Martin Delany, respected and feared throughout the Reconstruction era in South Carolina for his intelligence and integrity, surprised many by publicly supporting former Confederate Gen. Wade Hampton for governor in the 1876 election. Disgusted by the failure of the U.S. Army and Republican party leadership to help newly emancipated enslaved blacks to start their own small farms and achieve some economic independence, Delany backed Hampton, despite signs that violent white racists, led by Ben Tillman, did likewise. Delany supported Hampton because he saw him as another advocate of education as a prerequisite for a former slave, or any person in fact, to achieve autonomy.
As the election was in the "homestretch," and Delany campaigned for Hampton, he became the target of more criminal elements among the black community. They especially resented his well documented charges of corruption on the part of leaders in the radical Republican Party. He barely escaped with his life on October 16, 1876 as the following excerpts signify:
"(MRD) had gone to Edisto Island with a party of mixed white and black Democrats on the promise made by the Republican boss, C. C. Bowen, that they would be given a hearing, just as Republican speakers were given 'equal time' at the Democratic meetings."
"Having to go by water, the Democratic committee chartered a steamer for the exclusive use of Democrats who as speakers and listeners should attend the meeting. Before the steamer left the Charleston wharf a number of negroes had gathered, and these noisily demanded that they be permitted to take passage, and threateningly declared that they intended to go anyhow, and that they wanted a chance to 'clean out those Democrats.'. . . a meeting was arranged to be held near Cainhoy in the parish of St.Thomas and St. Dennis. . . ."
The News and Courierreporter with the party called the audience of some 500 or 600 "African citizens" by far "the most uncouth, savage and uncivilized that I have ever seen. . .There was but one power that charmed them and held their inborn viciousness in check, and that was the magic name of 'Bowen'. . . When it was understood that Col. M.R. Delany who is probably the most intelligent man of his race in the State was to be one of the speakers on the Democratic side, your correspondent asked Mr. Bowen if they would hear him speak. 'Yes,' replied Mr. Bowen, 'I reckon I can keep them still but it will be just about as hard as to hold a wild elephant or a lion without tying him."
"After speaking twenty minutes, Mr. Smythe gave way to Col. M. R. Delany, who was introduced by the chairman as the next Democratic speaker. As soon as Col. Delany mounted the wagon, the Negroes started to beat their drums and left in a body. They would not listen to "De damned Nigger Democrat." In vain the chairman called them to come back and shouted to them to stop their drum beating. They paid no attention to his orders. They marched off and the women crowded around the wagon with their bludgeons, with threats, curses and imprecations. Even Bowen was unable to restore quiet until he leaped from the wagon and brought them back by main force, and Col. Delany was invited to go on with his speech.
"This, however, he declined to do. He simply said that he had been in Europe and Africa in the presence of nobility of many countries, and black as he was, he had never been insulted as he had been today by the people of his own race. Amid frequent interruptions he reminded them of the fact that he had come to South Carolina with his sword drawn, to fight for the freedom of the black man; that being a black man himself, he had been a leading abolitionist; that he had warned them against trusting their money to the Freedman's Bank; and that they had, to their sorrow, paid no heed to his warnings. His only object was to give them warning now that the northern white people were altogether in sympathy with the southern whites. They could see that by reading the northern newspapers. He was a friend of his own race and had always held the position that it was the duty of those who had education to teach them that their best interests were identical with the white natives of the States.
A "gentle, inoffensive" Charleston teacher and black Republican named W. J. McKinlay rose to speak when someone in the audience opened fire on him, ending the meeting." (Ullman, p. 491)
"In violation of the agreement that neither party should carry guns or rifles to the place of meeting, the negroes had brought their muskets and secreted them in a nearby swamp and in an old house near a church not far from the speaking ground. . .Very soon after McKinlay(Ed. NOTE: Reynolds states that an armed militia within the audience mistook McKinlay for Delany, Reynolds, p. 378) "They marched out of the swamp with their arms and opened fire upon the whites, who were unarmed. Some white men made a rush for the house where the negroes had concealed about forty muskets. The rest of the negroes retreated to the swamp, where their guns were concealed, and seizing them opened a brisk indiscriminate fire upon the whites. C. C. Bowen interfered, or affected to interfere but . . . was ordered to stand down . . . .
"In the meantime, Delany, Mr. William E. Simmons and several other aged white men had taken refuge in a brick house adjoining the church. . .The negro militia charged out of the swamp, surrounded the brick house and tried to batter down the door. Failing in this they broke open the windows and pointed their muskets at the helpless occupants. . .They all escaped except Mr. Simmons, who upon emerging from the door was knocked down and beaten to death. . .
Six white men were killed and sixteen whites wounded that day. One black man was killed. The siege of Cainhoy continued for several days afterwards. White racists conducted similar assaults against blacks especially in Edgefield County.
