"Armed Rebellion" (July 22, 1868)

"Armed Rebellion" (July 22, 1868)

Millican

"Armed Rebellion." The Daily Austin Republican [Austin, TX] 22 July 1868: 2.

America's Historical Newspapers

July 22, 1868

Paige Hintz

English

Newspaper Article

Newspaper article

Republican Ticket
For President
U.S. Grant
For Vice President
Schuyler Colfax
Armed Rebellion
The accounts which we have received of the riot at Millican are not very clear as to the oirgin of the difficulty, but it is very clear that there has been a wanton butchery and sacrifice of human life. From fifty to sixty men are reported to have been killed. How many have been wounded unto death or disabled from pursuing their daily labor, has not been sated. Has any sufficient cause been shown for this waste of life? The accounts state that a negro had been hung, and that a body of his friends had gathered together to arrest the murderers. Is it an offence against society or against the laws to arrest men guilty of the crime of murder? It seems that is so. The deputy Sheriff met this crowd, and instead of using them as a posse, to effect the arrest, he endeavored to dissuade them from carrying out their design. Failing to do this, he goes to work and raises an armed force of twenty-five men, and returning to the scene of action, a fight ensues. The crowd endeavoring to make the arrest of the murderers were all Negroes. The posse of the deputy Sheriff were all white. The white allege that they were fired upon, and acted in self defence, and under the legal authority of the Sheriff. The result is that from fifty to sixty Negroes were killed, but not a single white man has been killed or injured, as far as we are informed. This is certainly conclusive proof that the Negroes began the difficulty! The accounts also state that two railroad trains were seized and that large bodies of armed whites were sent from Bryan and other points to Millican. Recently, an armed force of two hundred whites surrounded an officer of the United States, in Freestone county, and rescued some prisoners from his hands. On the 4th of July, at Jefferson city, an armed force of some three hundred men took possession of the place, fortified the houses, and picketed the roads leading to the city. What means all this? It is simply armed rebellion againt the government The rebels of Texas are to day better armed, and better organized than they were during the late Civil war. They are looking forward to the presidential election, and the refusal to count the "white man's" electoral votes of the Southern States, which they propose to elect in informal elections, as they did the delegates to the secession convention in Texas in 1860, as furnishing the time and occasion for the renewal of the rebellion under the auspices of the President of the United States. That is what all this means. The rebellion may be said to be upon us. We are standing on the very verge of the precipice, and we may be precipitated into rebellion even before the appointed time.
And as a precursor of what is to come, men openly advise, in the public prints of the State, the assassination of loyal men, simply because they are loyal! When Titus and his legions were thundering at the gates of Jerusalem, the Jews in the citadel were cutting each others' throats. Shall the Republicans of Texas follow the same suicidal course? Is it not time that our foolish quarrels were laid aside, and that we prepare to meet our common enemy who have only curses and anathemas for both our houses? A divided army never won a victory over a united foe. We must unite not only to save our cause, but to save our lives from a Millican butchery.