Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-06-26
Correspondence of the New York World J
NORTHERN MISREPRESENTATION OF THE
CONDITION OF THE SOUTHERN PEOPLE.
RrruNOED VI Juna I6

RICHMoSD Va, June l6.
To the Editor Of the World:
SIR As an attentive eyewitness of all that has
bean soing On in this unfortunate city, ever since
the triumphant entry of our iorles-possessing,
TOO unusual facilities for observsiion-I cannot
resist writing 20 you, 10 do what little can TO-
ward couuteracting the Insane deiusion which is
now perys ing large portion OF the northern
mind respecting the true condition, character,
and b-h ,vior Of this crushed, gIiefstrlcktn, and
suffering people.
10 read ,he Northern papers th II reach US by
each nail, one would imagine that Richmond
indeed the whole of Vrginia-is, even yet in
tate OF incipient r.volt tn It the surrender Of
q neral l. 60 WAS but pretencs, and that the
people are only waiting some good opportunity
Dor another outbreak. Scarce breeze comes
waited over their desolate ruins, TO helpless
mourners gathered around their Dereaved and
p3yertv.stricken hearLhs, but Is laden with some
new impending horror, some fresh symptom oil
Leedless vengeance, apparently TO olock up
every avenue Of mercy, and deny the erri 1g even
The sweet boon Of repentance. The most out
rageous scandals written by careless correspond
ehts in mis- city, are daily sent forward 10 the
Northern press, and thence emanate, 10 add fuel
20 the already oyerheatsd furnace Of hatred pre-
iudice, and ignorance by heaping new and un.
msrited obloquy upon people already crushed
down almost beyond the point OF human endu'
rance.
But few days ago it was actually announced
In a leading New York paper that owing 10 the
terror created among the colored population by
the secessiOnists, tae cO0red schools were closed
shall I be credited when / tell you that there Is
not one word of truth IN this, that the colored
schools were never closed, and that they are all
going on swimming.y under the direction OF Kew.
DR.. Dudley, VINO can sub tantate this statement
Then, again, we had long rignSTole in the
same paper about the atrocities Of Mayor Mayo
AGAINST the negroes. False, utterly false, every
word OF it, During the two or three sttings
which the mayor he.d-under the direct authority
of Major General Hal eck-uo negroes We're ar.
rested or in any way disturbed, with the excep-
ton Of two or three clearly proved TO have been
keeping disreputsble houses.
That the negroes have been often badly treated
since our advent here Is not TO be denied; but
Mayor Mayo is no more responsible for II than
h the editor Of the New York Tribune nor can
the old inhsbit Ints Of Ri ;hmond be blamed for
Il any more than for the negro murders in New
York CITY. during the riot. TIE truth is that all
the hardshlp4 inflicted upon the negroes ever
aimee | entered this city with the federal forces
have been through northern agency alone. When
we first came here there were so many bad char
acters let loose upoa the eommunity-sD many
negroes foolshly rushing from the country (whe'e
they were needed) into the already halttsmished
city where they were not needed)-thatt the most
Stringent measures had 20 be adopted by the mill
tary authorities for public safety. In carrying
out these II easures all the kind Watchiulness OF
the commanding officers land Generals hslleck,
Ord, and al their stan. have most Sb performed
their duty was not sufficient 10 prevent their
subordinates from, now and then, abusing the
powers intrusted to them. The lneradicsble ha'
tired existing between the lower classes OF the
Celtic and African races is at the bottom OF TINS
whole affair Scarcely day passes without lp :
diVIdual cases Of their coming into collision and
have myself been often \ witness Of the most
uncaled.for and brutal behaviour of our sol
disrs-p principally lrish-towArds unoifsnding ne
grCes.