The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1866-05-04
Riot at Memphis--BIoody work.

Of negroes at Memphis on the
lst ihst The journals Of that city,
which came 10 hand yesterday, furnish
full details All Of them, except the
radical organ, the Post. agree that the
blame for the conmencement Of the
riot rests unquestionably upon the ne
rroes. The Post does not assert the
contrary. though It betIays an inclina-
ton to take the side of the negroes, /
showing sympathy for them, but not I
for the whites who were killed and 1
wounded
Che following account of the terrible
tragedy is from the Argus of the ID:
A riot occurred III South Memphis yer
terday, beginning about G.30 pm. Il be-
gan by two policemen 60 ng to arrest man
Who sold liquor in South Memphis. The
negro soldiers who were yesterday muster,
out OF service, and had been patronizng
the drinking saloon, cha ged the twopolice,
Killing one. The oiher, running up Mem
s rect ard down Second, collected abou. III
teen Of his comrades, who went down to
rescue their CONF anton, but were again re
pulsed By the negro force. The police then
sent back TO the station-ho to get the
police force Of the city. Captain Garrett
took all the force and preceded down Sec
ond 10 Beale, thence to the left to DeSoto,
| taking down that 10 South street. Ihere
| the melee began in earnest. Some i've CT
SIX policemen aud citizens We're shot-two
/ or three said 10 be killed ana seVe'aI
| wouUded.
When the police reached the South Street
/ bridge about one hundred or one hundred
and filty LegsO soldiers ana white men from
| this part OF the city-mOstly Of the lowest
class--we.e scattered IN every direction,
/ behind house, fences and raviues, oPened
/ Ia irregular but destructive nre upon the
police and citizens Unfortunately. The
! police aud those of the citizens who were
armed r,turned the fire, but were for a
time forced to retire before the hot fire OF
/ the uegr,es. After some time they rallied
an1 charged the bridge about two squares
| east of main, on South street. This they
carried, and forced the negroes and their
white ellies to fall back beyond the Mlssis-
| gippi and Tennessee Railroad depOrt. The
! police here made and, but the negroes
banked them and came very near cutting
| them of from town. The police by TINS
time, under the command Of Capt. Garrett
and Lieut. Riley, had exhausted all their
| dLuAuulllloAg du0 oNCtL6 NA4N H-A--~N-
fanking them, started 10 retreat up Main
street, but Just as they arrived opposite
Morris Cemetery, there being an embank-
ment and hedge on the west eide of Nam
the negIOvs having succeeded IL making
their FLANK movement, hred yoliey INTO
the retreating force of police and cltizens,
sevela al men falling at the shot Of the ne
groes, but one of our reporters who was on
the ground, being slightly wounded at
South street bridge, took no time to zee how
many were able to get away. The police
charged again, and the few shots took
effect, some dozen falling at the fire. Two
negroes who had been captured, in attempt
ing 10 make their escape, not far from the
| intersection of Shelby and Union streets,
were rhOt down, but it was hard to tell who
! shot them, as they were between friends
and foes. The negroes pressed the retreat
ing column of policemen and citizens as far
as the Second Presbyterian Church, on
Beale and Main streets.
In this melee there were some three or
four policemen wounded, amoog them were
James Finn and Mr.. Slatterly. The last
named gentleman and our reporter were
wounded by the same shot, il the charge
over South street bridge. Mr.. s. was shot
through the thigh, only a fie h wound.
Henry Dunn, engineer on Fire Engine No.
3, was mortally wounded, aud has since
died. 1t is thought Mr.. Finn VII die.
Some six or eight negroes were killed and
several wounded. Two of the killed are
now at the Police station-hoUse.
As our reporter was passing down Causey
street, there appeared to be much excite
ment, as we as st all other parts OF the
city, from Adams down, but in passing
} through Csusey, there was much sympa-
thy manifested Tor the negroes. Some oil
| the lower class went 10 lar as to curse the
= posse comitatuS VINO We e following the pO-
lice, and wishe them, with The policemea,
| N the Internal re ions. 81 any Of the white
cit zens-bat none that could be called re-
3 spectacle Joined with the negroes, and as
sisted them IN their maneuvering. Some
of them conducted tho faux movement
from tue io-t to the Gmbuscade en- Main,
opposite the Morris Cemetery.
Alter the stampede OF the policemen on
Main street, they rallied agaiu at Gsyoso,
and stopped the f.gitivee, making q stand.
The negroes advanced as far as the next
| street below Beale and fred several shots,
bat hu no one. There the police were
scattered to cover Front, Main and Second
streets, about ten to each street, the remain
ing force retiring to arm and equip the u
selves This they did as soon as possib c
and returned to the scene Of acton.
Some reports say that several negroes
street.
1915 P. The regular troops stationed
at the Fort were called out to que.l the riot.
Some reports say that this was refused by
Gen. S,oueman; others that they came A.
the time, and the negroes and their white
! accom- plices were forced to retreat to the
forts No fu Their particulars since our re-
porter lett, at tho time Of statiOnlng troops
and police on the three streets mentioned
above. There are still occasional SD Is be-
ing fired as we 60 10 press.
| About l2 o'clock there were several shots
fired, but the results have not been OBJ
tanned.
The whole number Of casualties, up to
the time of going to press, are two " hite
| men killed and several wounded; about six
or eight negroes killed and several wounded.
The particulars are from the direct OBJ
servation Of our repor. er, and so far as facts
and not Iumors are concerned, we youch
for their tru b. Those white persons who
allied themselves with the rioters should be
held up 10 the execrstion of all good citi-
zeus; and the great pity is, that they did
. not fall Wet ms instead of some innocent
men who happened to be wounded or killed
Ia the action.
CONTINUATION or THE RIOT.
The riot was resumed on the ID, and
continued until late in the night A
special dispatch to the Banner, pub
lished in it's afternoon edition yester.
day, gives the following particulars
MEMPHIS, May 3.-During last night about
forty or fifty negro houses were torn down