Report of the Joint Select Committee to Inquire Into the Condition of Affairs in the Late Insurrectionary States, Made to the Two Houses of Congress February 19, 1872 Volume 5; Testimony, South Carolina (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1872 Excerpt: ...1S71, which provides that if two or more persons in any State shall conspire together--omitting unnecessary words--for the purpose of depriving any person or class of persons of the eqoal protection of the laws. We have followed the language of the statute, and we have charged these defendants with conspiracy together to deprive any person, to wit, Amzi Rainey, of the eqnal protection of tb- laws. The objection is made that we should have said what laws, what manner, and on what occasion. Onr first answer is, that the statute does not require this; that the offense exists under the provisions of the statutes, which are simply, and only, that they shall conspire to deprivea person of the eqnal protection of the laws. The tenth count is for a similar'conspiracy of eqnal privileges and immunities under the law. And here, too, we followed the exact langnage, shall conspire together to deprive any person from eqnal protection under ihe laws. The same objections are made to this count, and the answer is the same: that we have followed the statute, and that is purely a statutory offense. The last count charges a similar conspiracy for tho purpose of depriving Amzi Rainey, a citizen of the United States, lawfully entitled to vote in his person, on account of his having given his support in a lawful manner, in favor of the election of A. S. Wallace, a'lawfully qnalified person, as member of Congress of the United States. And here again we have followed, in every particular, the langoage of the statute. If two or more persons shall conspiro together to injuro any citizen--did conspire together to injure Amzi Rainey--in his person or property. The count charges that they did conspire to injuro Amzi Rainey in his person, on account of such ...