Letter to Travis Rhodes; January 26, 1876

Documents
Letter to Travis Rhodes; January 26, 1876

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Each transcribed document contains links that connect it to other documents on the same topic in the collection.

People

Ames, Adelbert, 1835-1933 Frazee, William H.Rhodes, Travis Shattuck, Unknown

Events

Crime Crime--Aggravated Assault with a Deadly Weapon Crime--Lynching Crime--Murder Crime--Shooting Crime--Theft Crime--Threat Mass racial violence Military Events--Recruiting and enlistment Political elections Political elections--Mississippi Political elections--Mississippi. Election of 1875 Voting Voting--Disenfranchisement

Military Units

Mississippi. Militia

Organizations

Clubs and Secret Societies Clubs and Secret Societies--Democratic Club Clubs and Secret Societies--Democratic Club. Mississippi Clubs and Secret Societies--Republican Club Clubs and Secret Societies--Republican Club. Mississippi Mississippi--Executive Department Political Parties Political Parties--Democratic Party (U.S.)Political Parties--Republican Party (U.S. : 1854- )United States--Internal Revenue Service

Occupations

Secretaries Tax Collectors

Places

Mississippi--Chickasaw County. Buena Vista Mississippi--Chickasaw County. Okolona

Social Identifiers

African Americans Native Americans Native Americans--Comanche Nation Refugees

Vital Statistics

Wounds and injuries

Page 1

Okolona Miss Jan 26 1876

Capt Travis Rhodes
Private Secy

Sir

Your communicate of the 17^nst asking me to furnish your office with a statemt of the condition of affairs in this county prior to and on the day of the last general electin (Nov 2 1875) that in any way perta-ined to or influenced the result of said election received and duly considered I will state in reply to the same that I know but little of my own knowledge but unimpeachable credence can be adduced to sustain all the charges I may make in this state-^{Folio I}ment, to you with, some weeks prior to the election referred to the major part of the democratic party ~~reffered~~ of this county organzed into military companes (mostly cavalry) a company of which were located in almost every ~~neigbdr~~ neighbor=hood The cavalry made it their business to ride ofver the respect-ive neighborhoods night after night

Page 2

and expecially the night preceding the electon visiting the residences of the most prominent colored Repu-blicans and making night hideous by their shouts and firing guns ^{Folio II} arrund their premises on their mar-auding expeditions houses were fired into and in one instance an old colored woman was shot through the leg Her only crime was her son was was President of a Re-publican club the result of this was that many of colored Republicans fled to the woods and were afraid to stop at Home until several days after the election In one instanc sixteen shots were fired into the house where a Republican family, ^{Folio III} were residing On the day of the election a band of men at Okolona armed with Evans repeating rifles and needle guns the latter stolen from the state charged and fired on a large body of colored Republicans voters and put them to flight shooting one of them through the Hat The republicans were wholly unarm-ed and making no hostile demonstrations

Page 3

All of the democrat clubs passed resolutions not to employ or lease lands to any person who voted the ~~Democratic~~ ^Republican^ ticket I was Buena Vista in this county on election ^{Folio IV} day and heard democrats tell republican voters ^that^ they could vote the Republican ticket if they desired it but if they did they would be in Hell in less than 24 hours on Saturday next preceeding the election at a large democrat mass meeting in this place a democratic speaker during the progress of this speech drew his pistol in a very frantic manner and said These are the arguments we expect to carry the election with Col Shattuck Coll of U S Internal ^{Folio V} Revenue and myself were can-vassing the county and had divide-d line with the democratic speakers and in turn, ^one^ of them proposed to divide with us at one of his ap-pointment we accepted but when we arrived at the place designated He informed us that he did not think

Page 4

it safe in the excited condition of the people for us to remain an urged us to leave which we did The gentleman reffered to is one of the most prominent democrats in this county was a friend to ^{Folio VI} us both and had no other object in view than our safety He stated that he was anxious for us to remain but did not think he would be able to protect us if we did about two or three oclock in the evening on election day a band of mounted men armed to the teeth rode about town and down main Street front of the Polls at a furious pace yelling equal to a band of Commanche indians It was the board of the democratic leaders during the canvass that intended to carry ^{Folio VII} the election let it cost what it might and that the only way to make a negro vote the democratic ^ticket^ was by moral intimidation They threat-ened them in their speeches in every conceivable manner the very air was impregnated with threats.

Page 5

[note] 1/26/76 [/note]

It is impossible to give a detailed mention of the threats made and the manner of making them siffice to say they done every thing they could to intimidate republicans except murder and if it had been necessary I am satisfied they would not have hesitated to commit any crime known to the law to carry their point Too sum up if I was to state that this county for two weeks prior to the election and one week after was a Hell on earth I would only tell the truth I was told by Democratic friends that they thought my life was in danger on account of the political ^{Folio I ¹}₂ excitement and was advised by them to be on my guard all the time and any Republican in this county could tell enough to inviolidat a dozen elect-ions if they were not afraid to tell the truth It will give me pleasure to furnish any information that I can on the subject

Yours Truly

William H Frazee

Page 6

Copy No 42

Executive Office
State of Miss
County Chickasaw

From W^m D Frazee
add—Okolona Miss
Date Jany 26—1876
Recd ^,, 28 ^,,

Subject

Statement of Polictcal affairs Just prior to and on day of election

Gen Ames
Gov

Trvis Rhodes
Secy