The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922Various
History
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922
Various
African Americans -- Periodicals
The following extracts from the _Daily Record_, Greensboro, North
Carolina, February 2nd and 3rd, 1911, setting forth the reminiscences
of Captain Ball, a participant in the Reconstruction of the Southern
States, gives valuable information as to the troublous times of that
period:
New York, Feb. 2.--I have now told nearly all of the
authenticated facts concerning the Stephens murder; the rest is
merely speculative. There have been stories coming from the
negroes which are interesting, even if not strictly true. A negro
has quite an imagination. I will relate some of these stories,
without expressing an opinion, leaving others to decide as to
their accuracy and naturalness.
Much of what follows comes from Governor Holden, at the time an
aged man, retired (perhaps not voluntarily) from public life. The
tendency of his political opinions in his later years was toward
"Conservation." I called upon him in February, 1885 (twenty-six
years ago) and took notes of what he said, because of its
inherent interest. His memory was clear and comprehensive. While
governor--he was elected by the Republicans in 1868--and before
his impeachment and removal from office by the Democratic
legislature of 1870, he sought to unravel the mysteries of the
Kuklux brotherhoods; and tried in every way to discover the
perpetrators of the Stephens assassination.
It has already been stated that Stephens, on the fatal Saturday,
was in attendance upon a Conservative meeting in Yanceyville, and
that he went out of it with Wiley. It is reported that Wiley, on
his way home, took supper at the house of a Mr. Poteat. Now the
negroes are not only full of curiosity, but take risks to gratify
it. Nothing was more common than for them to listen from behind
doors, through keyholes and in the corners of the houses where
they were employed as servants. Thus it happened that the
conversation at the supper-table at Poteat's--so the story
goes--was overheard by a negro woman (and other servants), who
had been waiting upon the table, and a most pitiful recital it
was! The servants had retired from the dining-room, and being in
the passage way, outside, and hearing Stephens's name called,
they listened.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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