A secret purpose

Title

A secret purpose

Source Type

Newspaper

Publisher

The Marengo News

Publication Place

Demopolis, AL

Publication Date

9/19/1874

Transcript

The negroes lately in arms near Forkland, could assign no cause for their action except that they were acting under orders from Montgomery. They said that negro blood had been spilt and that they intended to have white blood in revenge. Nothing but "fight" would satisfy them, yet they fled at the first fire. Two weeks ago tho same lawless parties were in arms to seize the rations being carried along that road, and were virtually resisting U.S. authority. A suspicion obtains among some of our citizens that the purpose of these negroes was to assassinate Capt. J.T. Jones, who, with Hon. W.E. Clarke was expected home that night from the meeting at Eutaw by this road. These gentlemen passed up by the Rowe place on Saturday evening two days before. There aro several circumstances that give coloring to this suspicion. The arming of the negroes on this particular evening, their waylaying the rood and firing without notice upon white men coming in this direction and the statement of their captured leaders that they had instructions from Montgomery for what they did, make up a chain of strong circumstantial evidence. "Suppose Hays had been expected on this road at a particular time and an armed band of white men had lain in ambush and shot down without warning the first radical that appeared going in the direction that Hays was expected to travel, what a howl of "Ku Klux"! would have gone up from tho loyal throat throughout the land! Could any republican, north or south, have been convinced that an attempt had not been made to assassinate C. Hays, M.C.?. The fact is, our candidate, Jones, is developing too much strength in the district, and it may be possible that the "orders from Montgomery" were to put him out of the way.

Sources for

063-18740909-001