The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-04 00:00:00

The Memphis Riots.

There is no longer any question as to the charac-
ter of what was at first called the negro riots at
Memphis. They were negro riots in the same sense
in which the outbreak in July, 1863, in New York,
, was a negro riot—that is, the negroes were the vic-
tims of both. Just what disturbance occasioned the
conflict in Memphis will not probably be known,
nor is it of much consequence. But it is plain from
all accounts that a disturbance, originally trifling,
was made the pretext for a general assault upon the
negro population of the city, which was continued
for two days and nights. In this assault, the police,
the firenien, and city authoritieS and the unorganised
mob acted in concert, and were animated with the
single purpose to do the greatest amount of damage
to the negro population, and to their dwellings,
and churches, and school-houses.
The atrocities of the mob were not unworthy of
its great New York prototype, which was, perhaps,
the most savage yet heard of in a civilised city.
Most of the negroes who were shot were butchered
on the second day, when there was no longer' any
resistance, and when the negroes were seeking
safety •in concealment and flight. We select a few
specimens of the pleasantries in which the mob
indulged.
"Robert 'Tone's, (coloured) has just come in from the
country, and was standing on the corner of Beal and
Causey-streets, in the forenoon. Amara, appearing to be a
policeman, toot his pistol and $29 in• money, and as he
turned to leave thrust a knffe into his back, 'under the
shoulder-blade. Another, standing by, known to be a
policeman, made no arrest of the robber." •
Which shows that the police, unlike our police
in 1863, were on the side of the mob.
• "A negro was shot in the knee near the corner of
Howard's-row and the levee. This was done by a well-
known individual for- the sake of amusement, and was
laughed at by the citizens who saw it."
'The individual is SO well known that the paper
from which.we quote doeknot think it worth while,
or does not dare, to give hiS imme. But these in-
stances are nothing to the elaborate ingenuity of
other cruelties. •
"A large number of houses in South Memphis, occupied
by the blacks, and some in other parts of the city, were
burned. No effort Was made.to stay the •flames. In ono
case four negroes were fastened up in a honse, and the
hOuse set on fire."
"A coloured man on Alabama-street informs us that his
house was broken into and about two hundred dollars in
money taken, and he beaten over the head; and the same
party broke into his neighbour's house, killed him, locked
the wife and children in the house, set it on fire, andburned
it down."
That is almost as good as burning a Coloured
Orphan ASylum.
" A house near Mr. Rankin's school-house, which was
burnt on Tuesday, was fired during the night. A coloured
girl, 17 years of age, named Rachel Hatchell, who had
been a' scholar at Mr. Rankin's, was sick in this house, and
on running out was knocked down, shot, and thrown
into the fire. Her body lay in the ashes yesterday morn-
ing, burnt to a crisp, excepting her head and shoulders.
Some one had kindly thrown a shawl over this horrid
spectacle."

The reign of terror was complete throughout the
city, and the violence or threats of the mob ex-
tended beyond the negroes and reached to all who
were their friends.
"Loud and repeated threats were made by the rioters
that-when they had destroyed the coloured school-houses
they would kill the teachers. The threats were so violent,
and the riotors having shown themielves capable of any
brutality, it was deemed prudent that they should go
North. They all left for Cairo on the St. Louis packet.
Many of the officers on duty here sent their wives away
with these ladies."
What destruction was actually wrought on the
property of the negroes themselves is thus summed
up :
- - -

" The riot was kept up all Wednesday night. Crowds
of armed citizens were gathered at the corners. Many
were half drunk. The great feat of the roughs was the
burning of the coloured school-houses, churches, and
homes. They seemed to have acted in concert, and to
have carried out a programme which had been previously
arranged. This Is shown by the clean sweep which was
made of every building used for a coloured-school or place
of worship by the coloured people, but most strongly by
the conduct of the rioters on the burning of th 9 Collins
Chapel. This coloured church stands on Washington-
stre,A, and cost $7,000."

The extracts which we have given are from The
Memphis post, a paper which the Copperheads may
discredit becank:e it is loyal. They are abundantly
confirmed by the tzdmis,sions ande4pologies of the
Rebel sheets. The _Wean says:—
" The testimony in regard io all these particulars is most
conflicting, but all agree in one • thing, that those who en-
gaged in the riot were persons of irresponsible character,
and it will be unfair to charge these untoward disturb-
ances to the good, law-abiding citizens of the city of
Memphis."

Which is equivalent to saying, We have no de-
fence to offer for the mob except that we did not
belong to it. The Avalanche far more explicitly
declares :

"The rioter who claimed to belong to the 'ls4' sought
to shield himself from the culpability bahind the fair name

of an honourable body of men ; and had he been a member,
he would have esteemed its fame too highly to confess con-

nection with a mob guilty of so many excesses."
"We have heard many ex-soldiers of the South declare
that they would prefer a military administration of muni-
cipal authority to that which disgraces the city and Sti3te,
and by its utter' incapacity, gross mismanagement, and
prejudices of its agents, has brought upon Memphis last-
ing
evils.

The true romedy for all misfortunes, now

contemplated, consists in the reformation of the city, char•

ter."

We might continue both quotations and com-
ments to any extent, but we leave the case to the
jury on a fraction of the evidence, and without any

argument at all. Against the City of Memphis
the verdict will be guilty of murder and arson

without any effort by any organised authority to

prevent or to punish either crime.--New York Tri-

bane.