Year: 1875

form as accurate an opinion Of the conspiracy, its
causes and motives as any person here 1t is my in
tenton convey you only such facts as corrob
crate those which you already have have questioned
many people upon this subject but OF the answers
received have covered every side Of my query The
majority Of the here believe that the plot was the
conception OF some cabal of ''scoundrey" damned
radicals There are many others who consider that
what they call the inherent sayagery of the nggers"
which repressed during the slavery period is
finding vent That the radicals could have urged the
negroes a course OF assassination, ravshment and
robbery do not believe They could not have hoped
press back the tide democracy the State by the
murders Of comparatively few members Of the demo-
cratic party. Radicals, you in the North more
ready to admit than the people here not or
such intense and stfened stupidity be able
trace IDEAS to their legitimate conclusions If they had
ever entertained the idea Of


FORCING AN INsURREcTIoS


OF the negroes in order to further their interests
they certainly have dropped it after examination
They know the negro character than the
Gratis They have studied it more intently than the
latter in order TO learn how to control the negroes for
their purposes In this fact find the refutation Of
the assertion that they encouraged the blacks band
together for the purpose Of numbering the democratic
white and Of plunderng their houses The radical
politicians know that the negroes given to squeal
ing' when caught in tight places that If they encour
aged them to overt acts against political opponents,
and the uprising overcome-as it certainly would
be-the black tools would divulge who their
tors and what the aims of those who urged them. The
would be the extinction of the radical party In
the South and the triumph of democracy in the nation
This conclusion may not be correct, but certainly
think the premises are


Accepting it as correct, ask you, Are the
radicals likely to do thing whose results would not
only exclude them from the heaven Office holding for
ever, but also expose them TO punish
nent and the execration Of all decent peope2


THE RADICALS TO BLAME.


Yet the radicals certainly degree responsible
for the design of the negroes They organized the
freedmen into Union Leagues taught them that General
Grant alpowerful and not only could, but would,
protect them from the consequences Of Illegal political
Rcs they used the negroes through naltery brib
cry until they had aroused ambition in the souls Of
some Of the most prominent among the freedmen
These leaders gradually became dissatisfied with being
passed over the distribution Of party pe and they
infected their humber brethren with their discomfort
Organization became weakened the Union Leagues
and finally these bands broke up altogether But the
negroes had become used TO organization; they had
quired liking for secret meetings and, while they
had their hatred Of democrats their
for radicals had become weakened.


THE FRAGMENTS GATHERING


They were gathered again into associations and their
leaders, having nothing else with which to animate
them, pictured the good time they would have il they
could get possession Of the land and the other belong
ings Of the white men Now do not believe that the
leaders put these the minds Of their followers
with the expectation that they would ever be acted
upon consider that those leaders 'black
Micawbers" with greater talents for organization than
Dickens creation had They wanted to link their men





could reanimate them In the meantime a pleasant
dream Of prosperity sufficient to keep them in the
leash But this dream was too long continued
Nothing else turned up and the blacks began to look
toward the fulhlment and realization Of their fantasy
They began TO talk loudly about working toward this
and their leaders, although becoming frightened be-
cause OF farsghtedness tried 10 appease them by ap-
pointing days for bloody work, which afterward
postponed The lesser members Of the organiz
tons clamored for The leaders applied for them TO
militia companies but the State could not would
not supply them Here, then, was relief for the
leaders If revolt Of their dupes should really
there would be pretext for il in the failure 10
coored militia companies as white had been armed.
They accordingly clustered and wrote impudent
letters TO State officials They called meetings Of
the blacks at which General" Joe Morris Of Burke
county and Glib and aReyerendu Corday Harris made
speeches denouncing the injustice done them. The
"Reverend" jerry Simmons told the benighted freed
men in the negro can't that "the Phlstnes were agn'
ern and preached the doctrine that they might safely
do some evil in order 10 reap greater good for them
selves. When they had duped the poor, ignorant





CALLED THEMSELVES GENERALS AND "REvERENDs"
permitted day for massacre 10 be appointed; they
participated in the preparationsfor the work Of that day.
but they never intended TO aid in the killing and rob-
berry General" ?. r. Rivers did not venture from
South Carolina into this State the "Reverends Corday
Harris and jerry simmons determined 70 be out
Of the way; "General" Joe Morris sought
for hiding place, and Jim Sessions, having
hidden the books Of the secret league hid himself
But the dupes did know these things. They went
with their preparations and talked and talked until
finally they talked the secret into the Of some OF
their destined victims You know already how wisely
the people acted when the plot discovered; how
quietly some Of leaders Of the ignorant negroes were
arrested and lodged in Jail Philosophy was called into
use it decided that, nobody had been hurt,
there was no need to hurt ANYBODY excessively Tho
white militia of the district we're merely put under
arms and every precaution taken against an outbreak
by the negroes.


confined this The subordi nate officers
are not Of sufficient intelligence and nerve 10 lead
movement Ike this 70 completion They are nearly all
plantation negroes Ephrajm Brantey Rev. Wesley
Simmons (Baptstl, Captain Harrison Tucker, Rev.
Nathan Lawson (Mehodst) and Captain Nelson Brown
with score Of others have some little intelligence and
shrewd tricky dangerous negroes but the rest Of
the prisoners are common field hands ignorant, super
stitiOus and easily deceived William Thomas, pres
ident OF one Of the societies, in his conversation
with me, stated that the whole thing was
purely mutual affair and benevolent In us character
Under orders from "Generaln Morris they 10
being money In 10 the teasurer and this money TO
be used to purchase lands for the members and these
lands TO be divided Unfortunately for Thomas
and his story, which has been repeated TO by
era Of his class Of prisoners TIE statements DIS


ACCORDING TO coRDAY HARRIS STATEMENT


made in my presence and Of his own free will 10 Gov
Smith this afternoon this diabocal Instruction
Is the ougrowth Of the old negro Union League organ
izaon which had for its object the banding Of the col
ored voters together in such manner and by such an
oath as their united support for the radical
PARTY Recently however the negroes have 10 a great
extent, broken loose from their bondage 10
this organization, and some new plan was
necessary by which 10 again unite and hold them to-
gehcr solid 'front.', 70 oppose the or demo-
cratic principles In the government and recuperaton Of
the South. Harris Is sharp smooth -tongued tricky
negro Ho is about Eve and half feet high Of small
build thin features smooth face, glib tongue, and
weighs about 1875 pounds In question from
me he replied that he "a Baptist preacher, so
callcdD Ile claims that general" Morris, Rev Jerry
Simmons and others, with general" Rivers In the
background were the prime movers in getting up the
mass meetings He says Morris ls scamp. Harris
Gays he went 70 Atlanta TO get authority to raise com
anv and 10 procure arms from the State for the
Governor Smith through his secretary, explained 10