After the civil war the south became the source of groups such as the Pale Faces and the Klan. In other areas there was no need for such organizations and people performed acts of violence on their own. Smyrna was a small town but that did not spare it the issues such groups created. This is the story and time line of one short week in 1869.
Lawlessness in Middle Tennessee
Nashville August 30 Nearly 100 negroes have come to this place from the neighborhood of Smyrna, in Rutherford county, and report that they have been driven away from home by bands of lawless white men. These negroes have been working on shares with the planters, and they as well as the planters will lose heavily if they are not protected in securing the crop. A well known planter from that neighborhood, who makes about 300 bales of cotton , has been threatened by the regulators, and he was here to-day to see what could be done to protect himself and the negroes in his employ.
Bands of Lawless man are also operating in Sumner County, visiting the negro cabins and taking the negroes out and whipping them. The men engaged in this work are wholly irresponsible and will not work themselves and desire to prevent others from enjoying the fruits of their labor. Gov. Senter's proclamation warning them may have some effect, but it is probable that the planters will have to form combinations for self protection.
It would be an understatement to say things were looking bad at this moment. The next day the following was printed in the same newspaper.
The Rutherford County Disturbance - Meeting of Negroes in Nashville
Nashville Aug. 31st. A meeting of colored men took place this evening, to investigate the cause of the disturbance at Smyrna, Rutherford Co. A number of refugees from that vicinity were present. Hon. Jno Trimble, Neil S. Brown and Henry S. Foote took part. The meeting adjourned, finally, without doing anything, to 2 o'clock p.m. to-morrow.
The next day the newspaper went into more detail on the issues effecting the county. Maybe it was their attempt to try to lay some of the blame on the 'Negroes' or maybe there was a lot of truth to their words. Either way they openly say the Governor should act on the happenings.
Some unhappy troubles have lately occured in Rutherford county, which have drawn forth a proclamation of the Governor. Some white men have undertaken to act as "regulators" near Smyrna, but against the wishes of the people of the county generally.Two days later in a short insert they announced that Smyrna and Murfreesboro would be re-occupied by Federal Troops. This sadly is the end of series on the troubles in our county for that year.
This, however, seems to have been caused by bad conduct of the negroes. Certain mean whites advised the negroes unfortunately, and originated bad feelings in that manner. One SKILLMAN, with some others of the abandoned whites, told the that they "must do something," that they must "raise hell generally" or the "rebels would keep the upper hand and put them back into slavery."
They taught the negroes that by bringing about the collision and trouble they would gain the only chance they had of procuring the intervention of the Government to put STOKES in the Governor's chair. The negroes [t]hen attempted the assassination of Mr. William Smith and burned barns, cribs, stables, and gin-houses extensively.
The character of these acts showed plainly by when they were committed. Under such circumstances how is it possible to visit these "regulators" with the severest of censure? Must we utterly forbid self-defense against depredators, against life and property, with fire?These acts of the Regulators may have been rash, uncalled-for and wrong; they may be irresponsible or bad and criminal men for aught we know. But they who handle fire should be satisfied to take the consequences. Excess in retaliation and punishment is to be expected under such damning circumstances. Our sympathies must be with those, who, however irregularly attempt the suppression of crime.
We think the governor does well to suppress disturbances of this character, and that the people are quite right in fully sustaining him. Mobs cannot be permitted for any purpose. Men have no right to band together and take the law into their own hands, and must be put down when they attempt to do so. Nevertheless it is not easy to believe that a disturbance originatting in crime and and an illegal effort to suppress it is one which is without excuse on the part of the "regulators," and one in which their criminality should be looked to. We are as earnestly for making an end of lynching as it is possible any one could be. But our mode would be extend the shield of the law over all the citizens alike.
The men who most deserve punishment are those incendiaries who incited the negroes to depredations, deceived and fooled them. We hope Gov. Senter will hang all those before he begins with any others. Do justice first, and do the hanging afterwords. The Nashville papers call on the people to put down all this lawlessness on every hand. They say it is idle to protect the reputation of the state by merely denouncing the reports of outrages as fables.That is true. But the true remedy is to strike at the root of the matter and punish the scoundrels who are inciting the freedmen to crime. Do that, and though there may be lawless youths about, we believe the influences of their seniors will then be all sufficient for their control, and the negroes will go lazily to work.
That is how in 1869, years after the end of the Civil war that Smyrna found itself reoccupied by Federal Troops.
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