The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1866-09-04
OUTRAGE AT a CAME MEETTNG
New Orleans lLassaere Imitafed.-.AI
shot whilst Engaged In PFayeE.

7 n z I--UT
bloodthirsty affairs which has ever been
recorded in this vicinity occurred
Thursday night at the camp meeting
held in Shipley's woods, three miles
/ from Hanover Switch, on the Washing-
ton Branch of the Baltimore ard Ohio
1 RAILROAD. The meeting was opened on
Friday morning last, and had pro-
1 gressed very successfully and harmo-
niously up to Thursday night, about
i 100 persons having protested conVer-
/ sion and nearly sixty penitents re-
manning at the altar when these riotous
proceedings were inaugurated.
L During Thursday afternoon certain
4 men were observed on the ground
armed with reyolVets, which they.wore
/ in belts around their waists, but no
danger was apprehended until nearly
t1m1dnight3 when party went into. the
colored peoples meeting and knocked
down a woman. The col0red people
rioters from the Immediate vicinity,
and the Meeting again progressed; but
while those in attendance were engaged
In prayer, a man praying was knocked
down, and as the eOlored people rose
from their knees they were fired upon
| by those desperad does, who attacked
in ront and on either 81 flank;
almost surrounding them. The at
| tackled party again rallied, returned the
fire and charged upon their coWardly
assailants, driving them within the cir
Gle formed by the cOlored peoples
tents; Immediately in the rear of the
| pfeacher's stand of the principal camp.
In a few minutes the rowdies renewed
their onslaught, but were again re!
pulsed firearms being freely used. At
this time q young man named Milton
Benson, a resident of the vicinity while
in It. front Of the preaeher's stand, upon
| his kness as q penitent, was mortally
| Wounded by pistol ball which struck
/ him the back of the neck and passed
out athis mouth Surgical aid wasirn-
mediately procured for him. but al
though still alive yesterday morning,
The supposition is that this shot was
intended fora certain preacher, as 1t
was currently reported afterward that
he had been fired at, although he was
not in the altar when the shotWRs fired.
Some persons advanced the argument
that the ball which struck Mr.. Benson
might have come from the colored peo-
PIES camp, in the rear Of the preachers
stand, but It is very certain that it did
not come from that direction, because
Ethe wounded man was. in front of and
sheltered by the stand. In the progress
OF the melee one of the desperado does de-
|, ,libefately fred a pistol at the head of
HIf., Downs; OF Anne Arundel county,
one OF the managersj but theaball mere
ly passed through the top of his hat,
cutting his hair; at the same time he re-
I'ceived a ball through one of his boots.
After the second or third charge of
the colored people upon the rioters,
ed by the mahagerS to quietly with
draw from the camp ground, which
they, die, !, in the dead hour of fmidnight,
men, womenand children. The rioters
then, robbed their trunks and satchels
of pocket books, money, &c., and then
heaped into one great pile all their
tents, beds, trunks, clothing and valu-
ables, Jand then burned them to ashes,
exhibiting the most fiendish delight in
gathering up every, vestige of the eff
feots, Of these unoffend ding people. Sew
eral of the despetadoes were heard to
.ers were shot, and during the progress
of the riot some of them said they were
good Johnson men," /" and what about
New 0rleans2'I q y .. Il tjHg aHF(f
That all this was enacted without
any interference on the part of the Off
cefs of the law In that county Is only
explained upon the theory that they
were In sympathy with the whole
movement, as every known rebel and
rebel sympathizer in the nelgh hborhood
either justified the affair, or endeaVor-
ed to pallihte iE. In fact, many were
disposed 70 thrust the blame for the
whole affafr upon the colored people.
This general stat tement is given upon
reliable information, and any lack of
details is attributable to the fact that in
the confusion which prevailed through
ont the camp, CONSEQUENT upon the dis
graceful scenes enacted, twas utterly
impossible to gather anything more
dehnite.i Several colored persons We're
iyeSterdayf morning reported TO have
been killed, but thing positive upon
the subject was learned; IL is only,
known that numbers received severe
F1dg
fatal. Certainly their exemption from
more, fatal consequences is not TO be
credited othe mild and humane char
acter of the treatment :. they received,
iIbut rather todthe stubbornness with
which they defended themselves from
i5a As to the effect OF this affair upon the
camp-nde Meeting, 1t can only be added
that as IL occurred upon the closing
night, no serious incouv venience was felt
EbYI those In charge, though the meeting
was, of course, closed more suddenly
than was anticipated by the managers.
s,l.i,-'it, THE oAsdP.
The general camp was. under the
charge of Rev. MIR. Ianah9ns Prestdtng
Elder of the district and previous 10
the attack on the c0loted people the
l7bese order had prevailed, and the re-
ligious influence of theservice had been
excellent.
conPistipg OF ifoufl lhye tents, located
ab35ut one hundred yards from the gem
ertl eanps; It h1H, been usual in Mary
land for years for the colored people to
thus hold 81 1IiH connection with
the white people. The behayio Of the
colbfed people at, this camp had been
entirely nnexcept tionable and gave no
icanse for the atroci0us attack. fii- nv
~ .ii.;'l..s. ~ s.,i,, An tSSy ALTON,