Letter from the Citizens of Warren County, Mississippi, to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; September 14, 1875

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Letter from the Citizens of Warren County, Mississippi, to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; September 14, 1875

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People

Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933 Bedford, Unknown Grant, Ulysses S. (Ulysses Simpson), 1822-1885 McKee, Samuel Bell Pease, Unknown

Events

Crime Crime--Lynching Crime--Murder Crime--Shooting Crime--Threat Mass racial violence Mass racial violence--Clinton, Miss. (1875) Massacre Political elections Political elections--Mississippi Voting Voting--Disenfranchisement

Military Units

United States. Army

Organizations

Churches Political Parties Political Parties--Democratic Party (U.S.)Political Parties--Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )

Businesses

Newspapers Newspapers--Mississippi Newspapers--Mississippi. Jackson Times (Jackson, Miss.)

Occupations

Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Sheriffs Legislators Mayors Postmasters

Places

Mississippi--Hinds County. Clinton Mississippi--Warren County. Vicksburg

Social Identifiers

African Americans

Page 1

Vicksburg Miss. Sept. 14" 1875

To the Hon. Gov.
State of Mississippi.

Dear Sir.

^59^ We the people of state of Mississippi County of Warren City of Vicksburg. Do hereby make this announcement by letting you know our desire and our intention. You asked President Grant for protection but he applied to the law abiding citizens. Dear Sir, we ask you, did you accept the name given you from Vicksburg if you did you had just as well consider that the Democrats will gain the victory. The reason why is because the colored people will be forced away from the polls and not allowed to vote for fear of being shot down. They are making ^60^ preparations for it, now They are going around the streets at night dressed in soldiers clothes and making colored people run for their lives—They are drilling every night with the wharf boat guns. They have got 2 or 3 thousand stand of arms here in this City. They say they will either carry this election either by ballot or bullet and if you say much they will come to see you.

The Jackson Times statement of Clinton riot is correct. The same statements it gives about them killing the colored people every where is true. For the Vicksburg

Page 2

^61^ murdrres say they killed every, negro they could see, we are intimidated by the Whites. We want to hold meetings but it is impossible for us to do so if we do they will say we are making an invasion on the city and come out to kill us. When we hold church meeting they break that up. Our lives are not safe in our houses. Now we ask you who shall we look to for protection. We have a Democrat Sheriff and a Democrat Mayor Mr. Pease Post Master, telegraphed every thing was quiet—he is an uncreditable ^62^ man. he knows nothing about it.

The only reason he did it was because he got defeated in his M^cKee nomination for Congressman. He announces the Repub-licans as theives—We will ask you to do all you can to get protection for we have none and unless we do have we will tell you we will not carry the next election. We are in the hands of murderers There will not be peace here until troops come or unarm them—no citizen & citizens can stop them & it is useless to say so. We hereby say ^63^ that we will not vote at all, unless there are troops to protect us and they must be put under your control For sheriff Bedford says he will not call them out if they come. Resolved that we will not vote unless there is protection given us—Yours (300) Three hundred voters.