Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-06-04
H MEMPHIS RIOT.
Description by an Eyewitness.
Scenes of Blood, PilEage and
Torture.
THE ORIGIN AND PROGRESS OF
THE DISTURBANCE.
CLEVELAND. May 81, 1866.

To The Editor OF Me Leddef'
Having just arrived from a land msuo
historical by the events of the past iour
years. and having spent the greater part
of the last three years in West tennessee
most Of the time in the city of Memphis,
and being an eyewitness of the scenes OF
that week of horror, misery and brutality
which will make Memphis UNANIMOUSLY
memorable for the next century, l have
been pained 10 see statements in Northern
as well as Southern journals, conveying
the idea that the colored people were the
~instigators of the riot, which was not so.
In all its aspects it was q white mans riot
1 wish TO paint the circumstances (only as
they ~occurred) to the best Of my ability
as nv eyes rested on the fash of the hrst
volley that was fred on that occasion, and
I had been a close observer of events as
they occurred in the city of Memphis for
three years, especially among the eolored
people, as soldiers and civilians, and no
one had better opportunities to know their
condition, wants or conduct, than myself.
The systematic organization and opera
ton of this riot, in its onward march, and
the execution of its plans, clearly show
that it had an existence previous TO the list
of May. They seemed only to wait for
an open field on which TO wreak their
vengeance upon the gallant cOlored SOL
diers who defended tie Union flag during
the shareholders rebellion. The III of
the riot may be traced to the deep ami
mostly existing between the Irish police
and white citizens towards the colored
soldiery during the war. Whenever an
arrest Of a colored persoa, male or female,
was to be made by any one OF these OIL
eials, they seemed TO consider it part OF
their instructions to beat and MAIN their
victims With their clubs, and bring them
lame and bleeding into court. While ma
king such brutal arrests, tla c9lored pro-
vost guard coming up would arrest Doth
parties and take them before a military
tribunal; and in several instances the
polica. attempting to break awayfrom the
guard, vera shot; also prisoners confined
in the Irving Block for various crimes
while under escort, with pretedcG OF get
ting bail, would attempt TO escape and
would suffer the same consequences. For
the faithful discharge of these duties, it
had been openly threatened in the streets
of Memphis, that Eor each n thus shot
ten colored soldiers would be p9t 70 death.
No need of the learning Of a philoso-
pher TO analyze the intention OF the riot
ers. They Yaited until the colored SOL
diers we're discharged and Hnarmed, and
the last musket taken from the hands of
colored troops, who had stood guard upon
the walls Of Fort Pickering, then the
fendish mob opened an indiscriminate
and murderous fire upon them, leaving
their dead bodies strewn upon the streets,
alleys, roads and byways.
When this riot commence, solemnly
aver that there was not the shadow Of a
cause for it. Being on the street e few
moments previous to its commencement,
my engagements being in the immediate
vicinity, there WIS I'D disturbance oil any
kind, not a particle of noise, CT aR armed
man to DO seen, or any thing indicating
resistance IN the part Of the colored class,
prior to the arrival of the Police, but
when they arrived, entering South street
they had the weapons of death
in their hands, and commenced their
bloody work immediately.
Being a teacher of q school at the time,
/ my school house was in the immediate vi
cinity of the riot, and l was completely
encircled by flying bullets, and the dead
and diving; it seemed TO be the intention
of the mob to murder every one in soldiers
uniform, as a small boy in uniform was
shot and took refuge in my school room.
The house was burned the next day, and
the reason assigned was that it gave refuge
to a negro soldier. My school house was
burned in open day light. Armed rufians
stood with loaded guns in both doors, their
intention being to shoot and burn me in
the house, as they supposed | was in it at
the time. So completely was the city in
the hands of the rioters, and no real at
tempt was made TO check them, that in
derision they called the roll of my school
among them, having secured my roll book
before setting fire to the house.
1 was met next day by a portion of the
mob WHO demanded my revolver, which
1 carried by authority of Gen. Runkle,
having been appointed by him as one of
the tax collectors. l produced the re-
volver and showed them m~yauthority for
carrying it, when they demanded me to
deliver It to the Generals headquarters,
and stood with pointed guns until they
saw me deliver it to that gallant young
officer, who received seven shots in his
person while leading g charge at Shiloh.
He was now, like Sampson, shorn of his
strength, not having so much as a prisons
guard st his command.
This mob seemed TO be composed
of three classes: First the police,
whose object was to murder the
colored soldiers; second, G class 10 take
private revenge on colored citizens and
third, a class whose object was principally
to plumber and steal from the colored peo-
pie. One colored lady while confined in
bed by sickness, had five shots fred
through the window at her, but as if by a
miracle, was not injured. Various have
been the conjectures as to the number
killed, wounded and burned, and l fear
the committee and Military Commission
will both fail to arrive at a full statement,
as many fed to the country wounded and
dying. One of my scholars, a beautiful
and intelligent girl, being educated for a
teacher, was shot and thrown back into
the flames of her burning home, and moth
ing was left but her charred remains.
Respectfully, II. NJ. RANKIN,
State Tesoher Of Pleasant Hill Chapel,