The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-05-24
The Memphis Riots.
F. ON the Memphis Post, May 8

After carefully sitting the thousand and
one stories in circulation, III reference to the
origin of the disturbance in South Memp his
on Tuesday,, the following seems to be the
truth of the matter: Some 60 or 70 soldiers
recently discharged from the Third United
States [colored) Heavy Artillery. were out
OH South st. drinking. They got noisy but
were doing no damage. A squad of police
came along and rushed in among them,
making All arrest or two The soldiers
made an outcry at this. but did not attack
the police. They, however, fired several
shots trom their pistols, some say at the po-
lice and some at random. The police im1ne-
diatey commenced firing into the crowd Of
Soldiers, and they returned the fire, killing
one policemen aud wounding two others.
Both sides were re-enforced. and the ac-
ton became general, with about the losses
on both sides as given in yesterdays issue
We learn from trustworthy gentleman
who was i'll South Memphis early yesterday
morning, and also from the officers Of the
Fort, that nearly all the negroes in the vi
cinity of the disturbance fled to the fort for
protection after the affair on Tuesday night,
South st. was perfectly quiet. The bodies
of the negroes who had been killed were
lying unbured, and most of them horribly
bruised. Few negroes were visible anywhere
in that locality. This is eorroborated by
two gentlemen, who accompanied the police
on their first visit to that part of the town
yesterday morning Large numbers Of cit
lzens, armed with pistols carbiues and
muskets, went down with them.
AS soon as they reached South st. they
began To fire upon every negro in sight
f. Dickinson, coloied while standing in
front of his house, and who had been prom
lsed that if he remained there he would not
be disturbed was shot down. G. Watkins col
ored, was cursed aud on Lis starting to get
away was shot by the crowd. A colored
soldier was killed on sight Another sur
rendered, aud while surrounded by police
men, on the cry of shoot him" don't let
him escape" was Shot in three places. On
raising his hands to beg for his life, he was
Knocked down with a carbine. After falling
to the ground in dying condition, ne was
shot through and through A boy was taken
out from under a bed, Knocked down with
a club and dispatched with some ten or
twelve shots. Two coIored children were
killed. A black woman was seen in
duu SllOb. huOliiSl vi TIC StlCSl
was killed.
The respectable negro blacksmith opposite
Mrs. Hardwicks on Main-st, who had not
been away from his shop, was shot down
and will probably die. We could find no
one, aud we inquired Of several policeman
and citizens who went down, who had seen
any armed negroes on South St, or in that
vicinity during the day. A large posse was
called out by the Mayor and Sheriff, who
armed them from the gun and pistol store
of Henry Folsom & Co The Mayor had
conference with Col Kuipe of the Sd
United States (CoIorcD Heavy Artillery
and the latter assured him there would be
no disturbance if the armed citizens would
dispense The Mayor accordingly ordered
them to return to their homes Many retired,
but many more resnained. Tne Sheriff kept
a hundred men under arms last night, at the
Greenlaw Block Early i'll the morning
Gen. Stoneman ordered an officer with so
men to patrol aud preserve order between
Beal aud South-sts, and that guard be
put around the Fort to keep the
coored soldiers from being connected with
the disturbance.
In the afternoon a colored woman, while
walking along Mainst, near the corner OF
Main and Exchange, was shot down by a
drunken man. negro who came in from
the country was shot off his horse aud his
horse stolen. The body of a colored soldier
who was killed the day before, lay during
the forenoon on Mulberry st. 1t was repeat
eddy spit upon, kicked and cursed by ruff
( fanly boys This soldier after being killed
by gun-shot and several pistol shots has
been cut in the breast several times with a
knife. Two white ladies made affidavit be-
fore Gen Runkle that Col. Pickett (colored).
who was dragged out of his house and
killed, in South Memphis, had just returned
from his days work, and had no connection
whatever with the disturbance. Other afi
davits were made before the General, iden
tifying some who had killed peaceable ne.
groes. He will give the whole affair 9
thorough investigation.
In the afternoon the rioters set fire to the
house, near the end of Causen St, which
has been occupied by II. N. Rankin (colored,
for colored school. Mr. Rankin has hac
about 200 pupils i'll attendance. lie himself
was struck with whip at the corner Of
Union and second SITS. The rufian attempt
ed to draw his revolver to shoot him, bu
was prevented by another citizen. Seyera
more houses in South Memphis were burned
during the afternoon, and during the whole
evening the sky in that direction was luric
with flames.d There were incendiary fires
also on Madison and Shelby SITS Early in
the evening there was a sharp firing out Oh
Desoto-st. A negro boy of IL or l3 year.
was killed, A negro woman from th'
country was deliberately shot on Shelby
st 1t is supposed morlalIy.