The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-08-15
NEW ORLEANS.
Grand Jury's Report ON tho Aae
Riot-Testfmsny Of tho Governor"
Private Secretary and Others. =. r.

IL
Grand Jury,s Report ON tho Late
| Riot-Testfmsny OF tho Governors
Private Secretary and Others.
NEW ORLEANS, August H.
The report of the Grand Jury, pup'
lished yesterday, fixes the responsipiii'y
of the riot on the Conyentionlsts anu
others exciting the negroes, and sta'es
that by the agreement between the civil
and military au thorities, the Convention
was to have been protected by the ponce
| acting in conjunction with small min
tary force, until President johnson deci-
| ded whether members of the Convention
could be arrested after being indicted ny
| the Grand Jury. The police was Oh
hand. but the military did not arrive un-
eli ,onp after the riot, when martial law
was declared. The course pursued ny
tho Governor is severely condemned
Tn reference to the colored population
the Report says: ITO the colored peo-
nile, as a class, there is no hostility; on
the contrary, there is disposition enter
tanned very generally, to see even hand
ed and impartial Justice done to them IN
every respect" X
The testimony before the Grand jury
is also published. N. G. Smithson' the
Governors private secretary, in his tes-
timeny, says: al,
II observed a parcel of blacks with
| United States flag and two drums Ihey
, came in front Of the Institute the cIoHa
3 of colored persons that had gone from the
{ front of the Institute returning WIN
t them. They halted in front OF the Duliu.
u. their comrades who occupied the street
in front of the Institute. Apparent quiet
| then ensued for a quarter or half hour
Some persons, looking out OF the WINDOW
n of nv office, said: Some person is MAX
i ing speech / joined those at the WIN
+ dow and saw negro standing on cur o,
stone on the side of the Banquette, next
Q to the building, with his face to the
l. crowd in the street, addressing them l
could not hear what he said. Some one
in nv Office, nearer than myself, remark
ed that it is sensible old negro; he is
giving them good advice; he tells them
to 90 home went to my desk, ard
was shortly aroused by hearing a COM
t motion outside. went to the window
q and saw that man, reported to be
3, policeman, had hold of q person by the
q coat collar who looked to me to be
t white man. The colored crowd was
d breaking toward the policeman, greatly
excited, crying Kill him, take him away,
let him 60, &c. When the police officer,
/ with his prisoner, got opposite the main
structure, between Canal street and the
/" Institute, I observed several negroes
9 pick up bricks and throw them in the
direction of the policeman and his pris'
oner. also observed colored man with
drawn pistol with long, bright bar
which shot was Immediately answered
by the crowd assembled at the corner
u This was the first shooting near the
y Institute. l had previously heard one
Is shot on Canal street, at the time of the
q melee previously alluded to-,
II The testimony of q boy gives more
IL truthful account of the riot than any yet
20 published.
1t Oscar Paincelin swOrn-I am messen-
p. ger ipr the Government Office. On the
30th large crowd vf .~,.~------.-~hl-5
lie around the Institute. About twelve
II. o'clock procession of negroes came UP
TO from Burgundy street with music and
flags. Many were armed with sticks
~ While the procession was crossing Canal
Is street, shot was fired, by whom dc
a. not know The roll was beaten and the
Il negroes marched to the Institute. AL
ID was quiet for while. l afterwards no.
~ ticed young white man strike negro
20 with rock or a brickbat, but police
10 man came up and arrested and dragged
,,ss the young man away. The negroes fol.
"a lowed, crying, Hang the white s--n OF
~ n a BIB! Kill him !" They followed the
a. policeman on the Banquette, and struck
= at the boy or the policeman. A negro
"a drew a revolver and fired several shots
is at the policeman and the boy or young
a man. Six or seven other negroes pulled
!. out pistols and fired in the same direc.
, ton. The fri2g then became general
# on both sides | noticed one negro be-.
d hind column opposite, firing at the
9 police officers Mr.. Heard came up and
arrested him. 1he first negro saw fall
> was al old negr on the opposite side of
f the street whe was The negroes
then fell back t. Common street, some
q going INTO the stitute. One negro en-
deayored to ral his comrades, to ad-
Z vance against to policemen. Shooting
a then commences from the interior of the
. Institute, and from the street into the
: building, Persons in the Office where
q was, attempted to get out, but were
/ fired at by pc sons from the interior.
+ The police made many arrests, and, when
: an arrest was made, they protected the
a prisoner as well as they could from the
+ attacks of other. This was done, as far
n as sa ", in every instance
+ was heard, and he police entered the
o bulldog, but were fired upon from up
: stairs, when t.ey retired got out,
d and remained il the neighborhoOd until
5 the police secure Il possession of the hall
: Among others tie police protected Judd
Y I. Denney and w r. Fish, members Of
= the Convention
( About eleven o'clock in the forenoon
a short, thick.set man addressed the ne