Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1866-10-11


"On Saturday previous 10 the Cnpvcn
tion, ] called on Gen Baird and gave hin
10 understand ftared difficulty povide,
there were not few United States ,roop
sent there to preserve order EnO,riBg fgt
vcHthere ,cds bad feeHag eristing Jeivee,
my police and he negroes md those ,1h,
I I1r0red his COnra,tioR 1t was previousl,
agreed, before saturday, between Genera
Z ird and myself, that small force o
troops would be sent TO the Mechanics' 10
( stitu,e. relied on my proclamation I,
keep at least the white people away. Gen
Baird informed me that he would send :
I small detachment of troops IisH him j
such ras he onse, The Cohreb'iOn might ds
sentJle. On The morning ofthe ossenJlmg
/ eUeJy Ten minutes Trent a messeiger 10 repor
. to me- tche'heT he miHtnry had get got Hsrs
/ or not Thisteos about 10 o'cioci; 10 ma
/ surprise Mey continued 10 retVrn md repo,q
| hotthe military hodpot yet or7Ired Ms had
been ogre,d Vpoa Let,ceen Gen. Baird anc
nlyself ] informed Gen Baird on Friday
and on Saturday that this Convention was
TO assemble at ~ O'Clock on Monday. and
il would be necessary to have them there
previous to that hour; and he informed me
that he would have small det1ehmen' of
white troops there on Monday morning.
before the hour Of l2 o'clock Expecting
they would came, allowed no policemen
to ro there" etc.
Major.Gen. Baird says:
The first communication Rad was a
letter from Mayor Monroe ION fIe). The
next Communication was on Saturday the
2Sth, when Mayor Monroe called upon me,
and introduced Lieut.. Gov. Voorhies. No
wh haf ua mi a n mn fdr
at that interview"
This interview is minutely described ny
the General and Lieutenant Governor. Its
0!j ;ct was to ioduce the General to allow
Il e arrest oil the Convention. The sut jsct of
troops or apprehenaed riot was not alluded
to- 1t will lie observed that the only es
scntis difference between Lieu: -GoFernor
Noorhes and Gen. Baird Gu this poibt is as
to which first PROPOSED Oh Monday the send
ing Of troops. The ayre, meut is made -
Noorhies goes to the Mayor AMI telib him
Of il, ana the Mayor is pleased to bear OF il.
AsvOr Monroe swears that Gen Bqird
promised Gad agreed to ua, nth hinl, on
Friday and on Saturday, to srnd tro1ps
Gen. Baird swesrs that he aerer so p7 ons
ised or agreed uiM him or oRy one except
trM Lieut. G0v. Foostie- on U.e ..soT.iity Of
the riot.
Compare also TIE testimony of Mayor
Monroe aud Geo Hcrrru, in regard to the
meeting in the Mayors parlor, and the en-
ployment OF police aud military.
See also the Instructions Of Chief of Po-
lice Adams, who details the instructions be
received from the Mayor, aud his orders to
keep the police away and reasons therefor,
but in which appears no word or allusion to
expected miltory aid This testimony was
given before that Of Mayor Monroe.
.Supposing Gen Baird aud .layor Hon
roe 10 be Of equai creRitHay under onh the
erjlence Of Lieutenant GocerRor loorhits
Gen Heron and Chig' Of iotice adams, Is
sufficient to indicate Oh ,ck'eh side tie false
sroearing lies.
Let US now consider little the further
evidence bearing upon Gen. Bairi's action
in regard to the troops.
The civil authorities propose to diSperse
and arrest the Convention fire., BY tic city
ro'ice, next by the Sheriff's posse. aud re-
gunsts the military not to interfere. Gen.
Baird teegraphs at once fpr instructions. -
He receives 10 answer. The civil aathori.
tics receive dispatch. which they interpret
to mean that Gen Bard is not to prevent
the arrests. Gen. Birds objections are
not removed, and IT il agreed that the Con,
vention shall meet unmulested. and that on
the Sheriff S warrant, Gen. Baird shall in
dorse bis objections. and forward the papers
to Washington. So far. no application for
troops, or desire for military assistance is
made or limited at by rhe civil Authorities.
But Gen Baird thinks it prudent to have
on that day water transportation 10 ipstant
readiness to bring up tie troops il required.
Had be, without the Slightest request from
the civil authorities or iUtimat'0n that they
were not amply cQmtsteut 20 keep be peace
had he brought UD The troops and station.
ed them around tie building, tie riot UOaLd
haze bean YreUeated but this course would
have been complaioed OF AS a unca led tor
usurpation, would have been construed iuto
taking sides with tue Oonvcntion. and in
Gen. Baird's opipion. tCVuil mol hdre recetr'
ed the approval Of has saqerters
Ga the @orning of the not. Gen Baird is
under the impres ion, shared By members of
this Commission, and knlwn hy them to
have boon prevalent, that the hour OF meet
ing was to be 6P N. Mayor Monroe states
that in his applications tor troops be stated
the hour of meeting to be II. but the Com
mission have already given their reasons for
discredtiug this witness, sgd for believing
that such alleged applications were never
made.
Az last at some time between 10 and IL
en- Monday morniug, Gov. Voorhes assents
to, or Gen, Baird prouoses, the sending of
troops Il Is asseated to, and noto, for the
first time Gen Baird has NE request or sane
tion ofhe cirii poper J0r the presence Of has
troops lie does not ,odtt for a formal reQut
stion nor does he ask tohy the Lieutendnt-
Goceraor acts IL the place If the Goreraor
He sends messenger at once for troops, and
tells the Lieutenant Gocernor he WiH hare
then. IN tie street an hour before the Conren-
hoa met tie thinks that, II the Governor
noticed This remark, he must haze seen that
there ,oas an error about the time, as It tcds
Mea nearly IL o'clock From that time ii
ctnnot be denied ihat Gen Baird used erery
effort to hasten the arripai Of troops tcho did
not unfortunately come up untiIthe stangh
ter ,cas oper, and the riot had ceased at
hdtpoiiit.
% a review of this evidence, the Board
cannot but decide that no blame should be
attached to iiap Baird for his action in the
premises Under the impression that the
honr of meeting was six, the troops had not
Quilted the barracks, aud shortly before r.,
the General receives for the first time the
request or sanction of the civil authorities
for their appearances. 1t was then too late.
h. f,re proceeding further ia the discus