Question. What was the date of your reinstatement by General Terry; was it not in the winter of 1869-'70 ?

Answer. I think it was in the spring of 1870.

Question. You went to Washington after you had taken your seat in the legislature the second time?

Answer. Certainly.

Question. The person who had your seat was expelled by General Terry, and you were reinstated?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Who was that person who was expelled?

Answer. A man by the name of Park took my seat after I was expelled.

Question. A white man?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What is his occupation ?

Answer. He is a farmer.

Question. Have you ever been before any grand jury whatever?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. Have you ever sought to take out any warrant whatever?

Answer. Never.

Question. You have made no attempt to obtain redress, either in the way of damages to you personally, or by private prosecution?

Answer. I have not.

Question. What was the majority at the last election by which you are now returned to the legislature?

Answer. I think it is between seven and eight hundred.

Question. What is the vote of your county?

Answer. I think there are about nineteen hundred colored voters and seven hundred white voters.

Question Did you get any of the white votes ?

Answer. Some few.

Question. How many?

Answer. I think I got about four.

Question. All the rest were colored?

Answer. Yes, sir; I know I saw two whites vote the square ticket.

Question. Are you sure of any more than those two who voted for you?

Answer. Two more say they did; but I do not know whether they did or not. I saw Henry Weaver and Walter Griffin vote; they voted tickets that I gave them out of my own hands; I saw them vote those tickets. And I heard that two others, Greene Thompson and Bob McQuador, voted that ticket.

Question. What was your father's name?

Answer. John Colby.

Question. From what part of Connecticut did he come?

Answer. I do not know that I can say right now, though he told me a thousand times it was somewhere about New Jersey.

Question. You said you were offered money before you were beaten?

Answer. I was.

Question. Who offered you money ?

Answer. Jim Wakefield?

Question. Who is he?

Answer. A citizen of Greensborough.

Question. What is his occupation?

Answer. He is a merchant.

Question. How much did he offer you?

Answer. Twenty-five hundred dollars in money.

Question. Had he the money there?

Answer. He said he could raise it in ten minutes. That was after I was expelled from the legislature. He said, "You see that the republican party have turned you out, as I told you before they would; if you will now join our party, you can make something out of it."

Question. That was to obtain political influence with the people of your color?

Answer. Yes, sir. I said to him that I would not do it. He said, "Come over to the store," and after awhile I went around there. Said he, "Here is $2,500 for you, and you can get $5,000 if you will do it; if you will say you will do it, you can have $2,500 to-day." I said, "I would not do it for all of Greene County."

Question. He is a man pecuniarily responsible?

Answer. Yes, sir; he was wealthy. If I had said that I would do it, I believe I would have got the money. He is a very nice man, and I do not think he has ever done me any injury, though he is a democrat. I am only saying what he said to me.

Question. He said that if you would give your influence in favor of the people he wanted, he would give you this money?

Answer. Yes, sir. He said that the republican party had turned me out, and that the democrats would do so and so for me. I told him that I would not go back on my people for all there was in Greene County, and I did not do it either.

Question. When you were in the legislature, you said your party made efforts to organize colored militia throughout the State?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many attempts did you make of that kind?

Answer. We tried it the third time.

Question. How many republican votes did that proposition command?

Answer. I do not think we got twenty white republicans to vote for it.

Question. You got all the black votes?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How many colored members had you in both houses of the legislature of 1868?

Answer. It was either thirty-three or thirty-five.

Question. How many in the present legislature?

Answer. I think there are twenty-three or twenty-five.

Question. Ten less in the present legislature than in the legislature of 1868 ?

Answer. Certainly.

Question. You have been again returned to the legislature?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. You say there has been no joint debate in political meetings since the war? Answer. None in my county, and I know of none in the State.

Question. Was your proposition to organize negro militia throughout the State favored by Governor Bullock?

Answer. I do not know. We did not carry it to him; we tried it ourselves.

Question. You were in consultation with him during the session about particular measures; did he approve that one?

Answer. I believe he would have done it provided it had been passed.

Question. He would have approved the organization of negro militia throughout the State?

Answer. I believe he would have done it if it had passed the legislature. I have two more names that I thought of last night, of men that were in the crowd that whipped me; Dr. William Morgan and Robert Patillo. Those are all the names I now think of, besides those I mentioned yesterday, that I recognized the night they whipped me.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. You say that you related to persons at Washington the facts in regard to your treatment?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. How did they receive your statements?

Answer. Well, sir, they said I ought to be protected and should be. I went once to General Grant himself, our President, and talked with him. A body of us went together that went from here, and appeared before him; and he said we should have protection.

Question. Did you find any difficulty in making people believe the actual state of things here?

Answer. It was very hard to make them believe it; they could not realize it was so. They did not think the people were so bad as we represented them to be. That was all the difficulty we had in the world. We tried Senator Sherman, and he thought it was impossible that things were so bad as we told him.

Question. Were there people there that made denial of that statement?

Answer. Yes, sir; there were.

Question. You were asked whether you had not been charged with the commission of some crime in your family?

Answer. Yes, sir; I was asked that.

Question. And you said you had not been?

Answer. I have not been.

Question. Do you know that it has been usual, when acts of this kind have been committed, to charge that the men who were wronged, either whipped or killed, have been guilty of some crime or of doing some mean thing or other?

Answer. It is always a common thing, whenever they pick up a man and ill-treat him, to charge him afterward with some crime of which he is not guilty. It is as common to do that as it is to whip him.

Question. The effort is made to blacken his character, in order to excuse their own conduct?

Answer. Certainly. There never was a man who ever said anything to me in my

life in regard to my family. I have tried to treat my family as well as any white person in the world would treat his family, and I have as nice a family.

Question. What family have you now?

Answer. I had two daughters and two sons.

One child was killed by the Ku-Klux, as I call it, for she was frightened to death. My wife is dead. I have one daughter living at my place where I go occasionally.

Question. You spoke of a man who took your seat in the legislature after you were expelled. Was he the man that you had beaten in the election?

Answer. Yes, sir; he was the next highest to me..

Question. When the colored men were expelled from the legislature, their seats were given to those men that had received the next highest number of votes in the election? Answer. That is the way they did it.

Question. You have been asked about General Terry reinstating you. Was that done ander an act of Congress?

Answer. Yes, sir; I believe we were reinstated by an act of Congress.

Question. Had General Terry anything to do with it?

Answer. I do not know, only it was said that it was General Terry who put us back into our seats, when the act of Congress itself did it.

Question. You were a member of the last legislature, and are now a member of the present legislature?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. State whether if, when Congress passed the law reinstating you in your seats, it had provided that the legislature should hold out its full term until next fall, it would have kept down a great deal of the disturbance that has prevailed in the State since ?

Answer. If we had had our term prolonged, it would have saved the lives of hundreds, and we would not have had half the fuss we have had. But this new election has

been the death of many a one. We went to Washington to defeat the Bingham amendment, for I knew before I left here that if there was an election last fall, we could not live peaceably here. We have lost many a life since then.

Question. You were asked whether you went to Washington to help Mr. Farrow and Mr. Whitely to obtain seats in the Senate, and you said that was not your purpose. What did you go there for?

Answer. We went there to defeat the Bingham amendment, for we saw it would ruin us if it passed.

Question. How many of you went?

Answer. I believe there were seven of us.

Question. You spoke of a number of your people that were elected to the present legislature. Have any of them been killed since they were elected ?

Answer. One has been killed.

Question. Who was he?

Answer. Abram Turner.

Question. Where was he killed?

Answer. He was from Putnam County; he was killed in Eatonton.

Question. When and by whom?

Answer. He was killed by a man by the name of Reed; so it was published.

Question. When was that?

Answer. It was this year; I do not know exactly what time, but I think it was in April. His son is here in town, and I could have asked him if I had thought of it.

By Mr. BAYARD:

Question. Was he shot in the day-time?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. In the open street?

Answer. Yes, sir; I suppose so.

Question. You spoke of General Terry reinstating you in your office, and putting you back in the legislature. Who did he appoint superintendent of the qualifications of members?

Answer. A. L. Harris was chairman.

Question. Was there not a man by the name of Colbert who was connected with the railroads of the State?

Answer. There was a man by the name of Hurlburt.

Question. Was he placed on the committee to judge of the qualifications of the members?

Answer. I do not know. A. L. Harris was chairman.

By the CHAIRMAN:

Question. You spoke of a man who was said to have killed Turner; had he had any connection with him in any way; what relation did he stand in to him?

Answer. He ran against him in the election.

Question. And Turner had beaten him?

Answer. Yes, sir. It was said that Turner's son and Mr. Reed were talking on the street, and Reed said something to Turner's son. Old man Turner came along, and Reed said, "There goes the damned old son of a bitch," and he shot him right there.

Question. Is Reed expecting to take the seat in the legislature now?

Answer. I suppose so.

By Mr. BAYARD:

Question. How do you know he expects to take his seat?

Answer. I said I suppose so.

Question. Were these facts that have been stated by you stated to you by other people?

Answer. These facts about Mr. Reed?

Question. Yes.

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Have you any personal knowledge of them at all?

Answer. I have not, for I was not there.

Question. Do you know that there was no indictment found against him?

Answer. I have said I have not heard of any.

Question. You do not know whether there has been any or not?

Answer. I do not; I only said I have not heard of any. I state the truth as near as I can.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA, October 28, 1871,

ROBERT H. BRADFORD sworn and examined.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. State your age, where you were born, where you now live, and what is your present occupation.

Answer. I will be sixty-one years old to-morrow; I was born in South Carolina, and I now live in Gwinnett County, Georgia; I am a farmer.

Question. When did you leave Gwinnett?

Answer. Last Sunday.

Question. You were subponed to come here ?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. Have you any people in Gwinnett that they call Ku-Klux?

Answer. Well, I am not able to say. What kind of people do you call Ku-Klux? Explain that, and maybe I can tell.

Question. I am not speaking of what I call Ku-Klux; I am asking you about those that the people in the country call Ku-Klux.

Answer. I never saw one in my life.

Question. Have you heard of their going about?

Answer. O, yes, sir; there is a heap of talk about that.

Question. Have you a colored man working for you by the name of Ben?

Answer. Yes, sir; Ben Pullam.

Question. Have you seen any man that had a uniform: or disguise, or a horse-cover? Answer. Never in my life.

Question. Did you ever go home from church with any man that you supposed, or had any reason to think, might belong to this company?

Answer. The Ku-Klux party?

Question. Yes.

Answer. No, sir.

Question. How long ago did you hear of them in your county.

Answer. Well, I declare I do not know how to answer that; it may be a year ago or more; I do not recollect.

Question. What is it reported that they do when they go about over the country? Answer. It is reported that they take up and whip some people.

Question. What sort of people do they whip?

Answer. Different sorts; white and black both.

Question. Have they ever been on your place molesting your colored people?

Answer. They never have.

Question. How many go in a crowd, so far as you have heard?

Answer. I have heard that fifty and sixty, &c., go together; but as to my knowing,

I do not know anything about it; hearsay is not proof at all.

Question. Who is represented to be, or supposed to be, the leader of the company?
Answer. I do not know.

Question. Did you never hear the name of any person mentioned as the leader?
Answer. No, sir.

Question. Did you ever hear anybody say that he belonged to it?

Answer. No, sir; I never did in my life.

Question. What is the feeling of your people in regard to these folks ?

Answer. The general opinion is that they ought to be put down.

Question. Have any efforts been made to put them down?

Answer. None at all that I know of.

Question. Are there any people in your neighborhood, or within your knowledge, that would oppose putting them down?

Answer. I do not think there are.

Question. You think there is nobody who is willing to acknowledge that he is friendly to them?

Answer. No, sir; not in my settlement.

By Mr. SCOFIELD:

Question. Does anybody there dare to denounce them much?

Answer. Yes, sir; there are plenty of good citizens there, if they had anybody to go ahead and get the proof.

By the CHAIRMAN :

Question. Do they talk openly and publicly about it, or merely privately?

Answer. It is rather a private talk.

Question. Then, as I understand it, these people have been going about your county for a year, in numbers of fifty or sixty, more or less, in disguise and at night, whipping colored people and white people; all the people are opposed to them and want to see them put down; there is nobody willing to openly befriend them, and yet no effort has been made to suppress them?

Answer. No, sir; nothing has been done at all.

By Mr. LANSING :

Question. Can you tell why, this feeling being so strong against them, some open determined effort has not been made to suppress them?

Answer. No, sir, I cannot tell that; I do not know why.

Question. Is is not because they have with them the sympathies of the dominant political party?

Answer. Well, I cannot answer that generally; I can say for my own part it is not. Question. So far as your own feelings are concerned?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. But do you not believe that is the reason why they are not suppressed?

Answer. Well, I do not know whether that is the cause or not.

Question. I ask for your opinion.

Answer. My opinion is that it looks reasonable to suppose that is it.

Question. Those men who speak against the organization do it in a quiet way among themselves, do they not?

Answer. Ó, yes; that is generally the case.

Question. Is it not true that they dare not openly denounce them?

Answer. I do not know whether they dare or not; I do not think there is any regular organized party of them in our county at all.

Question." Nobody has been interfered with in your county for speaking against them?

Answer. Not that I know of.

Question. Do you believe that a republican could go into your county, hold public meetings, freely and fairly discuss the principles of his party, and with reasonable zeal oppose the principles of the democratic party, and still be undisturbed?

Answer. I think he could. I do not think he would be disturbed at all.

Question. Do you mean that a republican who lives in your county could regularly and habitually do that without interference?

Answer. I do. I do not think he would be interfered with in any shape or form. Question. Do you believe that a resident freedman could do it?

Answer. I hardly think a freedman could; but a white man can do it. There are very few freedmen in our county in comparison with other counties. Question. Is there a democratic paper published in your county?