Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1866-08-18
The New Orleans Riot.
a SOUTHERN HISTORY OF THE AprA1l

denco cf tho +" New York fines" ana other
Northern sources. We now present them
with the history of the affair ms detailed by
the New Orleans Picayupo," of the d. y fol.
lowing the riot:
ne4s -rsr-sr''yiIEsonfors or r.tr snIop,
There is not an honest or intelligent citizen
Mt all acquainted with the characters nd mite.
ccdcnts of the main instisators of the rcyolu.
tionary and inccndiary plot, which produced
the terrible scenes of yesterday, who does not
know that the real and controlling motive of
these reckless and unprinciplcd men was to
regain Offices and patronage which they hud
lost since the close of tho war, and by means
Of which they had raised themselves from pow.
crty and obscurity to comparative wealth and
partizan notorcty. 1t should not be imag.
incd for moment that they were of the class
OF honest fanatics, sincere believers in any of
the doctrines or ideas advocated by them that
they had ever before manifested any honest
sympathy or concern furSthe freedmen. The
few in our city who have some claims to con.
sis.cncy and sincerity, in such ideas and feel.
ines, had no part in this scheme. The lead
ing actors were men WHO before the war were
of utter insignilicancc, and would never have
emerged thcrctrom in any peaceful, rcspecta-
bic community. Many Of them were rcn.
'SStpSo AOt' tiC SOilCuSIutC cause. /,
During the excitement of the war they
managed to get the most lucrative Offices OF
tho State and city, and tho convention of
1864 was prolific source of profit to them.
The Shcriifalty of New Orleans, the State
Auditors, the Clerk of the Second District
Court Gone of the most lucrative offices in the
State), Public Printer, Register of Votes, etc.
had all been appropriated by the parties who
having been displaccd from these offices on the
:e:%:: G: peace displaced hJ ,ihcirown Union
friends -immediatcly became very much dis
satisfied wills the progress, of affairs, and have
sass dkspsSP 81 astaton abpu.
the roor negro Thosyiolento and wrongs wrongs
which really troublcdFthem were their exclu
ion from Office, and their return to the nor.
NAL state of mcritcd obscurity
Tho whole Convention revival scheme was
got up by these men. 1t had not the support
of five hundred white men in the city or State.
Unfortunately, however, the glib and hypo-
critical demagogues succeeded in mnkine a
number of the poor dcludcd, unsophsticated
freedmen believe that they were their friends
and that it was in their behalf and defence
that this plot was conceived and to be carried
out.
And this is the true history Of the origin and
purpose of this whole ncfarious Elot to over.
turn the Government of the State, aud which
has brought upon city, which, pt the timo
of its origination, wns perfectly peaceful, quiet
and fnw.abiding, the horrors of bloody riot,
and the unmcrited humiliation of martial
law.
MEETING OF THE EPI.oTTERS on FRIDAY NIGHT.
A meeting of the partzans of these men
was held on Friday night, at which the most
infammatory language was employed to incitc
the negroes to acts of violence. They were
told if any white man should interfere with
them, "kill him" 1t has been well under
stood that arms have been distributed among
them, with view to some such uso as has oc.
CURED. 1t was greatly apprchendcd for sew
crul days that the meeting Of the unpopular
Conventiouists would make the occasion for
collision.
The Mayor and tho officials, and such citi-
Zens us he conferred with, advised tho course
which was pursued, of counscling all citizens
to keep aloof from the Mechanics Institute,
where this meeting was advertised to be held,
and organizing tho police force so as to be
ready promptly to suppress any sudden disor-
der. There was never any purpose to inter
ferc with tho Conventionisls, and mono of the
calamitics of the day arose from any attempt
of the kind.
BEGINNING OF THE RIOT.
The beginning Of thsr;ot occurred at tho
corner Of Cnnal and Dryades streets, where
procession of bctweens1 20a and 200 negroes
wore passing. One Of the darkies having run
over white man Standing quietly at the curb.
stone, being demonstrated with, drew, sans fa-
con, his revolver and fired. Two men, police
man and an ex policeman, went into the crowd
at onco and took the offender in spite of a
number of revolvers pointed at them. being
at the time in the third story of ITO Canal
street, tho Same occurred under our eyes; we
confess we trenbled for those two daring po.
lceman. They however, had momcntarify
.poralyzed Tint band of negroes, aud marched
off their prisoners hardly had they madola
dozen PAGES when the negroes shouted to tho