Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-09-26
OSTRICH TACTICS

ulccuDS was mOODc0 and OlunQered DY q
gang of white rowdies, we advised the people
OF Anne Arundel County, for their own credit
and for the credit of the State of Maryland, to
bestir themselves and bring the guilty par
ties to justice without fail.
1t has been given out at various times that
the authorities and leading citizens OF thai
County were exerting themselves to arrest and
punish the rowdy 4niscreants. From certain
indications, however, and the undertone of re.
mark in certain quarters, we did not anticIpate
that the jails OF Maryland would be over
crowded by camp meeting rioters in conse-
quence Of the action of these Parties. The re-
suit is as we were led to expect The "inyes.
legations" have ended in a report which, ac-
cording to the Baltimore Sun, was ssunan,.
mously adopted at a meeting of s.leading citl-
zens OF Anne Arundel County," in which re.
port the white b'hoys are shown to have been
the aggrieved parties, and the blame is thrown
altogether upon the camp-meeting negroes
who, a la the wolf and lamb fable of Esop pro-
yoked deserved punishment (and robbery by
riling the water down stream ga few wild
young men did annoy the blacks in some trivial
manner" "a small cantelope was thrown into
the blacks meeting" and that according to thus
white washing report, was the extent of the
outrage upon the blacks. The meeting then pro-
ceeded to resolve as follows, the notes in pa.
renthesis being ours
Resolred, therefore, as the sense of this meat.
ing, That 1t was the duty Of the coIored
people to look to the law T,I and the man
ayers OF the meeting for protection in
their worship, and that the assault with
clubs and firearms on the Innocent and de-
fenseless, [Meaning the long haired hsbovs
OF Anne Arundel, and the short haired
ohoys OF Baltimore, rmed to the teeth with
knives and revolvers, was OUTRAGEOUS and
wicked in the extreme ~
~ Resolred, That while we greatly deprecate
the wanton destruction of the effects OF the
coIored people after they had left the ground
we believe NJ was the natural consequence of
IN famed passion. after the whites had been
lnoiser,minately tired upon. (which state OF
excueaoie .'inf1Amed passion" led the short
naIIea and long haired b'hoys to mistake tue
property Of the negroes for their own, and 10
forget TO return IL 10 this dayl
ReS0lred, That the proceedings of certain
ministers and laymen Of the Methodist Episco-
pal Church on the night OF the 18th instant in
Justifying the blacks in taking the law in their
own hands. NJ by firing INFO an assemblage of
innocent people ~ engaged in worship, m
places them with the defenders and encoura.
gers Of mobdaw TO repel molestations, and de-
serves the unqualified condemnation of all
good citizens RI Of whatsoever religious faith
or political creed
Resolved, That we have the utmost conf
dence in our civil authorities, ri and believe
that they Will do their duty ri fully and con.
scaentiously in endeayoring TO bring all guilty
parties TO answer before the bar Of public ms.
tice for their offenses. m
We are then told that {" the resolutions were
unanimously adopted; after which the meeting
adjourned" Was there ever such another
specimen Of ostrich tactics 2 DO these gentle.
men think they can thus s.resolve" away the
unpleasant facts in the easel Is il not a fact
notorious through all this part Of MARYLAND
that the interruption, not only OF this camp.
meeting, but OF others by the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, was preconcerted affair, and
that the purpose was, II possible. to break no
m n m fanrx 81
not notorious that an organized gang OF these
rowdies, under cover of darkness, girdIed the
trees of the grove in which the camp meeting
was TO be held in Montgomery county, Is
II not notorious that the attempt was made
afterwards to destroy the camp. meeting spring,
In Montgomery county, and that a plot was
formed to blow out the lights of the camp there
on the last night, and s.clean out the blacks,
IN the darkness, after the playful style in
which the STEW wild young men, undertook
the job at Shipley's woods lie II not notorious
tnat the Methodist churches in that part of
Maryland have been broken open and desc
Grated by these same rowdies, and that thew
openly boast that they will not be punished
The very testimony brought forward TO suslin
this report is of the most damaging character
for their ease.
John Hubner. proprietor of the Relay
House, tesIifes that s'shorrly after his arri val
on me camp ground, Thursday, about six
O'Clock ne met 4 party OF young men from
Elsrfdge Landing, who informed him that
tney expected 10 have some fficulty there"
- an.s -, ~. r. burnside testified that he was
gong on Thursday afternoon, August 3Oth, TO
the railroad al Jessup's Cut, and met a num-
Der OF young men on the road going towards
sne camp ground many Of whom Were intox-
leated, and who SAID there was going 10 be
neil OF a row. al the camp that night In
front OF Major Bonds residence witness met
q Der OF young men whom he knew, one
haQn <ffv~
ume watching and talking with the men going
10 the camp, and he was convinced from vvhai
ne naa beard from the passers that there was
going 10 De great night AT the camp that night
Ihey, the passers, were all drinking and saw
ing what they were going 10 do When wit.
ness got TO helIys, AT railroad, he said there
wa going TO be q fuss at the camps from what
me-. ne naa heard young men saying at his store
that afternoon" ~
S'Mordeeai Stewart testified that the first
nan nan De saw at the coiored camp whom he
knew was Henry Shipley. They began talk
ing ano SIMPLIFY said TO darkies, sKeep quiet,
ooys, oen I raise any disturbance here" fney
sa.nerea around MI. Shipley and tolo him It
was noa their intention TO raise any fuss or
disturbance, saying 10 Mr.. s, "You know we
nave been molested, and some colored persons
M. Toeked down and beaten" They stated that
peoples camp. There were white persons
Within tnat circle, whom they meant) max.
ing arrangements 70 attack us and bre Il up
our meeting. One colored man said, ssIf they
do attack as. what shall we do-shan we pro-
tect ourselves 70 Mr. Shipley replied. mIf
they do atack you, defend yourselves" He
and witness turned TO a crowd of whites 10
whom the negroes bad alluded One man in
the middle Of group Of whites was very
ooistereus, and said II he could get a certain
number, which he don't recollect he wouid
take the lead TO clean up or kill the damned
negroes. Witness asked Shipley the name OF
the white man, and he told me his name but
i DO not recollect h, then turned to Andrew
Hartman and asked him IN he knew any OF the
young men, 70 try and get them OF the ground
or away from the negroes. He did all he
could towards this purpose, and I then left
and went TO my carriage, and soon heard
nrne OF pistols; saw o man who was said to
pe jenkins, advising people 70 get on their
ao-ses and 60 home and get their guns."
b. l. Partlett. Of Baltimore county, testified
thai he heard some persons damn The Metho-
dist church; saw one young m Al with "bniy"
in his hand: heard young man wishing
that he had the rife he had in the army, he
would 90 cunning after niggers;" In the morn
ing 8 man approached witness as he was leav-
ing the ground, and asked for his opin ion as
the cause Of the riot; did not give him my
opinion: he then said he was only sorry that
the preachers did not get the balls instead Of
the ntggers -
"wm T Brown testified that he was at the
camp ~ the time OF the riot. Was sitting IN
front OF Mr.. L. Jensrs's tent. sam Jefers said