Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1866-10-11


The general value of their testimony may
be estimated by the fact that, out of the
large number examined as witnesses, but
three are willing to admit having actu-
ally seen fire arms on that day carried or
used by the police.
At some point of time not definitely
fixed, during these charges into the
hall, white flag was displayed from
one of the windows. This does not,
however, seem to have had the effect OF
checking the fire from the outside, and,
according TO the testimony OF the witness
O'Connell and another, the police, OBJ
tanning access TO the room on the prom
Use of protecting the inmates, deliberate
ly opened fire upon the survivors as be-
fore, The police themselves state, as
above that on this occasion, as before,
they Were first fired on from the hail. In
nearly all these iIruptiOns into the hall,
the police were accompanied by the mob,
and Il member of the State Legislature,
Mr.. James Phillips, is Unidentified as
prominent In the attack.
Finally the assailants obtain full pos.
session of the building. The negroes in
the hiding are brought out and dispatch
ed; others perched for safety on cross
beams and rafterS are picked Off like
game by well,aimcd shots; the whites
taken t. the station. houses with blows
and abuse, and at last, Just as the ad-
vancing bayonetS are seen to glisten on
the levee, the riot" is over, for lack Of
victims.
On the subject Of the character of the
negro procession, whose ill-timed and
unfortunate appearance was the lmme-
diate occasion of the outbreak, the Board
are unable to see any evidence in support
of the hypothesis that it was anything
| deserving the name of an armed organ
| ization. Most its members had such
| canes and clubs, as negroes carry on all
/ holiday excursions, and perhaps dozen
| had pistols. No doubt many of these
were carried with the idea that an at
| tack upon themselves was by no means
| improbable; but that the procession it
| self could be regarded as body organ
| lied to fight would seem to persons of
! military experience to have been disprov-
ed by events, over thirty negroes being
| shot dead during the firing, while the
| supposed organization did not succeed
| in killing in retHrn a single asSaiant-
young Cenas, the only man killed on that
side, being supposed TO have received a
stray shot from his own party. 1t is true
| that. according to one witness, armed
organizations are alluded to as existing
| by DR.. DOstie; but if this procession may
! be considered fair specimen, the Board
| cannot consider the civil Government of
Louisiana as in much danger of being
overturned thereby. The only eviderce
tending to show previous hostile in
tent on the part OF the negroes is that of
Mr.. Sauve, the planter who, by the way,
is the only witness who hears the screams
| Of "murder the white men," and who
! testifies to having been told by one of
| his servants that white man had been
on the plantation taking names and tell
ing the negroes to "prepare for war; "
and that the negroes of the procession
said they had been ordered to come to
defend the convention. Whatever the
purpose with which these negroes came,
it is evident they intended no offensive
action. The Rev. Mr.. Henry is told by
the procession of negroes that they are
pledged to have no trouble on their
part.
On the personal inspection of the hall
by this Board, there were found in and
around the door the marks Of six pistol
shots which had been fired by the be-
sieged upon their assailants, That the
arms were of small calibre appears from
the fact that oftwO which struck the pine
panel Of the door but one had sufficient
force to penetrate it. On the opposite
wall which received such bullets of the
assailantS as missed their aim, % shots
were counted. The fact repeatedly
testified to, that the police when empty
ing their reviewers were attacked with
chairs and driven from the hail. the
board considers as establishing beyond
the shadow of doubt that except two or
three pistols in the hands of the process
sion of negroes the besieged party were
totally unarmed.
OF the further occurrences Of the DAY
of riot, the Board would respectfully
call attention to the brutal and almost
inhuman neglect Of the wounded and
dead prisoners at the various station
houses, before they were, by military Or
ders, removed to the hospitals, The ev-
idence of Lieut.. Col Crosby, Major Sheri-
dan and DR.. Avery on this point, shows
as horrible a scene of suffering and neg
lect as could have been presented on a
lost battle field.
They would also call attention to the
evidence on the subject of the renewal Of
the attack on negroes and the shooting
of them by both citizens and police. late
on the same night in Victory street.
In conclusion, the Board will state
, that it is by no means their opinion thai
hostility to Northern and Union men sc
prevails in the community at large, a:
of itself either to endanger their life OF
property, provided they refrain from
J freedom of speech concerning subject:
on which, like that of slavery before
the war, no difference of opinion is tole
rated. But, in regard to the party
} which elected Mayor Monroe, and which
2 through him now controls in great
7 measure the municipal government anC
= city police, that party the Board do con
slider as most thoroughly imbued with
e the spirit of hostility alluded to, and 81
: soon as the lapse of sufficient time shall
| have convinced them that no punish
1 | H. tot Tod fnr off,