MIBSISSIPPI-SUB-COMMITTEE. 1133

By the CHAIRMAN: (Jueation. Was a good deal of prejudice created against Major WhiUldJ. by {he fnct of

his joining the republican party T AnBtOer. Yes, sir.

COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI, Noreinber 17, 1871.

EDWARD CROSBY ( colored) sworn and examined. By the CHAIRMAN:

Q11estion. Where do you live f .d1111ver. Right near Aberdeen-ten miles east of Aberdeen. Q11estio11. State whether yon were ever visited by the Ku-Klux; aud, if so, under what

circumstances. An81rer. I have been visite1l by them. They came to my house, and came into my

house. I went out to get my little child a drink of water and saw them coming. My wife tu1ked me what they were. I said I reckoned they were what we called Ku-Klnx. It looked like thure were thirty-odd of them, and I didn't know but what they might interfere with me, and I just 11tt!ppcd a.side, out in the yard to the smoke-honse. Tilev came np there, and three of them got down and came in the house nnd called for m�, and she told them I bud gone over to Mr. Crosby's. They asked her if I didn't have right smart business there, and she snid she didn't know ; that I had gone over there to see my sister, she reckoned. She didn't know hut they might want sometbiug to do to me, and ioterfern with me, null they knocked around a while and off they went.

Q111:ati1m. Was this in the night-time T .A11swe1·. Yes, sir. Question. Were tbey disguised T .dn81t'er. YCI!, sir. Q11eation. Had yon been attempting to got up a. free-school in your neighborhood f A11B111er. Yes, sir. Queati011. Colored school t A11s1re1·. Yes, sir. • Question. Do yon know whether their visit to yon bad reference to this effort t .&11s1re1·. No, sir; I don't know only this: I had spoken for a. school, and I hacl heard a

littlo chat of that, and I didn't know but what they heard it, and that was the thing they were after.

Quuti011. Were their horses disguised f A11stee1·. Yes, sir. Question. What time in the night was this f An,wc,·. I don't know; along in the fore part of the night, as near a.s I can get at it. Quution. Did you know any of the men f ARBlcer. No, sir; I ditln't get'close enough to know them. I could havo known them,

I expect, if I was close np, but I was afraitl to venture. Question. Did they ever come back f Ans1rer. No, sir. Q-tion. What do yon know as to the whipping of Green T. Roberts T.&1181rer. Only from hearsay. He told me himself. The.v didn't whip him. They

took him out nod ponchtl<l him and knocked him about right smart, bot didn't whip him.

Q1UJ1tion. Wns he a colored man f .d1111roer. Ho was a white man-a neighbor of mine. Q1ieati1m. Who took him out T .Ana,�er. The Ku-Klnx. Questio11. Did ho tell you they came after nigbt for him f .t11181rer. Yes, sir, after night. I was there only a few days after that. Question. How many did he tell you f A1181ccr. He didn't tell me how mauy there were. He didn't know himself; hnt I

understood there were seventy-odd. They viRited Mr. Dowdl'll, also, the snrue night. Quration. Wero the.'16 men also disguised; both themselves aud their lwrses T Answer. Yes, sir. Queation. What, if anything, do you know of nny colored men being afrnid to vote

the republican ticket and voting the tlemocrntic ticket at tho election this lllonth, in order to save their proporty, and to save themselves from being outraged f

Antncer. Well, sil·, the day of tho election there was, I reckon, thirty or forty; I didn't count them, but between that aruonnt; they spoke of voting the rn1lical ticket,. It was my intention to go for the purpose. I had went arou1lll and saw l!overal colo1·ed friends on that business, and the morning of the election I wont there very soon. I knew some of the party would come in and maybe they would prevent us .from voting Ill!

1134 CONDITION 01<' AFFAIRS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.

we wantc<l to. I calleel for the repnblican tickctll and they 11ai1l there W88 none on the ground. I knockecl 11ronnd amongst them, and I culled a follow 1111ml.'<l Mr. Dowdt.-11. and asked if there would be any there; lw said he didn't know; ho asked um bow I was �oing to vote; I told him my opinion, but I wns crampccl for foar. They said if we dJCln't net as they wantccl they would drop ns at once. Tbt•re is only a fow of us. living amongKt, t.hem lik<' lost sheep where we· c:111 dot ho best: and they wt•rc \'otin� and they l!too<l hack anel got the colorl•<l population and 1mshuel them in front anrl let them -vote first, ancl toltl tlu·m there was no republican ti,·kets on the ground. I tli1ln't Ht>O hut three 11ftt'r I vott•el. Shortl�· after I \'ott,cl, l\!r. ,Jame� "·ilson c:111111 with some, anti a portion of the colore<l people had tlouc voting. I met. llr. Henderson; I was going on to the ot,l1t,r box at tho Baptist church. lie asked if there were, any colored voters there; I tolrl him there was thirty or forty, and there wa.� no republican tickets there. Mr. ,vnson had t,ome iu hi11 pocket, bnt I clidn't see them. I saw that I "·:111 i,eat nt my own game, and I had got on my hm1l<l and clrupped out.

Qucatio11. Wbo tolcl yon that u11lc11B tho colored peo11le voted tho democmtic ticket it would be worse for them f

Ans,rer. Several in the neighborhood. Mr. Crosby snid as long all I voted as he Yoted I coulll st.ay where I was, but ho says, "Wbeiuever Ned vows my rights away from mo I cast him down."

Question. ,vW:l he a democrat f An111cer. A dead-out, democrat. Q11e11tiot1. Diel yon hear any other white men maJrn the same cleclaration f .111111rcr. Not particular; I only heard th<'m talking throu:,:h oach other about the

colored population. I heard .Mr. Jerome Lamo-he Jived ni:,:h Athens-tell a follow no.med Aleck that liYed on bis place, be Kpoke to him and a.skeel him if he was �oiug to vote o.s ho did; Aleck told him he was-bu did this iu fear, mine! yon-and Aleck went and voted, and after he \'otetl he said," Aleck, com<' to Uhl;" 11a�·s be, "Now, Aleck, you ba,·e voted f" Aleck says, "Yes, sir;" he saicl, "\Vl'II, now, Aleck, yon \milt l!Ollle very nice bom�es. Now, I want you to wind your busines.� up right carefull:r· I am clone wit.h you ; off of my Janel."

(J11e11tion. Had Aleck voted the republican ticket f Answer. Yes, sir. <Juestion. Did all t.llCl colored men except these three vote tho democratic ticket.

that dayf A1111wc1·. Up at Grub Springs 1111 voted tho democratic ticket. There was no republi­

can ticket given to the colorecl pt,'Ople at all. <J1restwn. Did they vote the democratic ticket from fear that they wonld be t.hrown

out of employment or injnred f .1n111ccr. That was their iuteutiou. You sec protty nigh ever)· 0110 of Uiem was tho

11Urue way I was, bnt there was none there; 111ul thN1 they were nll li\'ing ou white people's lnud,aud were preUy fearful. The Ku-Klux hud l>eeu rnuging a.round through them, and they were all a little fearful.

()ucstion. Do you think they wore all radical in sentiment, antl would have been ghul to ha-ve voted the radical t.icket if unintlneucetl f

.111111ccr. They would. They had a little distinction op amongst themselves-the white nncl colored people. One of them said. "Neel, put in a repnhliean.ticket." \Veil, there was none on the grountl. and I remarked, "If there is any radical ticket.son the grouutl I will take one of them, and I will not taken eh•mocmtic tickl•t, nud I ,vill fold them up and droptbat in the hox, aucl they will ne,·er tell tbc tliffcrcnce,'' and it got out that I had Yotetl tho radical ticket, and some were very J1arsh about it.

Quutio11. Would the colored 1>eople of your county vote tho radical ticket if left alono f

..:ln111cer. Well, sir, I suppose they wonld have done it.

lly Mr. Bum: Quation. Whose lnnd were you living ou, Neel f .,h181rcr. Mr. Crosby's. Question. You say Mr. Crosby asked yon to vote the democratic ticket t .J11111rcr. He asked me would I 1\0 it, aucl I told him I woultl. He told my neighbor

right there if Ned wonld vote the democratic ticket Neel could stay where he was, but whenever Neel votetl again�t him Ned was off'.

�luestio11. You tolcl him yon wero :,:oing to vote the democratic ticket f .J11swe1-. Yes, sir; for fear ; bnt my intention was the whole time to vote the radical

ticket. Qucstiou. lllr. Crosby ncver tell yon so f .lnswcr. Hc 11evcr toltl me so, bnt IICI �aid it right there, and be came in th('\ 6t>ld

whero l was picking cuth>ll, and saicl, "Yon propo� to be a great clemocrat, but I have found out wbat �·on are." I sa�·s, '' Master, I aw a democrat." He says," I will fiud out. Go abcatl, sir; I will find ont .. "

Questio,i. So be ditl uot bclie-ve you exactly f

MISSISSIPPI-·SUB-COMMITTEE 1135

.J1181ur. He didn't believe me exactly. The reason I told him t.bis was for fe:ir. All of our colorc,1 popul:itiou since the Ku-Klux: have been visiting about., have all het>n

·ju foar of trouulc. Thern has been nights I didn't sleep moro tbnn nu hour, uud ifthere bat! ueeu a stick cracked very light, I woul<l have sprung up in the bee!.

Q11estiv11. He never tolcl you must leavo bis laud T An111vn·. No, sir; not to. me. I only beard it from a particular friend of bis in the

neigbhorhoocl. Q11estio11. How clo yon know but what the neighbor told a story f .d1mrcr. He h1 a man of tmth, and he is there. I went down tho next night or so

after that to get some vinegar, und I was talking about moving olf, and that they didn't treat me right, and he told me what Mr. Cro!lby had saitl.

Q11eHtio11. Did you tulk to him aliout movingf A1mrcr. No, llir; to another neighbor. Ho wanted to buy P.ome land. Q11c11lio11. Ditl this man who told you this want you to come to himf A11111rer. No, sir; he didn't have lund sufficient for rue. Ho did not have more than

enough for himself. Question. Did he talk to you about going to another place T Answer. No, sir. Question. When you went thero for the vinegar and talked about going somewhere

elSt', did he enconrage you to go f .d1mrer. No, sir; not at all; only I told him what I wanted to do; that I didn't

tbiuk I was getting my rights. Que.i,tfon. When you went in to vot:e, you say you dicl not find any republican ticketll T .:Jn111rer. There wns 110110 tbt,ro nnt1l after I bud voted, and then ouly three. Questfon. WhollC fault was that f .A11B1cer. They told us there woulll be none on tho ground-us colorecl people. Questio11. Whoso fault was that f Atmcer. There it is now. I don't know whose fault it wus. Mr. Anderson said he

bad sent some there. Q11£'slion. By whom f .i111ttrer. By Mr. Wilson, I thi.;k. I would not be eertnin if Mr. James Wilson hnd

them in bis pocket. I didn't seo thew until I got ou my horse. Q11e11tio11. If they clid not bring nny republicuu tickets there, it wns their own fault T .A11s1rer. Mr. Anderson brought some but it was too late. Qm·stion. But it WD.ll llO fault of tho democrats that the n•publican tickets were not

there. It wus none of their business to bring them T Anmer. It wns not their fault, but they 11aid there would be none ou the ground, and

pu�hed the colored population right in to vote. Question. The colored people were so anxious to vote thut they would vote any ticket

rather than not vote at all f A11B1rer. Tho men came with the ones on the place, riding their horses and mule11,

ancl they guve back to them and put them right in foremost. Q1wstio11. That was giving away to themT Answer. It was in one 11eull6, but giving them no chance t•> choose their tickets. Q11estum. That was not the fault of the 1lernocmts that the republicans<lid not bring

them tickets to vote, but the democrats stood back and gave them a privilege of vot-iog f

.J11111rer. They just wrote their tickets ont 11nd g1wo them the tickets to voto. Question. They gave them their horses to come to the election f ..dn111cer. Yes, sir; I cnme with them. Q1wstio11. You huve not complained of tbnt f .1n81ce,·. Yes, sir; I have. Quution. What, the lending of the borseii T .d11s1cLi'. No, sir; hut if they would have given them a fair showing after they got

on the ground to choose their tickets and vote as they got roacly, they would have nil votnd t.he republican ticket, no doubt of it, because I bad went around mu! saw them; but they interfered. You sec they livecl ou the land, and just II.I! they vot"d t,ho repuu­licnn ticket they were all douo. We all understoocl that. We went in rotation pretty well.

QuCBli-011. Who is Mr. Andorson T A11s1ccr. Mr. Hop Anderson. Que,tion. Is ho the sheriff of the county f .,hmcer. No, sir; bnt his eon is. Quution. He brought the t,ickets outT Ansicer. Yc>ti, sir. Ho is outside of the door there now. Question. Did he bring tho tickets t-0 this poll f A11B1cer. Yes, sir; and Mr. Jllmes Wilson, but the colored people bad got through

voting. Quutio,i. They dicl not wait for the tickets T ..11.nBtcer. No, sir; they told them there would be none on the ground.

1136 CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.

Question. What did those people who visited your house say to yon; they just a.eked where you were f

..1.iuwer. Y<.-s, sir; they just asked where I was. Queation. They did not make any threats f ..:lnswe,·. None at all. (/uC8tion. They probably just wanted to sec you f ..cl11s1oer. I expect they did. (Juestion. Anxious to shake hands with you t A111tirer. I had rather not that they shake bands with me. Quutioa. It seems that they wore more friendly than you were f A11Rwe1-. I didn't care about meeting them at all. I know a mo.n that is a friend

woulcl uot, come in disguise. I took them to be men, as well as I knew. I took them to be meu.

(/uestio11. Yon dhl not know any of them f ..:lnawcr. No, sir; none at all. Quutio11. Who is Mr. Green T. Roberta f .A11s1rc1-. He is a man that lives up there in the country with us-a white gentlem11n. Q11cslion. What are his politics f A11s1cei'. Democratic. Q11C11tio11. You say they knocked him about right smartly f .A 11s1rcr. Y cs, sir. Q11estio11. Ou account of politics f Ausmer. No, sil'. Q11cslio11. What for f A11s1ccr. He is a man that stays at homo and attends to his own busine1111. His wife

1!1 dl'ad, nod he took a woman there to take care of his chil<lren, and some of them got mift'cd np at it, and I heard talk that tho paper-faces were going to visit him; and sure enough, one night they came. Some call them Kn-Klux and some paper-faces.

<}1wstio11. It. was thought that he wns visited for taking this woman there f .A11sice1·. Ye11, sir. <;>11estio11. Who is Mr. Dowdell f .JnBtvcr. Ho is a doctor living right there, close in the settlement. (,luestion. They visited him that night f Ar.strrl'. Yes, sir; the night they visited Mr. Roberts they '\'isited him. (J11eslio11. What for f A11swer. I 1lon't. know what it was for. I nm not able to tell. Queatio11. Di<l yon hear anything about it f .A11s1l'er. I bear<l different speeches abont it. I didn't hear what it was 9!bout a.t a1L (/11cstio11. What were his 11olit.ics f A11s1r.n·. I don't know. He voted the demoernt.ic ticket,, but l don't know what his

intention,, bad been. He bad been nccnsed of being a republican, but I don't know what hi,1 politics was.

Q11cstio11. Yon say he voted the democratic t.icket f A 11B1re1-. Yes, sir; ho votc1l tho democratic tickt•t. Q11esti<m. You went to Mr. Dowdell aml asked him for tickets f .fna1rel'. I didn't go to him. I went and asked him 88 a friend bow he was going to

vote. I tlidn't care about coming out before too many people on election day. Q11e11tio11. Yon voted tlu, radical ticket f A11s1rc1-. No, Hir; I didn't. <,>11estio11. Diel you vote at all f Ans1r,cl'. I voted tho democratic ticket. Q11estio11. What did you do that for f .Jns1rer. There were republican tickets on the ground, but not until I had voted.

Then I 1111w three. (,l11eatio11. Who wns Mr. James Barson f Am11rrl', James Wilson, you mean f (Juestion. Is he a republican f ;lnstccr. Yes, i,ir. (,/11estio11. Was he tberof .Ans1rc,·. Yes, sir. Q11cstio11. Did ho vote tho rcpulilican ticket f Ans1rer. Yes, sir; they say ho did. He said so himself this morning. <J11rstio11. What do you mean by saying Mr. Crosby aaid if you voted his ticket it

was all right, but if not he would cast yon down t You did not mean that he threat­ened to whip you f

Ans1rcr. I didn't mean that. Qu�stion. But t,bat he would employ other men f Anairer. Ho might employ other men, or something or other might happen, I don't

know what. All of us live a little in doubt·. We didn't know hardly what to beat times.

:MISSISSIPPI-SUB-COYMI'ITEE. 1137

Qw,twll. Do you know that Mr. Jerome Lamb a.eked Aleck if' he was going to vote as he did f

.dMWer. Yes, sir. Q11eetwn. How do yon know f .J.n81oer. I was right there. Quntion. You heard Aleck say he was? .J.n81ctr. Yes, sir. Question. And you know he made him leave his land f .J.nsrcer. I don't know that he lef't. I don't know whether he has got his crop

gathered yet. Qufftion. Then he has not lef't yet f .J.n81oer. Not as I know of. Quulion. Do yon know how Aleck voted f A.n,ioer. He voted a republican ticket. That is what they told me. He went up to

the box and pnt---1 didn't see him put it in, but he went up to the box, and came back then ; and Mr. Lamb told him to come back to him af'ter he voted.

Q11estio11. What place is this at which you votef .J.n,wer. Grubb Springs.

Coun.mus, MISSISSIPPI, N�ember 17, 1871. - JOHN H. ANDERSON sworn and examined.

By the CUAIR.'\IAN :Q11ution. Please state your residence and occupation •..4111rcer. I re.side east of Aberdeen about eix miles, in Monroe County, and I am a.

farmer by occupation. Q11utio11. The committee have called you to learn what information you have in relation

to tlJC existence of the Kn-Klux Klan in your part of tho country, or of men banded together nud masked, ridin� and prowling throngh the country in tho night-time. You may gi\·e what information yon have upon that subject..

An11rcr. ,vell, sir, I am fully satisfied that there has been an organized band or bands in tho connt.y of Monroe for the last year until recently. I do not think there bas been any riding there very recently, but previous to that they were riding about t,vice a. week-once or twice a week.

By Mr. RICE: Q11ution. Previous to' what time f .J.1111oer. Previous to the arrest of these meu alleged to bo Kn-Klux.

By the CHAIRMAN: Que11tion. You speak of arrests made nuder procees from tbci Federal court f ..41181crr. Yes, sir; previous to that. Question. This put a stop to this riding f A1mrC1'. Yes, S1r; they have cea&e<l aince t.hat. There hae been none since that that

I know of. Quc,tion. Have yon ever seen these bands themselves f An8wer. Yee, eir. I have seen them on two occaeions. Que11tion. Yon may state the circumstances. An8lcer. Well, the first I saw was the night that Mr. Huggins was whipped. Q11e11tio11. How large was that number f Antwer. Those that I saw that night were, I think, ten in number. Q11t$tio11. Did they ride past your farm f An81oer. No, sir. I wae some six miles east of' my farm, on the olcl Hamilton rond. Qu�tion. Did you meet them f An81rer. No, eir. I didn't meet them. I was near the road and saw them pass. Que11tiim. Were they disguised f .dnt1ocr. Yes, air, and riding quite fast. It was a little af'ter dark, bnt quite early in

the evening. Queation. How far from the place where Hr. Huggins was etayingf An11oer. About five miles, and they were going in that direction. Quution. In the direction of where be was whipJ>6d f Antwer. Yes, sir. I had learned that evening that the Ku-Klux would ride that

night, and that they expected to have some trouble near Rosa's mill, where the whip-­ping occurred, but there wae no name mentioned.

Que11tio11. Upon what other occa.aion did you see them riding f At111cer. It was after that. I was out in the same aection of country, and I heard.

aometbing tbat I thought was wild geese and I stopped my horse. I had been out over the Buttahatchie. I am deputy sheriff-my son is ibe sheriff-I was ont over thero

72 M