Southern people ever knew


how to live comfortably in their times OF pros


perity. and they have not improved any in this


respect in their adversely. tavern that was little


better than barn in 1860, aud on which probably


not dollar has been spent since for repairs or FUR
niture is necessarily rather cheeress place IN
1874 That at Livingston is no better and no worse


than most of its class but the class is one that s TO
| be avoided as much as possible.


A SLEEPY ALABAMA VILLAGE.
| Twas awakened yesterday morning by the roll Of
| the drum in the camp, and found the town, after
breakfast, almost quiet as it was at midnight.
mule team hitched to wagon which contained two


bales of cotton stood in the street opposite the hotel


with negro boy doing the top of the cotton.
II had not been disturbed when returned to din
ner; the owner who had been spending the whole
morning in town. had not decided whether to sell or
take the cotton home The stores and Offices which
are ranged on two sides of the Court t-house-square
were open aud number of men, black and white,


were lounging about the doors, but none Of them
seemed to have any trade except one man, who had


half barrel of Indifferent pe-appes, the first that


had been in town for a long time, and which he was


selling to the soldiers for 40 cents a dozen.
On one side of the square is long. oue-etory


frame building about Is feet wide and divided up into
small square rooms each Of which has door aud


one small window. both inthe front and back These
are used lodging rooms by the proprietor of the
"other hotel" for there are two in town. Over the
IL -.