John Prentiss "Print" Matthews (August 27, 1840 – November 6, 1883) was an American
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
and social reformer of the
Reconstruction era. An advocate for
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
rights in
Copiah County, Mississippi, he was murdered while voting in 1883 after defying the orders of local
white supremacist
White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White su ...
Democrats, who told him not to vote.
Education and family life
Matthews, best known by the nickname "Print", was born on August 27, 1840, near
Hazlehurst,
Mississippi
Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Mis ...
, the seat of Copiah County.
Career
Although his parents were wealthy and owned 35 slaves. Matthews supported the
Union. During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
, most local whites supported the
Confederacy
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
.
After the war, Matthews ran a store and was elected the county sheriff. When
Democrats regained power in the state government in 1875, Matthews helped organize the Independent Party in Copiah County, consisting of black and white farmers. However, in 1881, Democrats began night riding to intimidate African Americans and attempt to suppress their voting, and Matthews lost his bid for re-election by 84 votes, as Democrats claimed a mule had reached through a window and eaten all the ballots from Mt. Hope precinct, primarily African American and supportive of Matthews (although 2 blacks remained on the county council).
In 1883, the night rides grew worse, although the Independent Party slate only included one black. A black church was burned and a husband and wife murdered on October 26. The riders ordered voters not to vote for the Independent Party in the upcoming 1883 elections; and blacks and some whites even spent the night before the election in the woods for fear of further intimidation tactics.
Death
The white Democratic leaders of Hazlehurst delivered a written ultimatum to Matthews, ordering him not to vote. When he persisted, the precinct captain, a white farmer and doctor named
Erastus Benjamin Wheeler (1840-1900, nicknamed "Ras") who had an account at Matthews' store, reached inside a wooden box for a double-barreled shotgun and shot and killed Matthews at the polls.
The evening after his murder, Matthews' political enemies, organized in a local group known as the "Trail-Hold Club", gathered in the yard of his residence. They mocked and celebrated the killing.
[Frank Abial Flower]
''History of the Republican Party: Embracing Its Origin, Growth and Mission''
Grand Rapids, MI: Union Book Company, 1884; pg. 449. A mass meeting "resolved" that the Matthews family "shall keep out of politics in Copiah county" and some talked of having Wheeler run for governor. Wheeler was elected marshal of Hazlehurst, Meanwhile, the gravedigger who had helped bury Matthews on his own property was threatened and left town, as did the Matthews family (though some members including his then-15 year old son later returned).
Trial
After a special investigation, Wheeler was tried in May 1884. The ''New York Times'' covered the trial. The carefully chosen, all-white jury quickly returned a verdict of not guilty, much to the pleasure and expectation of the judge and the community. The jury posted a statement noting that if an "error" occurred, it was "one of the head, and not of the heart."
J.T. Dameron, a merchant, testified that he saw Ras Wheeler in a street car in the capital of
Jackson on the 13th or 14 February. He said that Wheeler was talking in a low tone. He said; "Yes, old
Hoar is coming down here on an investigation committee. If I get a crack at him I will kill him, too. I killed Print Matthews, or rather it was the
Democratic party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
that did it. If it had not been for politics, I would not have done it; but it was politics that did it."
Ras Wheeler went on to have a successful political career in the state.
Legacy
Matthews was survived by his wife Mary "Tine" Barlow, whom he had married on June 6, 1862. Their son
John Prentiss Matthews, Jr. carried on his father's principles and became a leader in Republican politics. President Benjamin Harrison made him postmaster of a town 130 miles away,
Carrollton, Mississippi. On Christmas Day, 1890, local Democrats shot the 22 year old dead.
[Loewen p. 234] Another son, Simon Matthews, became an activist in the
People's Party during the 1890s, when a biracial coalition temporarily elected some positions, defeating the Democrats.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Print
1840 births
1883 deaths
Activists for African-American civil rights
American social reformers
Assassinated American civil rights activists
Deaths by firearm in Mississippi
People from Hazlehurst, Mississippi
People murdered in Mississippi
Male murder victims
Political violence in the United States