The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1866-08-07
Riatiu New Orleans.

TIE etv Il New Orleans ws he
scene afa terl.e aud bloody mot on
Moadax afas aesk. which, exceeds Is
barlartg aa5 extent n slaughter ths
Memphis rot and Ike that found is
melting cane ID tie hate oi recon-
stluctel Tel,sls and tbs eaHniymco q
officers u Use Law
IL 1854 during Gen Banks admin
istration be authorized the assembling
I % s convention iar the purpose q
4 adopting "a constitution for the state u
Louisiana. and putting ia operation the
state government The convention
was composed Of Onion men, who gave
+ 10 Louisiana the free Constitution un-
I der which SHE now exists as State and
q the legality ~ whose action a ques-
f ton was never raised The convention
after completing It's work for tho time,
did no, dissolve, bu, merely adjourned
+ to b. called together again If circum-
stances should require Recently the
/ governor q the State has by proclama-
ton called tbt aueatiou together in
/ New Orleans Iaa object Of the royiy-
al 81 the convention was 10 add Sec
tion 10 the State Constitution disfran-
chising all who have been rebels and
extending suffrage 10 the blacks. TO
this proceeding the friends Of my pol
icy we're, naturally enough, deadly op-
posed, and threatened the members Of
the convention with hanging If they
should dare to meet but they were not
deferred from the performance Of their
duty The convention met in the State
capitol which was at once besciged by
the mob, when one Of the most brutal
and bloody riots ensued We take from
the correspondence Of the New York
Times the following account OF the riot:
have already forwarded a number
Of disconnected dispatches relative to
to-days fearful carnage, and now pro-
pose 10 give you a more connected ae-
count only write what can sub
stantate on the best authority The
Convention met AZ II O'Clock, twenty
six members being present Judge r.
Is. Howell, since missing, ia the chair.
r. King Butler, also missing, moved an
adjournment of an hour, during which
time tAe Sergeant-at-Arms was directed
10 compel the attendance of abscntccs
The hall was densely packed with freed
men aud whites, tie former having
armed themselves extensively since
their Friday demonstrations,
just after the adjournment process
sion containing about one hundred
freedmen, carrying United Stateshag,
and marching the streets With martial
music, arrived ut the Institute, having
had slight disturbance on Canal street
At this juneture the merchants all over
the city, fearing the coming riot, closed
their stores. When the procession en-
tered the building, squad OF police
followed aud attempted to make arrests.
A scene Of the widest confusion follow
ed, pistols were fired, clubs and canes
were used, and brickbats flew in every
direction The police claim that they
were merely attempting to arrest the
Canal street rioters above mentioned;
but certain it is that they mounted the
platform, where small body of the
members yet remained, and one Of them
presented a pistol upon their using Of
fensiye language The policemen were
finally driven out Of the building, leav-
ing inside Gov Hahn, Judge Howell
Mr. De Costie and other gentlemen,
with Clark, attached to the State Gov
eminent, beside about fifty freedmen
Fortunately, Gov Welles had just left
the building for the purpose Of CON
sulting with Gen. Baird about calling
out troops, Con Sheridan being out Of
I town.
The institution used now as the State
| Capitol is located in Dryades street, be-
tween Canal and Common, and when
the policemen were driven out they
were met by large body of freedmen,
who caused them to fall back to Canal
street Hiring furniture cart, used
I it as an observatory ON Canal street
hooking towards Common through Dry
AIDES street The policemen rallied and
drove the freedmen and their friends
back To Common. and in turn were
driven back to Canal street, leaving
Dryades street perfectly clear Of any
Z vestige Of humanity, except the bodies
u three dead freedmen. Up to tins
/ time one police officer had been mortal
IN wounded, one severely. and others
we're slightly hurt with clubs and pistol
shots.
II Police achievements soon appeared
in Canal street, and the crowd If riot
ers accompanying the police. approach
cd tie Institute and commenced throw
ing stones through the windows and
firing pistols 1T any one they could See
inside the building At the same time
q detachment II police attacked the
crowd Of freedmen on Common street,
and after sharp firing and wounding
several blacks they drove them away
j his gave the police and the mob whicl
fysttsWtaf.a.8 fhfw h4lI ggftroi ~ ngs,.