Report of the Committee on Outrages in Mississippi

8other gentlemen—and they did nothing ! but use profane language all the time, and abuse the northern people. They said that they would show them that they were fully armed now and ready for war at any time, and that they could not rule over them and do as they pleased with them. They would not allow me to have a coffin for him at all. Col. Griffin, former ly United States Senator here—so he told me— he came and said, “Mrs. Haifa, I regret this very much.” Says he, “I cannot get a coffin for you. for they won’t allow any travel through.” Do you want to know anything about the other men that were assassinated the same day? ASSASSINATION OF A FATHER AND SON. Q. If you know any others you may specify them. You have not yet given the date of the night when this took place? A. This was the 6th of September, 1875. Well, after Mr. Haifa was gone, the colored people, who were very friendly toward us, all the colored people, they were there, and they said. “Well, I would like to see any one come to my house and kill me in as brutal a manner as they did the Squire. We have lost our best friend.” The names of the people who said this were Stevens; and his wife said, “I must go home.” He says to her, “Yes, you better go home, for I will be the next one. ” Mr. Whiteheadsaid, “Dolph,”—his name was Adolph—“you better be careful how you talk or the men will be after you.” So about 11 o’clock these men came back to see if Mr. Haffa was gone, and they were looking like hungry wolves; the most fiendish-looking men I ever saw. They said, “Any colored people secreted about your premises here? Says I, “No, sir.” There was nobody in the house then but my children and Mr. Haffa. I said, “There is nobody here, but you are privileged to come in and examine the premises and look up the chimney ” Two of them alighted and came in and looked around, and they said that was all they wanted to know They went over to these colored people’s houses and took the Stevenses, father and son, out and stood them on a stump and shot them, and killed them instantly. Q. Did you know these people who came to your house the last time? A. No, sir; I could not know them. Q. Were they disguised in any way? A. No, sir; not the last time, they were not; the first time they were disguised. They did not give them any warning, any more than they did Mr. Haffa, when they came hi the house and took them out. They said they had a large days work on hand, and that they had to commence early; and during that day they perpetrated a number of murders. They were after Senator Caldwell, but I don’t know door and t he sill and kept the door closed, and they could not get in. My daughter assisted me also. Finding they could not get in they Anally took one of the fencerails and broke the door down and part of the furniture; and we were hallooing all the time, “Murder! murder!” and no one came to our assistance. They could hear me halloo “murder” for about two miles, as the neighbors told me afterward. Finally, Mosely, the agent of the Singer sewing machine, came up to me and choked me, and held a revolver close to my head. Before he choked me I said, “I am not afraid; if you will take me and kpare my husband that is all I ask.” And ^osely said to me, when I called his name several times, “ Sh—! sh—!” I had a nursing baby then, and it was lying on the bed screaming. After I was choked so I could not halloo any longer my daughter came, and she left me and went over to her father; and they broke a shutter off the window and fired at Mr. Haifa; and my little boy told me yesterday—I have him at boarding-school, at least at a house out in Germantown—he said that he would take oath any time that it was Jimmy White- head who Ared one of the shots at Mr. Haifa; and Sid. Whitehead, the owner of the land that we rented our land from, he had threatened Mr. Haifa’s life several times which the children know of. They Ared twice, and 1 went to him, and he asked me to take him to the bed; so my daughter and I assisted him to the bed ; and—we had no light; it was utter darkness there—and says to me, “Mamma, I want water.” , As soon as I could get a light I gave him water and laid him down and ran but for assistance, and sent my little boy over to some colored people and they came rushing over. Finally Sid. Whitehead came along and refused to let me have a physician. He said it was no use, that he would die anyhow. Mr. Haifa spoke as strongly as I am speaking, and he asked for water, and that was alb he asked for. He said, “Mamma, I am going to die,” and he asked God to have mercy on his soul, and he laid his head on my shoulder and expired. THE WIDOW FORCED TO DENY THAT SHE KNEW ONE OF THE ASSASSINS. So after the colored people had laid him away I said to Mr. Sid. Whitehead, •■Mosely is the one that choked me; and he held a revolver at my head;” and Sid. Whitehead said, “You know Mr. Mosely was not here.” I said, “Yes, sir; he was;” and he spoke out—that is Jimmy Whitehead—to say that I had to recall those words for the sake of my life. They made me recall it, and say it was not him. PROFANE LANGUAGE—ABUSE OF NORTHERN PEOPLE—A COFFIN REFUSED. They came there together and set up the first, night—Whitehead and two or three 6

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