The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-02

assist IN this game the editor OF the New
York Tribune adds his owns opinions,
magnifying the few facts, and stating
for facts things that exist only in imag-
nation, and were only seen with g my
minds eye,n thus clearly showing that
he has not forgotten his bad habit OF
writing much about what he knows
nothing of. He states =" We grieve to
add that our soldiers from the free North
as well as soldiers from Virginia are
guilty of these crimes" and to substan-
tiate his "taken for granted state
ment, he says: las there Is strong
garrison in Norfolk, it is evident that
the rebels alone would not have been
bold enough to assault the negroes, had
thew not been Joined by those who were
bound to have protected unoffending CIT
izens.n
IN ia tue negroes were attacked and
in n few instances nearly beaten to death,
and it is also true that those who were
boundu to protect failed to do so. The
7ribaoe's statement throws the blame
upon the soldiers, whereas it was not
soldiers who attacked negroes, but a law
less gang of returned rebels who, dis
puised in uniforms of Union soldiers,
attacked negroes wherever they happen
ed to meet them. There was a garrison
in Norfolk, but they had been relieved
from all duty connected with the pre-
servation of the peace in the city, and
upon the confident statement of the
"civil authorities" that they were abun-
dainty able to protect the city from any
outbreak or quell all disturbances, were
ordered by the officer then in command
not to interfere in any manner with the
"civil authorities unless called upon.
The "civil authorities" were the ones
t'who were bound to protect unoffending
citizens" and most signally have they
failed to do SO.
He then calls attention to the state
ment tibet there is a military command
ant in the city, but he seems to have a
divided duty" There was an officer in
command of the military, but that there
was u military commandment of the
city is false, as he had been relieved.
Consequently the commandment of the
military did not have divided duty, as
it was only his duty to command the
troops, aud faithfully did he attend to it,
After describing scene in which
some of the Thirteenth New York ar
tillery, after being dosed with ''drugged
whiskey,n were supposed to play part,
our veraciOus correspondent of the Bos-
ton Commonwealth closes the paragraph
by asserting that lone man was hanged
upon a lamp-pOst." Probably he had
been partaking of some of the same
whiskey, and while in his delirium fan
cied he saw the negro hanging to a
lamp-post, for certain it is no one else
saw the melancholy sight.
The Tribune then, upon what author
ity do not know land do not believe
he does), asserts that ION Sunday two
colored men were found hanging dead
on trees" also, "on the same day-the
Lords day--a young man, as he was
leaving church, was shot through the
side and robbed" Quite days work,
was it not? But how very strange that
the parties who found the bodies of the
poor negroes failed to notify the proper
authorities, and those very indefatigable
searchers after news, the reporters of our
daily papers, failed to hear of any such
occurrences. Certainly the parties find
ing the negroes ought to have given the
poor creatures Christian burial.
In another paragraph our Common
wealth correspondent introduces quite
tragic scene in describing I" the singular
courage" of one OF these negroes, as
follows:
He was quietly passing 10 his home,
when three soldiers ran after him and
fired three shots, neither of which took
effect. They then cried "HaltW but
as the man knew their order was not to
be respected, he walked on. Another
shot was fired, the ball passing through
his mouth. "Finish him finish him!u
some one cried. Two men overlook
him, and each pointed revolver at his
breast. He turned their hands aside
and said: You don't shoot me again."
" Very well" they said; leone into the
guard-house.
1t seems to me that he winds it up al
together too tamely to make it plausible.
Is it likely that any men particularly
when they number three to one) who
are bent upon killing another will allow
him, after having been wounded and
fallen in their power, to thwart them
from their purpose by quietly turning
"their hands aside" and informing them
that they "don't shoot me again %
And Furthermore, is it likely they would
run the risk of involving themselves i'm
trouble by taking him to the "guard
house, where the matter would be sure
to receive a proper investigation? The
whole paragraph is a continuation of as
absurd statements as the above, and on
ly deserving of notice SO far as it casts
reproach upon our soldiers. That it is
the duty of the government to prevent
all men of suspected or untried loyalty
from holding positions, and protect the
insurgent States from becoming the thea
tire of acts of violence and lawlessness,
no one whose loyalty is pure will for q
moment doubt, but it is also the duty of
papers who have already done so much
to precipitate this country into the sea
of anarchy and bloodshed, through
which she has so nobly struggled, to
make amends for their wrong doing, at
least so far as to refrain from publishing
statements that they cannot help but
know are false, and which must, when
published, necessarily widen the breach
(already too wde) between the citizens
of our lately insurgent States and our
soldiers, thus rendering far more ardu-
Gus and difficult the delicate work of re.
construction.
The Sunday Schoolsinevery direction
are ONCE more reviving, and begin to