Year: 1876

currency tu0t AE. Au0ub may 10 rculuuoU
that he lives in political house containing
q great deal of glass, and he may not with
impunlty throw stones at his neighb0rs, nor
loosely indulge in railing accusations against
those who cOnscienti0usly maintain as high
q standard of honor ss be breaches himself,
and higher, perhaps, than he has already
practiced.


A NIGHT OF HORRORS.


Terrible Outrage at Chapel Hill, Okiib-


beha Coun:y-Republican Meeting Dis.


persed by White Liners-One Celored


Man Killed and Thirty.six Wounded


Not single White Liner Hurt.


On last Sunday morning the news reached
US that a riot had occurred near ChOctaw
Agency, in Oktibbeha county, and that sew
eral persons had been killed and wounded.
On Monday evening following dispatch
was received at this point asking for help;
that the negroes in large bodies we're march
ing on Starkville to attack it. In the course
Of an hour another dispatch was received,
stating that the negroes were leaving for
their homes, and that assistance was not
needed.


From . gentleman living at Starkville


we have the most positive assurance that


the negroes had not assembled anywhere in


the county on that day, and that these


dispatches were sent out to create an er-


roneoas impression, and to cover up as far


as possible the dark and bloody deeds COM


mitted on Republican club on last Satur-


day night.


4s to the particulars of the horrible scene


that occurred at Chapel Hill, We were guided


with the sole desire to ascertain the ab-


solute facts in the case, and we now pro-


pose to give it to the public as related by


eye witnesses.


On Saturday, the thirteenth instant, the


colored people of the Chapel Hill club met


at their usual place of meeting to appoint


delegate to the congressional convention


on the twenty-seventh. to nominate can


didate for Congress. The club hsd been in


session but Q very short time when . body of


armed white men entered the building, and


commenced cursing and violently denounc-


ing the chairman and other leading men,


bers, and told them that the beating of
drums had to cease; that they had been
riding for hours to catch up with the drum;
that it looked too much like war times, and
that they were tired of drum beating. The
chairman of the club seeing that no bust
ness could be transacted while these hostile
demonstrations we're going on, adjourned
the meeting with the understanding among
the colored people that they would reas-
semble again after dark to complete the
business left unfinished. The crowd then
dispersed, and 90 ended the first act of the
drama.


According to the agreement the Repub-
l;can club reassembled at their club room af-
ter dark and organized their meeting on the
outside of the church for fear that those
white men might return, slip up and shoot
them through the windows and doors. A
small fire had been kindled between the
church and the road, and while one of the
members was addressing the club from the
steps of the church, the White Liners slip
ped quietly up the road, leaving their horses
down in Q swamp some little distance
off, and fred into the crowd, killing one
dead ON the spot and wounding thirty
six more, four of whom are thought
to be mortally wounded. At the
first fire the colored people scattered
| in every direction completely panic
stricken. All the killed and wounded
were shot in the back, for the crowd, when
the firing commenced, were facing the
| backs to the road where laid the assassins
concealed by an embankment. An evidence
| that the cOlored people were tsken un-
awares and had not fired Q single shot, is
| that they had carried 00me eight or ton
| guns with them to the church to protect
| themselves in case they we're attacked.
and had set their guns against the church,


but on running away under terrific fire
they left their guns standing by the church,
and on examination it was discovered that
they had not been fred and that they
were all loaded with three exceptions.
| And as another evident fact, on the oppo-
site eide of the road where these white
men lay concealed and immediately in
| their rear, stood q fence and frame


building, and had the negroes fred single
| shot it would have left its mark. But on q
| ;nsnoofiOn hv vitnaaaaa and tho
| deputy sheriff of the county, not q single
| bullet mark could be discovered anywhere
| in the rear of the assassins lying concealed
| in the road. The church in front of which
| the negroes were standing was literally
riddled with bullets, but in the building
| and fence just in the rear, where the white
men stood, not solitary trace of q bullet


could be found. How strange, had the ne
| grOes been the aggressOrs; yet it is true one
negro was killed dead on the spot, and
| thirty-six wounded.


All the evidence that we have been able
to gather points clearly to the undeniable
| fact that those white men went there for
! the express purpose to murder the MEM
| bers of the Republican club and to destroy
| the Republican organization in the county.
The large bulk of the Republican voters of
| Oktibbeha county reside near Chapel Hill,
| and to make certain of the decentralization
among the negroes it was necessary that
| the bullet should do the bloody and cow
| ardly work. There can be no excuse or
| palliation for this Wholesale slaughter of
| innocent people, whose only crime was that
they were Republicans and would have
| voted for Hayes and Wheeler.


The report that these white men were in
vited to attend the club meeting. and that
| the colOred people had thrown out pickets,
with instructions to shoot any white man
| who may approach, is absolutely false in
every respect. When the deputy sheriff
| and his posse arrived at the scene they
found all the white men gathered around
the dead body of the negro, and
| all of them were drunk and armed.


The leader of the gang told the
| deputy sheriff that there were 500


negroes near by and they were expecting
an attack every minute. The deputy and
his posse started for the visionary black


and secured the whole country, but they
could find no one except those shot, who


were trying to get home. The names Of the
assassins have all been taken, and list
will be placed in the hands of the United
| States marshal. A speedy trial is demanded
| by all good and law abiding people, and If
| found guilty of the charge of murder, they
should be made to pay the penalty. The
| lowest. the meanest, the most God f0rsaken
specimen of humanity is the sneaking, cow
ardly assassin, be he white or black
| Prairie Ne,cs.


Insist on yourself; never initiate. Your
! own gift can present every moment with
| walton; but of the adopted talent of an.
-AI nvn An Ivy0 ON $nv