Viewing page 53 of 279

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

to them by designing men to keep them away from joining the Loyal League they were told of "Ku-Klux's" terribly beating and killing freedmen of many freedmen being hung lot tree's and other base rumors until they had become afraid to leave their houses without arms and on many plantations they took their guns to the fields when they went to work, this gave rise to the report that the negroes were arming and drilling for some evil purpose. The Whites then began arming themselves and reports became rife of armed bodies of Negroes all over the County.

II. About one month since one Lancaster Springfield "Killed Clinton" Fort in the town of Hempstead it was reported about ten days since that the Loyal League "intended taking Springfield out and hanging him," that the threat was made I am satisfied but on investigation I am fully convinced and sustained by the opinion of the best citizens that some Negroes about town made it incited to do so by some evil white men, who wished to use them to do their own 

Transcription Notes:
---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-03-31 23:16:32