The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-07-31

Inc Outra ges ON negroes NJ NOrIOiks
THE STATEMENTS OF THE TRIBUNE AND BOSTON COM
MONwEALTH CORRECTED.
THE HERALD.
NORFOLK, Va, July 25 1866
NY attention has just been called to a statement
in the Tribune Of July H. headed The Reign Of Terror
in Norfolk" and based upon extracts from letter pub
lished in the Boston Commonwealth To any who is
acquainted with the Of the last two months
IL is evident the letter written either upon hearsay
evidence by who in Norfolk or 1t Is
we'll woven tale written by some one OF the Southern
sympathzers, in order bring odum upon and inJure
the character and standing Of soldiers and
their own msdeeds To assist in this game the editor Of
tho New York Tribune adds his own opinions, magnify
ing the few facts and stating for facts things that exist
only in imagination, and were only seen with my
minds eye thus clearly showing that no has not for
gotten his bad habit of writing much about what he
knows nothing OF He states:"We grieve TO add that
soldiers from the free North well soldiers from
Virginia guilty Of these crmes and to subsantiate
his 'taken for granted statement he says As there Is
strong garrison p Norfolk it is evident that the rebels
alone would not have been bold enough to assault tho
ncgrses had they not been joined by those who were
bound to have protected unofending citizens"
1t Is negroes attacked and in few instances
nearly beaten death and also true that those
who were bound" to protect failed to do so The III
statement throws the blame upon the soldiers,
whereas soldiers who attacked negroes, but
lawlcss gang OF returned rebels who, disguised in Uni
OF Union soldiers attacked negroes wherever they
happened to meet them There was garrison N Noriok
they had been relieved from all duty connected with
the preservation Of the peace in the city, and upon the
conde statement Of the 'civ authorities that they
abundanty able TO protect the city from any out
break quel all dIsturbanc ordered by tho officer
then command not to interfere in any manner with
the "civi authorities unless called upon. The cvl
thoritcs the ''who bound TO protect
unoendng citizens and most sgnaly have they failed
TO do
He IN calls attention to the that there is
''m'ar commandant in the city, but he seems to have
a d,ydr! duty" There was an officer in command oil
the military, but that there military command
anti OF the city is false, he had been relieved Conse
toft ,ltd
divided duty. il only his duty 10 command the
troops, and faithfully did he attend to It,
After describing scene in which some Of the Thir-
tccnth New York artillery, after being dosed with
'drugged whiskey," supposed to play part our
ve'aNoas correspondent Of the Boston Commonwealth
closes the paragraph by asserting that some man
hanged upon lamp post Probably he had been par
taking OF OF the whskcy and while in his de-
irum ancied he saw the negro hanging to lamp post
for certain i is one else the melancholy sight
The tune then, upon what authority do not know
land do net eve he do asserts that 'on Sunday
two colored men wero found hang ng dead trees
also, ''on the same day-the Lords day-a young man
as ne was leaving church was shot through the side
robbed" Quite days work, was it not? But how very
strange that the parties who found the bodies OF the
negroes failed To notify the proper authorities and those
daily papers failed TO hear Of such occurrences
Certainly the parties finding the negroes ought to have
given the poor creatures Christian burial
In another paragraph Commonwealth correspondent
introduces quite tragic In describing 'tho sngu
lar courage" Of one Of these negroes ss follows:-
He quietly passing TO his home, when three SOL
dlers after him and fired three shots neither q
which took effect They then cried "Hat !" but ~ the
knew their order not to be respected he walked
Another shot fred the ball passing through bis
mouth. "Finish him finish himl" some ono 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" every well, they said "come
into the guard house."
It sc ms to me that no winds It up altogether too
tamely make plausible Is II likely that any men
particularly when they number three TO one who are
bent upon killing another will allow him. aftor having
been wounded and fallen in their power TO thwart them
from their purpose by quietly turning 'ther hands
aside and informing them that they 'dont shoot me
againS' And furthermore, 10 Il likely they wo I'D
run tho risk Of involving themselves IN trouble by
taking him TO the "grard house." where the matter
would be to receive proper investigations The
whole paragraph Is n continuation Of as absurd state
the above and only deserving OF notice 50 far
reproach upon soldiers That the duty
of the government prevent all men OF suspected or
untred loyalty from holding POSITIONS and protect the
nsurgent States from becoming the theatre OF acts OF
violence and lawessness, whose loyalty u pure
will for moment doubt but Ia also the duty OF papers
who have already done much TO precptae this coun.
try the Of anarchy and boodhed through which
she has noby struggled to make their wrong
doing ut least far 70 refrain from publishing state
that they cannot holp but know are false, and
which must when published necessarily widen the breach
taready wide) between the citizens OF lately In
surgent States and soldiers thus rendering far moro
arduous and difficult the delicate work OF reconsuction