John Prentiss "Print" Matthews (August 27, 1840-November 6, 1883) was a Reconstruction era social reformer and African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 rights advocate in Copiah County, Mississippi

Copiah County, Mississippi

As of the census of 2000, there were 28,757 people, 10,142 households, and 7,494 families residing in the county. The population density was 37 people per square mile . There were 11,101 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...

 who was murdered in the act of voting after defying the local white supremacists

White supremacy

White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...

 order to not vote.

Early years

John Prentiss Matthews, best known by the nickname "Print," was born near Hazlehurst, Mississippi

Hazlehurst, Mississippi

Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States, located about 30 miles south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. The population was 4,400 at the 2000 census...

 to wealthy slave owning parents. During the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 of 1861-1865 he became a supporter of the Union

Union (American Civil War)

During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...

, putting him at odds with the majority of the local population, who supported the Confederate States of America

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

.

After Democrats

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 took over the area in 1875 Matthews was influential in organizing the Independent Party in Copiah County, consisting of black and white farmers. The Democrats began night riding to threaten African Americans ordering them to not vote for the Independent Party in the upcoming 1883 elections.

The white Democratic leaders of Hazlehunt delivered a written ultimatum to Matthews ordering him not to vote. When he persisted, the precinct captain, a white farmer named Erastus B. "Ras" Wheeler, reached inside a wooden box for a double barreled shotgun and killed Matthews.

The evening after his killing, Matthews' political enemies, organized in a local group known as the "Trail-Hold Club," gathered in the yard of his residence where they mockingly held a celebration of the feat.

Trial

Wheeler was brought to trial in May 1884 before a specifically chosen all-white jury who quickly returned a verdict of not guilty, much to the pleasure and expectation of the judge and the community. Knowing full well the guilt of Wheeler 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 Jackson on the 13th or 14th of February.

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 (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

 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 a successful political career.

Family

Print Matthews was survived by his wife Mary "Tine" Barlow (married June 6, 1862). Matthews had a son, John Prentiss Matthews, Jr. who carried on his father's principles and became a leader in Republican politics. On Christmas Day, 1890 he suffered the same fate as his father when he was shot dead by local Democrats in Carrollton, Mississippi

Carrollton, Mississippi

Carrollton is a town in Carroll County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat of Carroll County. The population was 408 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Greenwood, Mississippi micropolitan area-Geography:...

. Another son, Simon Matthews, became an activist in the People's Party during the decade of the 1890s.