Year: 1876

BLACKS.


CHARLESTON, S. c., Sept. 13.-The
forbearance of the white people of this
section of the State toward the cOlored
people is most wonderful. Until the
recent riots in the city and on the COM
balhee, the insulting and domineering
attitude of the latter has been unknown
to the nation. But now, it must be a
self-evident roposition that the outrages |
and intimidation exercised in this vicinity |
comes from them.


On the other hand, the patience of the |
whites must be seen to be appreciated. |
In the upper wards of the city Il military
club was raised some three weeks ago,
called the Butler Guards. 1t soon grew
to three companies of one hundred men
each. The most of them were mechanics
and railroad hands. On the night of the
row, one Of these companies occupied a
street next east of the riot, and although
individually anxious to engage in the
fray, yet they were so well kept in hand
by their officers that none of them inter-
fered, the officers declining 70 move un-
less they should be properly authorized to
resist the rioters. Down in the city
another club, the Carolina Rifiemen,
were under arms, one hundred strong
and the same restraining hands withheld
them from participation.


The next night it was the same thing.
There were one thousand white men
| under arms in the city, and yet no negro
was ill treated; but squads of turbulent
black roamed the city, insulting every
white man they met. On the Combahee
the same forbearance has been shown. No


matter what the negroes did-notwith-
standing they penned the white Sheriff7s


posse in barn, and with violence drove
the rice harvesters from their work-the
whites RETAINED from bloodshed. The


colored Congressman, Smalls, was surpri-
sed at this forbearance, and told his
people if they did not disperse he would


order the Sherifi7s posse to open fire.


The fact is that from Branchville to
Charleston there has not been political


homicide Of a negro by white man in
this State since the war. In this city
there has been only one negro killed by a


white man, and that was eight years ago


for stealing. On the other hand, there


must have been at least twenty white
men killed by colored men, in this and


the adjoining counties. -Four white meT
who were out fishing on one OF the Santee
lakes only last week, We're surrounded
and killed by fifty of the savage blacks.
| The trouble from the negroes is moi
| thn oil ha tx-hit its
J children are continually subjected to the


race antpathy of the colored boys. My


little ten-year-old boy was stoned this
afternoon by five negro boys, because
they mistook him for the son of a gentle


man who was in the row. Yesterday q
: little girl next door had her head badly
hurt with one of their missiles. A few
| DAYS ago had to play the Samaritan for
quiet little fellow with his fair white
forehead gashed by one of the same race,
, and then / had to escort him home to pre-
vent further injury.


The captain of one of the negro militia
companies told me to-day that when the
;next riot came they intended to put 6
!. sentinel at every white mans door and


shoot him down as he came out. The
J negroes now have full complement o.
} ammunition furnished them from the
State Government, and as it is election
times, they have plenty of whskey to ex-
cite them to violence.


Gov. Chamberlain and Mayor Cunning


ham have issued proclainations forbiddine
the appearance of armed men upon the
streets after nightfall. These proclama-
tons serve only to incommode the white
. clubs, to whom the existing quiet is due
who are thus obliged to keep their guns al
! their armories, and rally to them singly
! iunarmed. The armed neutrality of these
clubs still continues. They are divided
into squads, one of which is on duty
every third night. This is the protection
we get from the City, County, State, and


National Government. And yet all VIC


lence is repressed, owing to the determine
ed stand taken by the white organizations
The fall at present among the rowdies is


largely due to the fact that their white
! leaders were warned that unless they
kept their bullies quiet they should be
the first to suffer, if the forbearance of the


whites was broken. Some of them left
the city. One of them thought aloud as
he went, that ''this community is in a ter


ribly excited condition.


The Republican Convention in Col.


umbia has taken OIL the remainder OF


these gentry. They have pretty vel


coalesced on Chamberlain. Even the


Bowen delegation from Charleston, who


have been swearing they would vote fol


Hampton in preference to the Governor


carried Timothy Huley among them. Tin


is County Treasurer, an appointee o


Chamberlain, his bosom friend, :.and tn,


general broker for purchasable suffrages
Another of this delegation is Honest JOht


Patterson. l was informed Tim deposi


ted 5000 to defray the expenses of the de
legation during the trip, and thus secured
his seat on the inside bench of the broker


age. The appointment of Commissioners


of Election was another level which wa


brought to bear upon Bowen, in Tim


behalf, and okthe Governor above him.
!; But the tidal wave of the Democracy i
= rising. The municipal election in Abbe


vile went heavily Democratic. Half o