Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-08-08

numbers, and everybody seemed prepsr-
ing. Sunday night the rebel Mayor Of
the city, Mr.. John T. Monroe, sent to the
Dry TOrtugss by Butler, elected to the
Mayoralty by the returned rebel soldiers
as a reward for his sufferings, and espec-
tally pardoned by the President, that he
might enter upon the duties Of his Office,
called g private meeting to consult. The
President had been telegraphed that the
Convention was about to assemble in def
ance of the courts, i. e, in defiance of the
charge of Judge Abel Ia petty Judge
here5 TO the grand jury, TO the effect that
their aSsemblage would be a violation Of
the oath of Office they had taken in 1864,
and should be punished as perjury. The
President had replied that the military
would sustain the civil courts. Coneeiv-
ing everything to be now in their own
hands, the rebel authorities thought they
should be able to " settle the Convention
and the niggers."
Monday morning everybody talked
about Hthe riot that was to come of to-
day" Some business houses were never
opened at all, or were closed by nine
o'clock. The streets were full, and near
" all the residents were armed. The as
sembling of the Convention seemed TO be
awaited as the signal for the expected out
break. Respectable rebel citizens ear
nestly advised their friends who were
strangers in the city not to be induced by
curiosity or other motive to 90 into the
hall of the Convention, and assured them
that they EHe51 there lr0idd DC 6L00dshed.
By twelve o'clock, Canal and Common
streets, between which the Mechanics In
stitute is situated, were crowded. Men
gathered in excited groups about the doors
of the houses and Al the crossings, and the
chance appearance Of a negro was sure to
! produce that i~ndetinable lnurmur which
the reporters as so fond Of calling "sensa-
ton" Rumors of affrays between ne
groes and whites in distant parts of the
city occasionally passed from mouth 10
mouth.
At this unfortunate juncture, a process
sion of negroes, preceded by a band Of
music came marching up from the French
quarter. The crowd in front of the Insti-
tute cheered them heartily as they ap-
preached, TO which they responded, amid
the curses and je2rs of the whites on Ca
nal street. What next followed no man
can now undertake TO affirm. The ne
groes say that q policeman wantonly fired
into their columns. The policemen say
that the negroes raised the cry Of & kill
the id rebels as some Of tEom were
were attempting TO make q needfuI ar
rest. Still others say that a white man,
accidentally or Intentionally iostled from
curbstone by n member Of the passing pro
cession, fired at the offender and drew out
a return shot. 1t is certain in a moment
or two shots anne 10 be exchanged. and
both negroes and whites began those sur
ges TO and fro, rushes around the corner
and rallies down the street again which
generally mark the inception Of a street
fight. OHe or two negroes fell the DO
ilcemen continued to discharge their re-
volvers into the corpses, and the sight of
blood infeamed all alike
Meantime that which hsppeneI inside
the Mechanics Institute, which had thus
become the nucleus of the Opening riot
the only available point of refuge for the
negroes, and the central object oc attack
to citizens and rebel soldiers in the uni
form Of policemen, may bemore definitely
stated.
Within q few moments after the first
shot balls began TO strike the building:
and under the impulse of the excitement.
the members of the Convention all sprang
to their feet. On the appeal, however. OF
sOme n cooler than the rest. they re-
sgmed their seats, determined to await
with dignity the expected attack. Pres
emily a rush was heard at the door below.
and then the hasty trampiug of many |
feet on the s~.airways. Every one s%uppos-
ed this to be a body Of the police. though
it is now known to have been a party of |
negroes running from the heavy ire sud
denly poured down the street from the
and policemen at the corner of
Canal. Momentarily therefore expecting :
a rush Of policemen into the hall to arrest !
the members, the Convention deliberated
whae to do. After a few words, the prop
Of Mr.. Alfred Shaw, ex-Sherif of |
New Orleans, and r gentleman of char
acter, prevailed. He was therefore de-
puted to inform the police that inside the
no resistance would be made to any
legal officer, claiming the right to make
arrests. With this message he passed out
from the door which nc was not destined
soon again to enter.
With a white handkerchief in his hand
he crossed the outside passage and started
down one Of the winding staireases. By
this time a strong body of the police had
driven the negroes from the front Of the
Institute, by q sudden dash, and a dozen
Of them gaining the building, were rush
up the stairs, when they met Mr..
Shaw coming down. "Kill him, There
Shaw, the scouldrel, shoot him down"
Let me ut him. were the first exclama-
lions, and those below sought to. crowd I'd
ill they could see to aim at him. Others
said, mo, he has q white handkerchief in
MS hand; take him to the station house,
Through the hobbub and scufle Shaw sue
in making them understand his
message. That's right, lot them surren-
Ter peaceably," said some. sKill that
Id seoundrel Shaw exclaimed others.
Meantime two policemen seizing him
and another forcing q way through
he crowd and keeping assailsnts off, they
,ucceeded in reaching the pavemant.
a mingled mob of citizens, police
men and negroes-the latter mostly in the
iide alleys or in door yards-were ex-
shot. A rush was made for
Shaw, the moment he appeared, in the
Of the policemen, and the fire was
concentrated uPoS him. Presently a ball
truck MN IN the shoulder, and there was
very indication that in a ONE or two
he would certainly be killed, when
he policemen, lodging around a corner.
lu.tled him OF to the jail, where without !
or commitment, wounded and ex-
he was tafown into a cell. {
The firing continued about the Mechan- s
cs' Institute, spread toward the river
long Canal and Common streets, and {
ven broke out in the square back of the
institute along Carondelet. The fight
ne negroes did not scatter in this wsv. but '
be mob followed every prisoner whom c
he policemen led of, and attacked on /
ight every negro found in the vicinity. q
he body servant of Humphrey Marshall t
7as thus pursued and fired at along V
'arondelet in bis masters sight. A mo- a
lent later, another unarmed Negro, ap- e
belonging to one Of the adjacent
fices, seeming to think the street no place Ii
II him, began to run. In an instant two !,
olicemen and a score Of citizens were a
fter him, firing as they ran. Five shots c
ere fired, and the negro fell, pierced with Il
lree. =
But this was only the by-play, and D
.enes like this were occurring in a dozen i: