The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-29
The Riot at Alexandria on Christmas
WAsHIygToy. Dec. n.


1t has been established by judicial i'm
yestigation that in the recent riot at
Alexandria, Va, on Christmas day, the
white semi-rebels were the Rgressors.=
Numerous prophecies had been made
by this class that the negroes would, on
that day, rise in insurrection, and the
negroes showing no dispositi to iulfill
these prophecies, the semi-rebels under
took 70 compel them TO rise. This is the
whole of it.
Your correspondent has been to Alex
andria this morning to Investigate the
various conflicting reports about the
riot on Monday, which has been styled
negro instruction. This is untrue,
ana does great Injustice to the freed
people, who behaved with great for
bearance. The rioters were undoubted-
ly returned rebel soldiers, who had evil
IDENTIFY determined 10 celebrate
their peace Christmas by making
war on the negroes; and was as.
sured by reliable persons that many of
the secession soldiers appeared in their
gray uniforms and were armed with
the revolvers of British manufacture
which they should have given up when
they surrendered and were paroled.
They were entertained in the old Vir-
ginia style by several of the leading
citizens. who have remained at home
during the war, and at an early hour in
the morning gangs of these unrepent-
ant rebels were going from house to
house drinking freely at each stopping
place. Rebel camp songs were sung,
and the streets sounded with cheers for
Jeff Davis, Lee, Jackson, Johnston and
other rebel leaders. The''niggers" had,
OF course, TO be looked after, and each
tipsy squad constituted itself patrol
TO execute the old black code. One
of these improvised patrols en-
tered a hall ut tho corner OF Wash
ingtOn and Duke streets, where the
colored people were holding a meeting,
and broke il up. Some of the GOlored
men, who had served in the Union
army, resented the insults offered to
their female companions, and Il white
rioter named Mitchell, received an ug-
ly wound in his head, while several
other whites and blacks received flesh
wounds from revolver balls. In other
parts of the city cOlored men and wO-
men, who were quietly walking the
streets, were outrageously insuIted,
and several of them badly beaten. A
young woman named Nancy Lee, was
kicked into the canal in a most indie
cent manner, and is seriously i'll. The
white rioters We're especially outrage
Gus when they came across u blncle man
wearing the national uniform, and
some of the swarIhy veterans, who
had fought the rebels before, were
not disposed to admit some of them
and were badly wounded, John Ander-
son receiving revolver ball in his
head, and Robert Saunders having his
skull fractured. Others are not so dan
gerously wounded While the whites
were enjoying themselves nothing was
done TO mar their sport, but as their
victims began to rally and toshOw their
manhood, the citizens became alarmed,
and invoked the aid of the military.
The officers i'll command Of the troops
called out, however, did not discrimi-
nate rs to color or race, and made nu-
mcrous arrests, including some young
men of the very first families of Alex
nndTin. There are some reasons for be-
ieying that similar scenes have occur
red in other Southern cities, for the pur-
pose =: so provoking the colOred people
To use Iirearms in self-defense as to give
II prcteNt for disarming them.