Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1866-08-09
The New Orleans Riot.

The riot which occurred at New Or
leans, Louisiana, on Monday the 30th of
July, says the Harrisburg Patriot and
Union, was indirectly brought about by
an attempt to usurp the functions of the
State and people by the revolutionary con-
vention which was brought into existence
in 1864, at bayonet ''election" supervi
sed by Gen. Massachusetts, Banks, at
which only Black Republicans and negroes
Irere aAo,Ued TO uote. The convention met
under a strong guard of armed negroes,
which was posted both inside and outside
the hall The convention forces had
been marshalled, and drilled and wrought
up to the highest pitch at several prelimi
nary negro suffrage meetings.
Upon the previous Friday and Saturday
evenings, mixed assemblies of convention
lists (or revolutionists) and negroes had
been addressed by the leading spirits in
the pegro rights movement-among whom
were DIR. D'Ostie, most violent advo
cate Of negroism, Ex-Gov. Hahn, a. Nj.
Fish, John Henderson, and others. Up
on the termination of those meetings the
negroes marched through the streets, arm
ed with clubs and pistols, and threatened
vengence upon all opposers of negro rights.
When the convention met on the 30th
the contemplated coup d ctat seemed to be
upon the point of successful accomplish
ment, and the conspirators assembled evi-
IDENTIFY with high hopes Of success, and
little if any fears of opposition. A pro-
cession Of negroes, however, in marching
TO the hall where the convention had as
sembled, fell into collision with some
white originating in single as
sault of one of the negroes in the process
sion upon white man. The police fol-
lowed the offenders to the hall and en-
deav ored to make arrests, but were driven
out and roughly handled-bricks, clubs,
pistols and knives being freely used. At
ter getting out they were met by another
large body of negroes by whom they were
driven down Dryades street to Canal street.
There they rallied and drove the negroes
back, but were, in turn, forced to retire.
Getting reinforcements of police, and a
large body of white men joining them,
they drove the negroes from the street
and appeared in front of the hall, from
which deadly fire was at once poured
upon them from the negroes within. The
ammunition of those within soon gave out,
however, and the populace and police Sc
cured possession of The building, the peo-
pie vowing vengence against the revolu-
tionists and their negro guards. Numbers
of the negroes were killed before they
could escape from the building and several
members Of the convention were wounded.
The police, notwithstanding the hostility
of the negroes to themselves, took poss-
ession of the members of the convention,
and gave them what protection they could
from the fury of the people, by Temporal
rily locking them up. The rioting COM
menced at quarter past twelve and was
terminated at half past three.
Evidently the revolutionists and negroes
had calculated too largely upon the in,
timidating process and negro courage, and
mistook the quietness of the people as te
their unlawful proceedings for indifference
or fear. L; required but simple start tc
show how fallacious were those calcula-
tions and reliances, and the demagcgues