USA > Georgia > Jones County > History of Jones County, Georgia, for one hundred years, specifically 1807-1907 > Part 44
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Election days came in due time with a detachment of Federal soldiers stationed at the polls. This was commanded by a Cap- tain. As soon as they came to town they were taken in hand by the white citizens of the county and treated royally, being sup- plied with all of the comforts and luxuries to be had. Their Captain put up with Capt. R. H. Bonner, who then lived in the Bowen house, opposite the courthouse.
The men were quartered in a small house owned by P. L. Clower not far from the courthouse. Capt. R. W. Bonner and
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Col. Nat Glover for the Democrats, and Simon P. Juhan and Blanton Hardeman (both colored) and I think Big Jackson, were the managers of the election. When the polls were declared open Federal soldiers were stationed at the door with bayonets. General Gordon for the Republicans was candidate for Gov- ernor. Judge W. T. Mccullough, white, Democrat for the Leg- islature and Jacob P. Hutchings (colored) for the Legislature. Other officers were also to be elected.
The negroes were on hand in force under the leadership of Jacob P. Hutchings and James Devereaux, who formed them in fours and marched them to the polls crowding them to such an extent that no white man had a chance to get in between them. Devereaux stood at the entrance with the Republican tickets in his hand and gave each man a ticket as he entered. Jacob, with other negro leaders walked around and kept them in line. The town was full of whites who did all they could to keep down ex- citement and tried by every peaceful means and argument to break up the solid ranks of negroes being led by Devereaux and voted by him as if they were one solid man. This continued for one day without real serious trouble.
The same tactics were followed the next day,-the negroes holding the door and doing the voting, the whites crowded out with no chance to vote. Finally about eleven o'clock on the sec- ond day, Mr. Bill Bird got tired of waiting, he saw there would be no chance to vote, so long as he submitted to the way things were going. He determined to force his way to the managers and deposit his ballot. Into the crowd of negroes on the door steps he went, demanding to be let in. One negro offered to carry him in and register him. He resented this and pushed him out of the way, then things happened. A fight started in the twinkling of an eye. The white men armed with sticks and a few pistols started into that crowd and the negroes broke like a flock of sheep, and ran from the town frightened. None stayed, all went, not a gun or a pistol was fired on either side, but the coolness of the leaders of the whites alone prevented a terrible catrastrophe. Had one shot been fired the consequences would have been fatal to the negroes.
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The United States officers hastily formed their soldiers into a line between the retreating negroes and charged up the hall toward the whites. A good many negroes stopped at the negro church on the outskirts of town, and word was sent to them by the whites to return and vote if they wanted to, but they would not be allowed to block the entrances and take possession of the polls as they had done. The negroes refused to come back and vote, and did not show up again, although the polls were open all that day and the next. The whites all voted and the election was won by them. Gordon for Governor, Mccullough for Rep- resentative being elected. Judge Mccullough took his seat in the House when the Legislature met, but Jake Hutchings con- tested his election and the Republicans being in the majority, ousted the Judge and seated Jake as Representative of Jones County. This is the only time that Jones County was ever repre- sented by a negro.
The night after the negroes went from the polls, a large two- story house in the suburbs of town, known as the Hitch House. It belonged to Dr. Barron. He was very active in helping to beat the negroes in the election, so in revenge they burned his house. These were exciting and trying times and full well did the white citizens of Jones County stand by each other and were determined that they would govern and control their homes and county. They showed firmness and courage and left a record that should be preserved by their descendants.
There were some exciting times before this election ; when the negroes would gather in the courthouse for a political meeting. Incendiary talk and expressions would crop out. The white men were ready to defend their homes and families to the death. This was the day of the negro Loyal League, and the white man's Ku Klux Klan. Well do I remember going to a Klan meeting in a hollow west of the Methodist Church one night. As we would glide along like ghosts and disappear, how fright- ened the negroes became. The negroes were coming in town by twos and four to attend the Loyal League meeting, but as soon as the news spread of what they had seen their meeting was called off.
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I will say that the leading negroes such as Big Jackson, Jake Hutchings, and Blanton Hardeman, were conservative and were liked by the white people, and to them is due much credit that there was no serious clash during those years of bayonet rule. But under the rule of James Devereaux who came from Savan- nah under the cloak of teaching school, but really to take charge of the negro vote in the county were inclined to be ugly. The courage and determined front of the whites overcame his in- fluence, and he finally left the county after being convinced that he could not run Jones County. He was Senator for one term from Jones, Twiggs and Wilkinson Counties.
REPUBLICANS AGAINST DEMOCRATS By S. H. Griswold
The second election under bayonet rule was to elect a Gov- ernor to succeed Bulloch and a new Legislature, state and county officers. At this election the state was redeemed from radical rule. This election was held at the courthouse, as no other pre- cinct in the county was allowed to open.
There were five managers of the election, Capt. R. W. Bon- ner, Col. N. S. Glover, for the Democrats, and Blanton Harde- man, Simon Juhan and one other for the Republicans. General Gordon was again the candidate for Governor and Blalock for the Republicans. Sam Barron was the democratic nominee for the Legislature and Jacob Hutchings, colored, for the Repub- licans.
The polls were opend on the day appointed, in the court- house with the managers and clerks around the judges stand. There was an opening in the railing around this where the voters had to pass through. There stood James Devreaux, negro Re- publican, taking the ticket from any negro who came in and handing him one of his. He was not allowed to vote only as Devreaux wanted him to. Jacob Hutchings and other leaders kept them lined up and blocking the gateway all of the first day, voting a Radical ticket in a block.
The next morning before the opening of the polls, F. S. John- son, Sr., Thomas Bowen and a few other leading men went to Devreaux, and told him plainly that he must no longer block
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the gate and issue tickets to every negro. Devreaux went to the Federals and asked to do it again, but they refused to do so, saying that they had come to preserve order and not to usurp the right of everyone registered to vote. So the gate was left open and people voted, however the Republicans were in the majority, and at the polls' close, no one knew just who would win. It was very late and the managers agreed to leave the ballot box in the courthouse with Simon Juhan, colored, guarding it, in the clerk's room upstairs. Wilkes Gresham with a Yankee soldier entered the room later and while Gresham talked with Juhan and got into a fight. The soldier picked up the sealed ballot box, walked out with it and threw it in the yard behind Henry Christian's Grocery. The alarm was given and Gresham and the soldier were arrested, the ballot box was found and brought back to the courthouse. The negroes refused to count the ballots with the other managers so the box was turned over to Capt. R. W. Bonner who with a poll manager took the box home locked it in his closet until the Superior Court met when Judge Robinson ordered the managers to count the ballots or go to jail. Gordon went in for Governor. Sam Barron was elected to the Legislature by a few votes.
This is the story as was told to me, and I know it isn't as it should be, but it was a matter of life and liberty or barbarism. Plenty of friends bailed Gresham out, and the soldier was out after a few days in the guard house. Devreaux and others went to Macon to military headquarters and swore out warrants for all concerned in the matter. These men, the most prominent in the county were arrested and carried to Macon, where they gave bond. They were later tried and acquitted.
James M. Gray the leader of the Democrats before the war, and head man in Jones County was arrested and carried to Macon. He had served in the Legislature, on many state con- ventions and was a great friend of Bob Toombs. When Gray got to Macon, gave bond he found Bob Toombs, who defended in court, Gray and all of the Jones County men being tried and they were freed. When Gray told them how the Yankee soldier actually took the ballot box, Toombs wouldn't believe it but
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Gray insisted that he did do it, and Gray always said afterward that he couldn't get Bob Toombs to ever believe it, although it was true.
Wilkes Gresham was made deputy sheriff of the county for his act of rescuing the ballot box. He was a good and respected citizen.
Judge Robinson on the Superior Court was put there by Bul- lock and was a Republican, this made the situation even worse.
To these men of fearless and determined character and to every man in Jones County who stood shoulder to shoulder dur- ing these terrible days of reconstruction to keep our county free, let us never forget. A few of these I remember, John Bradley, Wilkes Gresham, James M. Gray, Dr. J. F. Barron, Bob Bar- ron, Capt. Charles Hamilton, Col. Hamilton, James H. Blount, Dick Hutchings, Bert Hutchings, Henry Christian, R. W. Bon- ner, F. S. Johnson, E. C. Grier, George Mckay, Ham Ridley, R. T. Ross, Thomas Bowen, N. S. Glover and Sam Barron.
I'd like to state that there were no scalawags in the whites in Jones County-no not one -.
SOME POLITICAL HISTORY S. H. Griswold - Jones Co. News - 1909 Eli Shorter Griffin
Soon after the surrender of the Confederate armies an elec- tion was held to elect a Governor and other state officers and members of Congress for Georgia to reinstate the state in the union. Charles J. Jenkins of Augusta was elected Governor.
Dr. James F. Barron form Jones County was a candidate for the Senate and Griffin, local Methodist preacher was his oppon- ent. Griffin preached at the Cross Roads and other churches and was also well known in Twiggs and Wilkinson. Dr. Barron car- ried Jones County but Griffin won in Twiggs and Wilkinson. For several years Twiggs and Wilkinson controlled the Senator's race. One race was between Capt. R. W. Bonner and Gen. D. N. Smith of Wilkinson. Smith was a former Jones Countian, lived where the John Bradley place was. His friends were J. M. Gray, Bonner, Barron and other Democrats in the County. He and Capt. Bonner were brothers-in-laws and this was the first race
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for the Senate when the new district was formed. Now Smith drew the vote of Twiggs and Wilkinson Counties and won, Bon- ner carring Jones, but there was much feeling between the coun- ties, as Jones was the smallest and for a long time could not elect a Senator against the other two.
James H. Blount, a young lawyer was then living in Clinton, and in this race ran for the Solicitor-General of the Ocmulgee circuit and was elected. Then Andrew Johnson was President and was trying to get the seceded states back into the union. A Republican Congress was in control and tried to undo every- thing that the President did. They passed the Reconstruction Act, giving the negro the right to vote, disfranchising many whites, ousting the newly elected governors and state house offi- cials and put the state in charge of Generals' of the Federal Armies, with troops stationed at all points to register all qual- ified voters black and white, and an election called to elect mem- bers to a convention for the purpose of forming a constitution to suit the acts of Congress. They called the convention to meet in Atlanta although Milledgeville was the Capitol. The Federal General had his headquarters in Atlanta and he started business in Atlanta. Ex-Gov. Brown urged the acceptance of the Recon- struction Act and to do the best we could but Ben Hill came out in the papers advocating the opposite course. Some of Jones Countains follow Browns way of thinking, but most people were strong for Ben Hill's advice.
Sam Gove and Dr. Thomas Gibson were delegates to this convention. They managed to get into the constitution the pay- ment of all taxes before voting and other things to keep the rule in the hands of the whites. Now came the tug when John B. Gordon ran against the Republican, Rufus Bullock for Gov- ernor. Bullock was elected Governor and Sam Gove elected to Congress from this district. The race for Senator from the 21st District was Col. Isaac Hardeman of Jones, Democrat and Wil- liam Griffin of Twiggs, Republican. The negroes crowded around the courthouse and there was great excitement, Hardeman spoke to them in a quiet way, urged them to be peaceful and not to make trouble. I recollect standing on the staircase looking down on the angry mob fearful that any minute a riot would start.
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I saw Col. Chas. Hamilton clutch his gun and stand ready, but Col. Hardeman prevailed on them and their leaders Jacob Hutchings, Clant Hardeman and Big Jackson to keep their race under control and they did. Of course under the bayonet rule Col. Hardeman was defeated by Griffin. James H. Blount was an untiring worker for the white people. He worked with the Negroes to thwart their plans. He was fearless and persistent in his efforts and he was backed by Mat Gray, James F. Barron, Col. and Capt. Hamilton, Roland Ross, Ben Barron, Nat Glover and others whom I cannot now recall that Jones County was enabled to run its own affairs.
This was not forgotten for when Blount moved to Macon and ran for Congress, Jones County stood by him through thick and thin for the 18 years in which he represented this district in Congress. James Blount kept his lands in Jones and was always welcome and had a great interest here. He was truly an out- standing citizen.
Up to the time of the overthrow of the carpetbagger from the formation of the 21st Senatorial District, Jones County had not been allowed a Senator. After the Democrats got control of the state, a rotation system was adopted so as to allow each county the honor of naming a Senator in rotation. I think Col. A. S. Hamilton was the first elected to the Senate from Jones and Capt. Bob Barron to the House of Representatives.
Since then Capt. Ham Ridley, Judge Johnson, J. R. Van Bu- ren, and J. B. Jackson have been to the Senate from Jones.
Twiggs County named Peter W. Edge to the district conven- tion at Gordon but he had moved from Jones County to Twiggs and was a preacher, Baptist, a lawyer and a notary public. He was opposed by Jones County and Dud Hughes was nominated. However Edge did run, but before the election his horse threw him and broke his leg so he had to get out of the race. Hughes was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1876 and made a good record for himself. The Hughes and Edge contro- versy was a faction in many elections after this.
The Negro Republican, James B. Deveaux, a carpetbagger was elected Senator from Jones, he came from Savannah and
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under the bayonet rule was really the first Jones County Senator. This was while Bulloch was Governor.
SOME POLITICAL HISTORY By S. H. Griswold - Jones County News July 1, 1909
After Sam Barron's election to the Legislature, we had learn- ed to manage things at election times so as to elect white men. Captain Hamilton for his loyalty, for suppressing the carpet baggers was elected to the lower house of the Legislature, and at the end of his term offered for re-election, but Captain Ridley wanted to run for the place, as neither would come down it was decided to hold a Democratic nomination, no one but Demo- crats could vote, and this was the beginning of the white primary. Negroes who had been known as Democrats were allowed to vote, however some bad men took advantage of the situation and voted Negroes who were not supposed to vote, causing much trouble to the Democratic committee, until they passed a rule that only white men could vote (who were Democrats). Previous to this the Committee would call a mass meeting at the Clinton courthouse and nominate the candidates. Now Hamilton felt fairly safe as he had James M. Gray on his side, who was very influential. He was a nephew of Col. Lee and Green Clowers, wealthy and influential, who backed him in this race, and it looked as if he would certainly win, and he was arrogantly con- fident that he would.
Now Capt. Ridley was popular in the upper part of the coun- ty, having good friends in Clinton too, as well as other parts of the county. Dr. Barron and his brother Bob, came out strong for him as well as Nat Glover. Dr. Barron was not friendly with the Hamilton side, he and Col. Hamilton had had a quarrel and though they spoke, they did not like one another, and Barron was against him in politics, so he and Bob went to work for Ridley. Ridley drove all over the county seeing the people and asking for votes and Hamilton did the same. I went with Ridley through Burdens, Wallace, Roberts and Popes Districts. In those days there was a country grocery in every district, and the can- didates would go there to meet the men and talk politics. At
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least a portion of these went to see the color of and taste the candidates liquor. The candidate usually left a supply with the grocer to treat his friends when they came in, after he was gone. Old Gen. Jackson was a great follower of candidates when they were electioneering. He was with Hamilton and Judge Gray in the lower part of the county. They treated the floaters and left whiskey at Levi Kinslow's grocery, then they came to Haddock, by this time they were tired of Gen. Jackson and wished he'd go home, so they gave him a bottle and told him to go home and treat the Hamilton friends, he was indignant, he said he didn't want their whiskey, he wouldn't ask for votes, he wouldn't vote for them if he wasn't good enough to follow them through their campaign. So Gray insisted that he go on to Clinton with them which he did, and had a big time.
When the day came for voting, the county was so excited and the rivalry so keen that about every voter came out to vote. I recollect seeing a two-horse wagon load of voters come up from Wallace district, with Elbert Roberts sitting in front playing the fiddle, he led the crowd up to the polls in Clinton and voted. When the votes were counted it was found that Capt. Ridley had been elected by a small majority. The Gray's and Hamil- ton's were very bitter about the election, especially towards the Barron's and it took some expert maneuvering to keep down a fight, but finally they got right and Bob Barron was elected to the House and Col. Hamilton to the Senate. David W. Lester of Popes District and George M. McKay of Hawkins District with Gray and the Hamiltons' supporting Lester and the Barrons and Glovers supporting Mckay and also Capt. Ridley. The William Chambers and Wm. Morton of Fortville took to the road and worked like beavers for Lester while the others did likewise for Mckay. This was the most heated campaign in Jones and there was much fighting over it. It was a hot election, and many inci- dents happened on the voting day but Lester won by a small vote. At the next election Mckay ran again and was elected. Although they fought over the election yet they held together and voted together when there was a Republican candidate against them, and the Democrat was always elected. Another very excit- ing race in Jones was that for Sheriff between John Bradley and
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Bill Morton. The Hamilton and Lester men were determined to beat Bradley because he was a McKay man, so they did their utmost and Bill Morton was the kind that when he went into anything he gave it all he had and meant to win. John Bradley, laughed and joked his way to winning, although Morton made a good race he couldn't overcome Bradley's popularity.
Whiskey flowed pretty freely and with the drinking that went on at this time it is a wonder many weren't killed. The men were loyal to their pledge and supported their nominees. Wilkes Gres- ham was deputy for Bradley, and when Bradley served his term, Gresham became Sheriff. Then he wanted to run for the Legisla- ture so Nat Glover who wanted Mckay to win got Gresham to run to keep the Lester crowd out, which it did, but then they couldn't get Gresham out, however Mckay won, but Gresham disliked Glover very much. To ease the feelings, the people got Glover to run for both sides and this restored harmony. After this the fierce partizanship died out.
THE KU KLUX KLAN AND THE EVILS THAT FOLLOW By S. H. Griswold
During the reconstruction, the Freeman's Bureau and the days of the carpet bag rule the Ku Klux Klan was organized and officered by the best men in the county. After it had served its mission and had been dissolved certain lawless characters in some neighborhoods continued to commit depredations on inno- cent citizens for the purpose of gain to themselves and used the name of the Ku Klux Klan to cover their acts.
One place especially had this kind of a set up. It was the Garrison road and in the two counties of Baldwin and Jones. The band took it on themselves to regulate this section of the county. Mike Shaw was the leader of this band and caused no end of trouble to farmers, by running off their labor, burning and confiscating other's property. Some murders were laid to this lawless crowd. Shaw was tried and convicted of killing his wife in Baldwin court. Hon. Fleming DuBignion defended him, but he was found guilty and hanged for it. This broke up the gang.
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The first moonshine still ever destroyed in Jones County was in 1865 while the Federal soldiers were still in Clinton. A Negro named Berry formerly owned by General Newton Smith in Wil- kinson County, had helped Smith make peach brandy and knew how to do it. He got a washpot, carried it off in the thickets on a branch between the Griswold house and Mrs. Rachel Brant- ley's. Here he built a furnace around it of rock, hewed from a poplar log a cap to fit the pot, made a long trough which he kept full of running water, from a spring on the hillside above him and through this trough and in this water he kept three old musket barrels having unbreeched them and cemented them one into another. These he connected to the wooden cap. In a few old barrels he had Maypops, plums and meal and a sorghum syrup which he let ferment. Then he put this beer into the pot, put on the cap, connected it with the gun barrels and made a distillery, running off some kind of liquor. Bob Cox and I found it and went to the Sheriff Tom Bowen who went to the Federal officers in Clinton. The Federals found the still and destroyed it much to the grief and disguest of old Berry. I tasted the stuff and it was whiskey all right, but don't know what one could call it, and that homemade still worked, too.
CRIMES AND ACCIDENTS By S. H. Griswold-1909-Jones County News
About the end of the war there was great lawlessness, and much violence, as law and order had broken down. Mr. Bill Woods was killed by a Negro at on near Cain's Crossing. When Stoneman made his raid there was a negro slave named Minor who ran off from Sam Griswold (he bought him from the Blounts) and joined Stoneman's army at Walnut Creek and acted as a guide on their return through Jones County up to Sunshine Church where they were captured. This Negro was captured with Stoneman and later hung by the Confederates from a limb on a tree for all of the things he had caused the Yankees to do to the people.
Maxwell had bought the Griswold lands at Griswolds and had built a large sawmill just below old station 18 on the railroad. He employed a large number of whites and negroes at the mill.
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They lived in shanties nearby and Amos was the terror of the crowd, and cut a man named Herbert Reynolds almost to death in Twiggs County. He was sentenced to life imprisonment but died in a year. John Sparrow was a trusted slave but after he joined Sherman's army he was dangerous. He came back after the war in the Yankee uniform with a discharge in his pocket and was constantly in trouble. There was a bad lot of horse thieves between Cedar Creek and Devils Half Acre, and they belonged to a big gang of thieves in the south and were con- stantly stealing horses, which then were very valuable and scarce. Dr. Barron recognized his horse one night and at the muzzle of his pistol made them give it back. P. T. Pitts was shot in his yard by this gang but lived. These thieves were soon broken up and dispersed.
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