Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 October 1872 — What a Minnesota Man Endured in Arkansas. [ARTICLE]

What a Minnesota Man Endured in Arkansas.

A few years ago there lived in Olmsted County, Minn., a few miles from 1 St. Charles, and sixteen miles from Rochester, a family of farmers—not rich, but keeping comfortable and happy. They had several children, and, thinking to improve their—condition, moved once-to . Wisconsin, .then back again, and finally to Goodhue County. The increasing wants of the family, and the poor health Of the mother, finally led them to think of ahome in the South, where they believed they could more easily make money. They had read of Ku-Klux, and, perhaps, had some vague idea that wrong had been done in some parts of the South by ruffian bands, but did not realize that it was possible that there were parts of the country where the law failed to protect its citizens. Last December they moved to. Woodruff County, Ark., about ten miles from Augusta City, and took about twenty acres of land Jo plant cotton on halves. It was a rough looking country, and the people had a strange, sallow look to fresh Northerners. The "farm house” consisted of ft log shanty, not fitted dose.-, ly, but with logs only sufficiently hewn at the ends to make them lie straight. The Wide gaps vrere filled Or covered with boards or “shakes,” and,-itf> pne of the “homes” of that thrifty county the family were installed, and the cultivation of the cotton began. The ground -was prepared, the seed put in, and all wjis doing well, except as “the chills and shakes’' i rattled the bones of one after another-of i the family. Meanwhile the politics of the ‘ country had not much engaged the attention of the busy family, but the unfriendly glinCes and observations of the South- I erners toward their Northern neighbors, could not pass unnoticed. Reports woulffj come of murders by masked assassins, but little was really thought of it. tine day, however, a story of a deed of blood came to theip, which not only, horrified them, byt caused them some personal uneasiness. A few miles away the negroes had built a small church, they as-, sembled to hold services therein for the first-time, a’large band of masked men rode up amj shot fourteen of them’ dead, and burned the house', following up the outrage goon after by the murder of seven J 'inore .u*groes In the vicinity. Thcexeitenwat of the political oumpalgn began to i

appear, and it soon became evident that no Northern man was to be allowed to vote for Grant. —— .“We’ve got things fixed in Augusta City, by 1” was one characteristic exclamation overheard, followed by “If any man votes for Grant there, he’ll wade to his ankles in blood for it!’’ Charlie Smith belonged to Cayuga Lake, N.Y., and went down to Arkansas to seek his fortune. He was a Northerner, and was hated, and a quarrel was picked with him on some trivial point, in wjiich lie was called “mudsill” “ dough-face,” etc. ■ “But you had enough of us in the war," said Smith. “ Wait till Greeley’s elected, and we’ll fight and whip you yet! We’re a nation „by ourselves, we are, and ’ll whip you) yet,!’was answered. Smith replied, amid scowls, “We followed you through the swamps once, and can do it again,” and turned away. An old negro who had overheard went in the evening to caution Smith, and warn him of the danger of such talk—but could not find him, then or ever after. About this time the head of the family was taken down with the prevailing chills, and, with several of» the children, was lying ill, and tfie feeble wife had the care of them all. Het constant anxiety was increased by the appearance one evening of a man, masked in Ku-Klux uniform, who looked into the dwelling and rode efl' A faithful negro warned them that it had been determined that “ the next raid would finish that Northerner,” and that it had been declared of him, “ He’ll never live to vote !

Alone with a sick family, watching night after night, not daring to keep a candle lighted, wilh_a bunch of .matches, before her on the table to light when obliged to administer she medicine, and Jjesisi eit awatch revolver Jibew ife watched night after night. In the day time, she, of the children as could, would go out and try to hoe in the cotton field, often so weak that she would sit down and reach out her hoe to work. One day the owner came along, and looking at her children, exclaimed, roughly, “1 wish I had control of them, I’d put ’em through in five days!” It was lucky for the man that he was mounted, for the hoe, in the hands of the exasperated,almost crazed mother might otherwise have dene him damage, She had auger he>les' made in the door, and one of the “shakes” slid aside that she might see out in the night The auger holes were for other purposes, for she calculated on at least six shotsbefore they could come in and take the husband. It was a lonely, fearful watch she kept. .Off on Cash River swamps, not far arvayr were the fearful remnants of -the Ku-Klux raiding of four years ago, wh.eie, when the river was low, a six-niile ride would disclose three hundred skeletons of whites and negroes^chased hither and murdered, no one daring bury such of the dead as they found. Within half a mile of her cabin was' another similar grim reminder of the howors of murder, and day by day, as she. learned by negroes, firmsand 'am mu nition arrived for those who were bound to “fix things” for election, and who had declared that her husband should not live to vote. It was too much.and could riot last, and they concluded to strike once more for their Northern hoines. They could get no pay for work on the cotton crop, unless they stayed.to make it„-They got some oue to take them to Augusta City, leaving nearly all they had behind, being told that it was useless to send for it, and that they were lucky to escape with their family. At last they reached Minnesota, and came a day or two ago to St. Paul, where they now are. Their name could be given if any one wants to substantiate these facts, shat because they are well known in the State, from motives of delicacy, the mother would rather withhold it for the present. A card in another column from the City Missionary, in regard to the case, may prove interesting.— Bt.~ Paul (Minn.) Press.