Letter from H. M. Williams to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; October 31, 1875

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Letter from H. M. Williams to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; October 31, 1875

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People

Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933 Rhodes, Travis Smith, Unknown Williams, H. M.

Events

Crime Crime--Assault and battery Crime--Lynching Crime--Murder Crime--Shooting Legislation. Mississippi Mass racial violence Voting Voting--Disenfranchisement

Organizations

Clubs and Secret Societies Clubs and Secret Societies--Democratic Club Clubs and Secret Societies--Democratic Club. Mississippi Mississippi--Executive Department Mississippi--State Penitentiary (Jackson)Political Parties Political Parties--Democratic Party (U.S.)Political Parties--Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )

Occupations

Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Sheriffs Secretaries

Places

Mississippi--Chickasaw County. Okolona Mississippi--Lee County. Tupelo Mississippi--Lee County. Verona

Social Identifiers

African Americans

Page 1

Vernona Miss Oct 31 1875

Gov Ames

Dear Sir

I will drop you a few lines to let you know how the people of Mississippi and of Lee co is a doing at Vernon and Tupelo Lee Co Miss they are shooting and drawing pistols and whipping the colored men and making them join the Democrat club and on the thirtieth (30th) of October in Vernon Lee Co Mississippi the white men shot at a colored man and the white man said his brains aught to have been shot out They started to talking about the Republican party and the white man got mad and pulled out his pistol ^{Folio I} and shot twice & we have sworn if you do not make better laws than that and and send us men that make speeches in Lee County there is plenty of men who desire to be Republicans but can not be on account of the Democrat if you do better that one hundred of men have said they will not vote for you any longer they say you send mens in Mississippi the 2nd of November for the white men done said they was

Page 2

agoing to arm themselves on Tuesday for the republicans of Lee County Miss & he have appointed three good Republicans ^{Folio II} men to Kill on Tuesday and we cannot stand it we want you to send us a crude of men in Mississpi Lee Co and other places on the 30th of October there was about three thousand Democrats both white and colored the white men dared a colored man to own his liberty and Republican they had a big speaking at Okalona Chickasaw Co Miss yesterday the 30th of October the colored Democrats spoke and said their eys was open they was about 500 colored men joined the Democrat Club they did not want to join but the white men made them ^{Folio III} join by drawing their pistols send us acrude of men in Miss We will look for them back Smith sheriff kept too men from the penetensia and made them join the Democrat club we want you to send the men on the second day of November I will close your Republican Friend of Mississippi

H M Williams

Page 3

copy No 4

Executive Office
State of Mississip

—Lee—County—

H. M. Williams
Verona Miss

Date—October 31^st 1875
Recd—November 1 1875
Ans—_{" "} 1 1875

Subject

The old story general terrorism and intimidation

Adelbert Ames
Gov.

Travis Rhodes
Private Secy