Letter from E. P. Briscoe to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; January 2, 1876

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Letter from E. P. Briscoe to Mississippi Governor Adelbert Ames; January 2, 1876

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People

Briscoe, E. P.Briscoe, John P.Briscoe, W. S.Falconer, Kinloch, 1838-1878 Foote, T. L.Page, James Sprout, W. D.Stone, John Marshall, 1830-1900

Events

Crime Crime--Lynching Crime--Murder Crime--Shooting Crime--Threat Criminal Procedure Criminal Procedure--Indictments

Organizations

Courts and Judicial Systems Courts and Judicial Systems--Chancery Courts Courts and Judicial Systems--Grand jury Mississippi--Executive Department Political Parties Political Parties--Democratic Party (U.S.)

Occupations

Clerks Law Enforcement Law Enforcement--Sheriffs Lawyers Lawyers. Public Prosecutors Politicians Secretaries

Places

Mississippi--Claiborne County. Port Gibson Mississippi--Hinds County. Jackson

Social Identifiers

African Americans Fugitives from Justice

Vital Statistics

Death

Page 1

Port Gibson Janry 2^nd 1876

Kinloch Falconer Esqr
Jackson Miss

Dear Sir

Your Favor of Dec 29^th,, 76 just to hand and contents noted. As a preface allow me to say that I readily recognise the footprints of one W. D. Sprout. I am not at all astonished, for I know that he will leave no stone unturned in the accomplishment of his purpose i.e. the destruction of myself & family.

To give you as lucid an explana-tion as possible I shall have to go back as far as the campaign of 1875. In that campaign Sprout was candi-date for Sheriff on the Radical ticket. I was candidate for Dist. Atty. & my Brother Jno. P. Briscoe was candidate

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for Chancery Clerk on the Dem. ticket. We both took an active part in the canvass and were instrumental in the overthrow of the Radical party in this County. By our taking a prominent part in that canvess we incurred the unend-ing enmity of the Radical Leadership of whom Sprout is the hand & the Pages are the tools. Sprout made the remark when my brother took possession of the Clerks office, that "would never live to serve out his time."

On the 21^st of Oct. 1876. (as you are well aware), the negroes headed by Sprout en-tered & attempted to come in at P. G. but were prevented by the Sheriff. Afterwards, on the same day the Sheriff possee, my two Brothers among the number, were ambush-ed and fired upon by negroes. The signer of this letter being the leader of the negroes. My Brother Jno. P. Briscoe recognized one of the Pages by his voice calling to the others not to move. He was

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the principal witness against Sprott & the Pages before the Grand Jury. Within less than three days after the indictments against Sprott & the leading one of the Pages were returned into court. My Brother was cruelly, foully murdered. He was killed on Saturday evening Dec. 9^th 1876, on the following morning (Sundy) I in company with my cousin Mr. W. S. Briscoe, & a friend visited the place of the murder, for the purpose of tracking the assassin. I, as might reasonably be supposed was ready to wreak vengeance on all whom I supposed were concer-ned in the murder. After an examin-ation of the ground we rode on to where the Pages lived, not expecting to see any of them, but to follow up a clue to the murder, which we had found. Learning whilst on the place that Old James Page the father of these boys was at home I called him out and in my talk with him, I

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told him that the best thing his boys could do would be to leave this County I did not order it, but simply ad-vised that course. There was no threat made to kill any one. That is simply a lie concocted by these parties. As to their being in the woods that is also a lie, they, have never left home. They did not do as I advised. So far as their safety is concerned they are in no immediate danger—Though I am free to confess that I have only to say the word, and in less than 12 hour's 300 men would be assembled who would hang the last one of them. Being an officer of the Law, I am sorry to say, that I cannot so far forget my duty, as to say that word.

Their lives have never been threatened by me or mine, but there will possibly be a serious difficulty should we ever

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meet. There are two Brothers of us left. We are not coward's, yet we dare not ride out of P. G. by ourselves. It would be at the risk of our lives were it at-tempted. Our Brothers fate undoubtedly awaits us, we feel it, we know it, and yet we as so situated that we cannot avert it. So long as these parties are in the County we are not safe. Yet how are we to get rid of them? We have no remedy at Law, and the whole Exec-utive power of the State is powerless to save us. The law could not punish the murderer of T. L. Foote, and now the murderer's of Jno. C. Briscoe are still at large. I use the plural advisedly for I know that more than one was concerned in it.

So far as carrying out the law is concerned, God know's were are the most law abiding people in the State, else long ere this We had living, Sprott the Page

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and numerous others of that set.

I have written as concisely as possible and trust that I have sufficiently explained matters. If however there is any point on which you desire additional information I will furnish it if within my power.

Your's Very Truly

E. P. Briscoe

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EXECUTIVE OFFICE,
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
Claiborne County,

From E. P. Briscoe.
Address Port Gibson, Miss.
Dated January 2, 187(6)7.
Received ,, 5, 1877.
Answered [gap]

SUBJECT.

Answers letter in re-gard to complaints of the Page Brothers.
[gap]

J. M. STONE,
Governor.

KINLOCH FALCONER,
Private Secretary.