The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-06-05


yesterday the following communication
from the Secretry of War:
WAR DEPARTMENT,
WATH1NGToN CRY, May 30, 1866.
Hon. Schuylor CoJar, Speaker Of the
House Of Representatives..
SIR: In compliance with the request
therefor contained in Il resolution oftte
House of Representatives of May %,
1866, | have the honor to send herewith
two reports from Major General Stone
man, dated respectively May l3 and
May Is, concerning the recent riots at
Memphis, being all which have been re-
ceived relating to that subject.
Very respectfully, sir,
Your obedient servant,
EDWIN NJ. STANTON,
Secretary Of War.
HEADQ'Rs DEPT OF TENNESSEE,
MEMPHIS, May u, 1866.
Lieut. General Z. S Grant, Z. s. l.:
Your telegram Of this date received.
The Sd colored artillery has been sta
toned here since its organization, and
consequently were not under the best
of discipline large numbers Of the men
have what they call families, living in
in which the soldiers were stationed.
These soldiers had been used as the in
struments to execute the orders Of Gov
crnment agents, such as provost mar
shals, bureau agents, &c, and consc-
Quently had been moro or less brought
directly in contact with the law-break-
ing portion Of the community, and the
police, which is far from being compos-
ed Of the best class of residents here,
and composed principally of lrlahmen,
who consider the negro as their com
petitor and natural enemy. Many ne
gro soldiers have, from time to time,
been arrested by the police, and many
whites, including some Of the police,
have been arrested by the negro soldiers,
and in both cases, those arrested have
not unfrcquently been treated with Il
harshness altogether unnecessary. These
remarks and hints will lead You to re-
fiections which will explain and indi-
cate to YOU the state Of feeling watch
existed between the negro soldiers and
their sympathiZers, and the lower class
Of the whites and their sympathizcrS, in
which last are included agitatOrS, dem
agogues, and office-seckers. The tes-
timony before the commission which |
have assembled to investigate the cir
cumStanccs connected with the riots
shows that at about o'clock Monday
afternoon, April 30, four policemen were
walking down CauSey street and met
thr.e or four negroes. They iostled
each other on the sidewalk; an altcrca-
ton occurred. One of the policemen
struck 4 negro with a pistol, and was in
return struck by another negro with n
cane. There was no further trouble,
though n good deal ofcXcitement among
the negroes during that hi CHIT. Incident
on this encounter, about i. NJ. on Mon !
day, May l, a crowd of from fifty to
sevcnty-tive negroes, mostly discharged |
soldiers, were con@regated together
near the corner Of Main and South ;
streets; the greater portion Of these ne
groes were intoxicated. Six policemen
approached the crowd and arrested two !
of the most boisterous Of the negroes. |
The policemen proceeded to conduct |
these two negroes toward the station |
house, being followed by the crowd of |
negroes, which increased as they pro-
ceeded, and who used very Insulting !
and threatening language, and accom-
panied their threats by firing pistols in
to the air.
The police turned and fired upon the |
negroes, wounding one; one Of the ne
gro prisoners escaped, and the other
was released by the police. The ne
groes returned the fire, wounding one OF
the police The police force of the city,
together with large crowd of citizens,
congregated togetheri in the vicinity of
South st.eet, and being very much III
furiated, proceeded to shoot, beat, and
threaten every negro met with in that
portion Of the city. This was continu-
ed until about midnight on Tuesday
night, when it was quelled bf the inter
ference Of Il small detachment of Uni
ted States troops Wednesday morn
ing arrived, and found large crowds Of
people collected togetherin South Mem
phls, most of whom were armed. They
remained there until about one o'clock
p. NJ, when they were dispersed by
detachment of United States soldiers,
which had been employed during the
day in keeping the discharged negro
soldiers in and the white people out of
the fort, During the day several ne
gro shanties were burned down. About
10 o'clock on Wednesday night, par
ty of mounted men began to set fire to
the negro school-houses, churches, and
dwelling-houses. 1t is hoped that the
investigation now being had will result
in identifying the parties engaged.
During Tuesday and Wednesday
several inoffensive negroes were killed,
and many maltreated and beaten in diff
ftrent parts of the city. The number
killed and wounded in the riot, as far
as ascertained by the commission, were
one white man killed (shot by a white
man behind him) one white man
wounded (shot by negroes) The num-
Der of negroes shot and beaten to death