The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-05-23
The Riot in Membhis.

a white and negro boy, near the bridge
over the bayou. on the street already
t1sniiohsd. These Juveniles had como to
blows. and officers o'Nsil and Stephens,
OF the police, on discovering it, started
Tor the bridge, TO separate the parties,
waen crowd Of fifteen OF twenty grown
negroes, asrtsd With pistols, simultan.,
ously started for the same point. Two
other policemen, whose names We could
not learn, from an adjoining beat, also
having seen the bridge affair, came up
about the time that O'Neil and Stephens
reached the place. The negroes immedi.
ately surrounded the police aud comtnen
ced an unprovoked assault upon ,hem
with pistol shots. Officer Stephens was
here wounded severely in the thigh, fell
ing him 10 the ground. O'Nsil snd the
other policemen then commenced defend,
ing themselves, and promptly returned
the shots Of the negroes who had sncir.
c'ed them. and succeeded in driving the
entire party some distance back. tn a
few moments the black crowd became
augmented considerably, aud renewed
their devils work by firing at every white
person they could see, whether policemen
or not. Mr.. J.mes Finn. a harmless cit
ir'n, who happened to be in sight this
time. WAS shot by them, the ball taking
stiect in the small OF his back and in.
fiic,ing a most painful il not dangerous
injury. The negroes then renewed the
attack on officer O'Nei and party, over.
whslm;ng and driving them back. Ia
formation was dispatched 10 the station.
house Immediately Of the condition Of AZ.
fairs in South Memphis, and a force OF
hity policemen was sent without delay
Before they arrived, however, TIT life Of
Mr. Henry Dunn. engineer Of steam fire
engine No., was most fendishly taken
BY the infuriated demons. He was sho,
through the head, the ball passing f ON
the base Of the brain through tk. fore,
head. Mr.. Dunn bad gone down in that
portion Of the city purely by accident,
and after the outbreak had started for bis
quarters. Subsequently. in. attemp pting
to arrest some Of the negroes, two or
three more we're shot.
Just before dark, and when tho battle
vas at its fercsst, a detachment Of regu.
lar troops WAS sent down to tho rio,ous
district, to AID in suppressing the dis,ur
bance, which they did, to soma copsids
table extent, though they used no light
persuasion IN the matter, as the battered
up condition Of many OF the ueesoes ar.
ter~ards sent 10 the station house exhib
tied.
The Sheriff summoned a posse and rs.
paired as hastily as possible to the ground
but was unable 10 effect much. Himself.
Mr.. Lee. Jack Winters. and some others.
~srs ffsd into on rriving-tbe bullet.
nearly seriously injuring several Of the
party.
At the station house last night, at II
o'clock, sone ten or twelve OF the negros
had been locked up. Three Of them had
been wounded by pistol shots, ore of
whom died shortly after being carried 10.
The others are badly hurt. The police
were still bringing them when We Left
Solomon, = negro formerly belonging to
Colonel Ed. Burke Pickett, who is badly
beaten, says it was done BY The sold iers
who arrested him.
From Dr.. Keller, who returned from
the scene Of tho riot at midnight, We
learn that Mr.. CalIy, brother inlaw OF
Recorder Creighton, was also sh OF through
the thigh; that Mr.. Stephens wound is
very serious. and may resul. in his death.
The upper third Of the thigh bone is sba,
tered, and will require, this morniag.
either amputatiou Of the leg or 70 section
Of the bone. One Of the police, wboss
name DR.. Keller did not learn, was shot
10 each thigh with two different balls
flesh wounds.
The negroes popped M the policemen
whenever they saw them. Policeman
D.s. sIattery was bsdly wounded In the
high.