American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1866-09-05

- o,e'uof nam, and others. The speech
vi Dostie was intemperats in language
anu In sentiment. The speeches of the
others SO lar as | can learn. were char
acterizeu by moderation have not civ.
Ell you the words Of Dostie's sneecb as
the version published was den;ed bnt
from what have learned or ,ba mani
believe they weie intemperate. The Con.
vention assembled at twelve o'elock on
the 3Oth, the timid members abse ut;np
themselves because the tone Of the pub. :
lie was ominous of trouble 1 think
there we're hut about twenty.six me mbers
present. In front of the Mechan cs In
stitute, where the meeting was held,
there was assembled some colored men,
women and children, perhaps eighteen or
twenty, and in the Institute a umb Der of
colored men, probably one hun dred a-d
fifty. Among those outside and inside
there might have been pistol in the pos
session of every tenth man. About one
O'CLOCK, T. NJ, a procession of say from
sixty to one hundred and thirty colored
men marched up Burgundy street, and
across Canal street to the convention, car
rying an American flag. These men had
about one pistol to every ten men, cane
and clubs in addition. While crossing
Canal street row occurred There were
many spectators on the street, and their
manner aud tone towards the procession
was unfriendly. A shot was fired, by
whom 1t am not able to state, but / be-
lieve it TO have been by policeman or
some colored men in the procession. On
their arrival at the front of the Institute,
there was some throwing OF brick bats Ly
both sides The police, who had lcen
held well IN hand, were vigorously march
ed to the scene of disorder. The pre-
eession entered the Institute with the
flag, about six or eight remaining outside
A row occurred between a policeman and
enc uf these cOlortd men, and a shot was
again fired by one cf the parties, which
led to an indtscriminate fire on the build
Ing, through the windows, by the police
men. This had been going on for q short
time, when white flag was displayed
FROM the windows Of the Institute, where
upon the firing ceasel and the police
rushed into the building. From the tes-
tinony OF wounded men and others who
were inside the building, the policemen
opened an indlscrimuate fire upon tho
audience, until they had emptied their
revo.vcrs, when they retired, and those
inside barcaded the doors. The door
was broken open aud the firing again
commenced, when many of The col0red
aud white people escaped through the
door or were pissed out by by the police
men inside, but as they came out the po-
licemen who formed the circle nearest fhc
building fired upon them, and they were
hgalned fired upon by the citizens that
formed the outer circle. Many of those
wounded aud taken prisoners, aud others
who were prisoners and not wounded,
were fired upon ~ their caI rs aud ly
citizens. he wJunleI were stabbed
wh'lj lging on tho gruuad, and their
heals beaten with brlck bats. In tho
yard ot the building, whiihcr some m
tho colored mcp had scared and partly
sccreted themselves, they were fired upon
and killed, or wounded by policemen
Some men were killed aud wounded sew
eral squares from the scene. Members
of the Convention were wounded by the
policemen while in their hands rs prison.
ers, some Of them moitaly. The imme.
date cause of the terrible affar was tn.
assembling Of this Convention The real
cause was the bitter antagonistic feeling
which has been growing in the communi.
ty since the advent Of ,he present May
or, who, in the organization o: police
force, selected many desperate men, and
! some OF them known murdercrs. People
Of clear views were oEerawed by want OF
confidence in the Mayor and fear of the
Thugs" many d which he had SC ect-
cd for his police force. / have frequent
ly been spoken TO by prominent citizens
on this subject, and have beard them ex.
press fear and want of confidence in
Mayor Munroe. Ever since the intma.
tion Of this last Convention movement,
must condemn the eoursc OF several Of
the city papers for supporting, by their
articles, The bitter feeling of bad men,
As to the mercllcss manrer in which the
Convention was broken up, feel obliged
to confess strong repugnanec. 1t is use
less to attempt to disguise the hostility
that exists on the part Of great many
here towards Northern men, and this un-
fortunate affair has so precipitated mat.
tciS THAT lneIc Is now II test OF WHat snail
be the status Of Northern mel /, whether
they can live here without being in con-
slant dread or not, whether they can be
protected in life aud property, and have
justice in the courts If this matter is
permitted to pass over without thorough
and determined prosecution Of those en-.
gagged in it, we may look out for frequent
scenes of the same XII d, hot only here
but in other places. No steps have as
yet been taken by The civil authorities to
arrest the citizens who were engaged in
this massacre, or policemen who perpc-
tratcd such cruelties. The members of
the Convention have been indicted by
the Grand Jury, and many Of them ar.
rested and held to bail As to whether
the civil authorities can mete out ample
justice 10 the guilty parties on both sides,
must say it is my opinion unequivocaIly
they cannot. Judge Abel, whose course
| have closely watched for nearly year,
[ now consider one Of the mcst Danger
Gus men that we have here to the peace