570 



MISSISSIPPI. 



to law, and bad, by the aid of members of the Board 

 of Supervisors, evaded the requirements of the law, 

 by having a worthless bond approved. 



6. The tax-payers having failed, after repeated 

 efforts, to have the law enforced, and being aware 

 that it would be impossible to convict the criminals 

 as long as the sheriff had the power to pack the 

 juries, and being satisfied that he would so pack 

 them to procure the acquittal of his friends and fel- 

 lows in crime and corruption, the mass-meeting of 

 tax-payers determined, in a deliberate, firm, but 

 peaceful manner, to adjourn to the court-house, 

 where they had a perfect right to go, and firmly 

 insist upon the resignation of the sheriff, the Chan- 

 cery Clerk, and other obnoxious officials. This they 

 did, and the sheriff resigned. 



7. That no violence was offered to the said sheriff, 

 but lie was told repeatedly that his resignation was 

 all the people wanted. No weapons of any descrip- 

 tion were used or exhibited, and the sheriff remained 

 in the Court-House Square unmolested. 



8. The Chancery Clerk and coroner fled on the 

 approach of the tax-payers, and no one had an op- 

 portunity to threaten or injure them. 



9. The tax-payers, long ere the issuance of said 

 proclamation of said Ames, dispersed to their respec- 

 tive abodes, and their only desire is that the laws 

 shall be executed ; that the records shall not be sub- 

 jected to mutilation and destruction by being placed 

 in the custody of criminals and thieves, who are 

 wholly unreliable and irresponsible. In view of all 

 these facts, we desire to say that the charge of inter- 

 fering with the rights of the colored people on 

 account of their color or race is particularly and 

 especially false. Kelying upon the judgment of an 

 impartial, honest, brave, and sympathetic people, we 

 submit our case. 



The Citizens' Address continues as follows : 



Contemporaneously with this proclamation of Gov- 

 ernor Ames, a printed handbill, over the signature 

 of Peter Crosby, appeared upon the streets of Vicks- 

 burg, and was extensively circulated among the col- 

 ored people of the county, in which the tax-payers 

 were denounced as a " mob " of " ruffians," " bar- 

 barians," and "political banditti," and which, in 

 highly inflammatory language, called upon his 

 friends to support him. This handbill, Crosby has 

 since stated, was prepared for him by a colored Ee- 

 publican in the office of the Secretary of State at 

 Jackson. , 



On the day after its appearance in Vicksburg, 

 Crosby published a card in the ne w'spapers of the city, 

 stating that his object in publishing the said handbill 

 was " not to direct abusive language against anybody, 

 but to set himself right before the people, to whom 

 he owed every thing, and that he did not see it be- 

 fore publication." This proclamation of Governor 

 Ames and the handbill of Crosby appeared on Sat- 

 urday, December 5th. About the same time, 0. S. 

 Lee, aide-de-camp to Governor Ames, and A. G. 

 Packer, his adjutant-general of militia, appeared in 

 Vicksburg upon what business it is not ceftainly 

 known. But it is known, from a statement made by 

 0. S. Lee, aide-de-camp, to two of our prominent cit- 

 izens, that P. C. Hall, a colored captain of militia, 

 of violent temper and bad character, received orders 

 from Governor Ames to hold his company of militia 

 in readiness, which orders were not transmitted to 

 him through Brigadier-General Furlong, who is the 

 commander of this militia district, and who is an ex- 

 Federal officer and a Eepublican. It is also known 

 that no orders were given to any other militia com- 

 pany. 



Determined to exhaust every possible means of 

 protection afforded by the law, and ignorant of the 

 violent measures contemplated by Crosby and his 

 confederates, the tax-payers, on the evening of 

 Sunday, December 6th, prepared and presented to 

 Hon. E. Hill; the Republican chancellor of this dis- 



trict, a bill of equity praying that Crosby might be 

 required to execute sufficient bonds within a time to 

 be fixed, and that in the mean while he be enjoined 

 from exercising the functions of the office of sheriff 

 and tax-collector. 



The chancellor prepared the order granting the 

 injunction at his house on Sunday night, and would 

 have delivered it to the attorneys who prepared the 

 bill, on the following morning, to be served, had not 

 events happened which made it useless to prosecute 

 that remedy any further. Pending the injunction, 

 had it been permitted the citizens to follow that 

 course, it would have been the duty of the Judge of 

 the Circuit Court, then in session, also a Eepublican, 

 to appoint some responsible person sheriif pro tern- 

 pore, and it was confidently believed that in this 

 way our principal troubles would have been peace- 

 ably and peraianently removed. While the consul- 

 tation was being held with Chancellor Hill, A. G. 

 Packer, Governor Ames's adjutant-general, and 

 Crosby, came in together, and Crosby was informed 

 that it was rumored that the negroes of the county 

 would attempt to invade the city upon the following 

 morning, lie disclaimed any knowledge upon the 

 subject, but said that he had the power to disperse 

 them, though he saw no objection to their coming if 

 they desired. Upon this he was earnestly besought 

 by Chancellor Hill and the citizens present to send 

 out orders to them that night to return to their 

 homes, since if they made such an attempt much 

 blood would be shed. Crosby promised to do so. 

 Nevertheless, early on the next morning positive in- 

 formation was received that armed negroes from the 

 country were marching on Vicksburg in large num- 

 bers. 



Our citizens, thus suddenly aroused to a sense 

 of their great danger, hastily armed and took posi- 

 tions on the roads in the suburbs of the city. They 

 came in conflict with three separate bodies of armed 

 negroes numbering from two to four hundred each, 

 on three different roads, and defeated and repulsed 

 each body. It is estimated that from fifty to one 

 hundred negroes were killed and wounded, and 

 about thirty were captured, all of whom, except four 

 of the leaders, have been released and permitted to 

 go to their homes. 



Early on Monday Crosby was arrested, and has 

 been, since then, strongly guarded to protect him 

 from the vengeance of men of his own color, who 

 say that he instigated them to attempt the invasion 

 of the city, and hold him responsible for all the blood 

 of his own race which was shed in this conflict, as 

 well as from any violence which might be attempted 

 by any of our citizens who have lost friends in re- 

 pelling this assault upon our city. 



On Tuesday afternoon, when it was supposed that 

 all fighting was over, a party of our citizens, while 

 engaged in burying a friend who had been slain in 

 the conflict, was fired on from an ambush by a body 

 of armed negroes, and one of their number was 

 killed. Since then the Mayor of Vicksburg has or- 

 ganized a special police force, and under its surveil- 

 lance peace and quiet have been completely restored, 

 and our people have resumed their usual vocations. 



The version of these difficulties given by Gov- 

 ernor Ames is . materially different from that 

 above recorded. According to his statement, 

 the troubles in Vicksburg were but the natural 

 outgrowth of the violence of the preceding 

 election in August, and were for political pur- 

 poses. Says Governor Ames : 



The White Leagues at one time, and the Tax-payers' 

 League at another, have been for some time through 

 their committees examining the books and papers 

 of the county officials. They (the leaguers), it is 

 said, forced themselves on the grand-jury, and after 

 a lengthy session found indictments against but one 

 official, a colored man by the name of Davenport. 



