Report of the Joint select committee appointed to inquire into the condition of affairs in the late insurrectionary states, so far as regards the execution of laws, and the safety of the lives and property of the citizens of the United States and Testimony taken.

1836 CONDITION OF AFFAIRS IN THE SOUTHERN STATES.
said to you that I would never speak to you on any occasion whatever when you
brought any arms to a political meeting at any place, and I shall decline to have anything to do with this matter in any way whatever." Thenr I turned to the white men
and said: "I hope, gentlemen, you will excuse me; I am going home;" and I got on
my horse and rode off. Several of them came to me, among them Newton Smith and
Mr. Johnson, my neighbors, and said, " Stay here; let us have speaking; we don't care
anything about these negroes' guns or white men's guns."
Question. Were those white men who rode up on horseback with guns?
Answer. Yes, sir. Said I, "I don't propose to enter into any discussion before an
armed mob of any kind-negroes, white men, or anybody else, and I shall go home."
I did so. All this talk about'negroes coming here armed was done, I am just as well
convinced as I am of my own existence, for the purpose of breaking down what little
influence I exerted in this district.
Question. It is in evidence here that the white people in this place and the adjoining
county were fearful that this town would be sacked that day, and they based their
fears upon intelligence they received of bodies of armed men coming from Gainesville
and from towards Demopolis, and also of some armed men, about two hundred, I think,
were specified, as coming from Greene County with arms; and that their coming in that
way was instigated by yourself.
Answier. I have just stated, Mr. Buckley, that there is not a man in this county
who knows me, or in Greene County, who would believe such a thing. Mr. Gid. Harris would not believe it, nor Mr. Jolly, nor any other man that knows me. They
know I would not be guilty of such a thing. I positively deny anything of the
kind. I only wanted to say this; this is a surmise of my own-not exactly that either,
because I have had it intimated to me by democrats in the county of Greene; they
knew that this was the largest republican district in Alabama, and that if the State
went republican this district would have to carry it; they knew this black vote would
carry the State for the republicans. Their purpose was to draw off forces from other
districts and make a direct attack on this district, intimidate the negroes, and break
me down in the canvass at the start. You will remember that I went over to see the
executive committee of the State and told the chairman, General Healy, that I could
not make a speech in this district during the canvass unless some aid was sentJudge Rice, or Governor Smith, or somebody would aid; thatit was utter folly to attempt
to make speeches in these counties, Pickens, Sumpter, Greene, Fayette, Tuscaloosa,
and Sanford. There was not a man, I did not believe, in the republican party in the State
that could go to those places and make a speech. That was my conviction until I
went over there. But I thought if Governor Smith came here and Governor Parsons,
and other men of distinction in our party, that probably their speeches might be
tolerated. They came here and made the attempt in this place and were insulted in
every way possible.
Question. Were you present at that meeting?
Answer. I was not; I did not come over here.
Question. Did you make any canvass in this county?
Answer. No, sir. I did not make a speech in this county, because I could not do it.
Question. You felt unsafe to do it?
Answer. I knew I would be killed if I did it.
Question. Was that the case in other counties in your district?
Aniswer. I only judged from what happened at Eutaw. You know there was a riot
there. It is of no use to go over that again. I do not think there is a man in the
State who can make a republican speech in Pickens County; in Fayette, the same;
in Sanford, I think, they could have mhde a republican speech.
Question. Do you think the colored people who came to this convention here had any
design whatever to disturb the members of the community, or do any harm or violence?
Answer. I do not know anything about that; but judging of them by the negroes all
over this country, you know they are naturally timid, and you could not get any body
of negroes together armed to make an attack upon the white people of this country
who had been their old nasters. I have owned them myself, and I think I understand
the negro somewhat. You could not get a negro-you could not get one of those old
negroes to insult their former masters.
Question. You think if they brought arms they brought them for self-defense simply?
Answer. I presume so.
Question. Not for the purpose of making an attack upon anybody?
Answer. None, whatever.
By Mr. BLAIR:
Question. Mr. Hays, do you not know it to be the fact that the reports were sent here
from various quarters that the negroes were coming into the town to this convention
armed?
Answer. I do not know anything about it, General Blair.