, 1866-05-08
THE MEMPHIS RIOTS.
1nhuman Brutality Of the Rebel
Mob.
All tho Colored School Houses and
Churches Hufned-FI0uscA ot Htncks
Oe*froyed-Culd klu"ded Murders
Women Burned .aItrc, etc., etc.
IFron Our Special Corrcspondent1

lFron Our Special Correspondent
1(Exru1s, Tenn. Maya.
Before this reaches you, you. will have seen,
in the Memphis papers, what prctends to be
MI authentic account of the late "perro
riots" IN this city, aud would leave you to
copy them entire were it not that every
paper in this city, excepting the Posi-, has
been filling Its columns with the most ont
rascous and basclcss falschoods concerning
that naair, that ever damned and dlsraced q
journal. They have headed their narr,tlyes
Of this bloody affair with most vil!ainous
talsehood, by calling II "negro riot"
1t was In every respect, In the beginning,
policeman's riot, though it can
not be denied that these ignorant
alsd dcpruyed cut throats were ably and the
roically" sustained In their work Of murder,
by tho '' first families Of Memphis, Indeed
quite rivalry has sprung up between the po-
lice and the " old citizens as to the most
"nigEcrs'' killed, the latter claiming 10
have slaughtered twenty -four At bucks" while
they only allow the g brave police ~ nineteen
victims in MI, amongst them, three women
and two little children. While these two fac
tinns are wrangling tor the credit Of tue oc-
casfon, the "brnve aud efficient arcmeu''
look on with Indifference, seeming to be con-
tent with the glory Of having burned to the
ground, nll the "nigger" churches and
eehool-houses with vast number Of "niggcr
tenements."
To prove that this Is white mans riot can
be most easily done by the scces9, papers
themselves, for according 10 their own stale
nicnss there must have been sixty or seventy
negroes killed or wounded, while the whites
lost but three, and not one Of these were
killed By negroes. saw Mr.. Dennis, one OF
the whites reported to hare been shot by ne
Mr.. Dennis with his revolver on the head.
and saw Lin shoot him twice after he lay
sC1;sclcss on the floor; once through the
breast, and once through the head. The as
s2ssln and his victim were both cx-rebe1 SOL
% d,ers. Ihc assassin was taken TO the police
station, Where he explained that as Mr. Dem
mis- wore blue pantaloons. he thought he was
shooting "yankee so1dicr.n His exense
was deemed valid, and he was accordinriy
discharged amid cheers Of applarIse,
II further transpircs that this riot on the
part Of the whites was ! long pzcmcdtated
and several bands OF frutGans with delegated
powers" had been securing the city and dis
nrming the blacks, not even leaving them so
much as pocket knifc, that they might fall
easy victims when the work ofmurlcr should
begin. 1t Is further known that three OF the
police. armed to the teeth, repaired to The
scene Of carnage, which was close to saloon
where some discharged negro soldiers were
| louneips, and there aud tIeu hired white
| vagrnnt hoy to "pick FUSS with a colored
hoy abont Ten years Of agc this the yagraut
snscceded In doing, whercupon the
police intcrtered, firing on the co'ored
number Of the co1orcd soldiers around
the police, one Of whom begged the police
men not 10 shoot so small n boy, whcrcat the
police, three in number, opened deadly fire
on the negroes, killing and wounding many,
while on every hand, in less than five minutes
after the first SHOT was fred, came forth arm
cd citizens and policemen By the hundred,
and alter the four negroes who had been first
attacked were killed, the white demons rush
Cd on to the negro shantics, firing through the
windows. driving out The inmates, aud butch.
the alleys. This Is the manner in which the
riot was brought on let the people judge
whether 1t was black or white riot.
Among the leaders OF this riot none we1e
more conspicuous ihan Sheriff Winters and
Squire Creighton, the latter of whom Is said
to have killed six with his own hands.
After half IN hours caruase such as have
described, black flags were hoisted by the
| rioters, and they were commanded by their
leaders to "sconr the city in squads" aud to
"kill every nicger they met with" This
last order secmca to &c peculiarly palatnble
i
and with the zeal Of demons. Disguised and
hcnrtstck turned my back on South Mem
phis, hoping / might see no more Of these
barbarous and truly horrible scenes but
was doomed to disappointment. had not
reached the centre Of the city before l was
passed by an armed and mounted mob. mosi
Of whom dismountcd Immediately after pass
ing me. At first was at loss to accoun,
Tor their sudden halt, but soon saw immc
diatelY in front of the rioters, crossing The
street. an old negro man, bending under
the weight of seventy summers Of bondage
and Caucasian cruelty. The old man had just
arrived from the country, and Of course
dreamed not Of danger conscious Of MS own
innocence, anl ignorant Of their intentions he
stood before this band of diabolical demon!
urdismaycd. He was eating an apple, nut
continued TO do 50 until one Of the rlsttfaus
seized him ly the collar and threw him rio
lcally on the pavement. Then placing hl
knee on tho old mans breast, and brandlsh
ing large knife In hs right hand. he quiEzct
him thus: "Don't you know you're damned
niIgerr' . mn,
is, massa, but never does injury 10 no one.
This, 80 far from touching a chord OF sym
pnthy OF pity In the hearts OF the ruiIians
seemed only to I'LL them with uncomfortable
rnge. '.Kiil him. kill him. IVES the cry from
every ru1Ian. Aud no SCORER said than dong
An Irish villain struck the old man In the
faee with heavy stick. Another shot hi.l
in the abdomen. While the butcher whc
kuclt over his prostrnte form deliberately
| showed Ills Euifc In his mouth Hrrncht.d hi.