New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-14


Mechanics Institute, in which / saw white and
colored persons firing considerable. Numbers,
seemed to be engaged in firing. From this posi-
ton had not view Of the street in front of Me-
chanics' Institute. Prior to the approach of the
coored procession everything appeared quiet and
| peaceable, there being no excitement whatever
perceptible to me. From general view of the
appearance of things at the time the procession
crossed Canal street, it appeared to me that the
police and people outside Of the procession were
acting on the defensive entirely, with the object
Of preserving the peace. The word appeared
used above may be construed as implying doubt
on my mind, which idea do not intend to convey.
feel certain that the police and those outside Of
the procession were acting the defensive and
to preserve the peace. Did not recognize any of
the persons in the procession or in the crowd out
side Of the procession.
! tsigned) o. H. BRooKIEBANK,
$50 Canal street
EDWARD CREvoN SWORN.
Resides at No. 223 Main street, New Orleans;
is aid to chief Of police, and on the Both July,
1866. On that day left the Mechanics Institute
little after II O'Clock NJ, while the roll Of the
convention was being called. At this time every
thing was quiet in the hall and in the street in
front There was large crowd, composed prin-
cipaily of coored men, collected in front of the
Institute. There were also two or three hundred
cOIored persons in the hall, besides the members
Of the convention There were but few white
persons in the hail. walked from the Institute
to Canal street. and after reached Canal street,
II heard music approaching on Burgundy street. /
crossed Canal to the corner Of Burgundy street.
then saw procession of about fifty or sixty
colored men approaching up Burgundy strestwith
q band of music and a flag. A great many of
them had loaded canes and clubs in their hands,
, which they were heurlshing, and they were shout
, ing, hallooing and hurrahing. As the pro-
cession was crossing Canal street, I saw
white man near the procession getting
up from the gutter. As he was getting
up there was loud hurrahing from the procession.
! / saw at this time two white men being beaten
with sticks rocks and brickbats, by large num-
1 OF m he
long roll was beaten on the drum, with cries of
:" fall in, boys" rally, boys when large
crowd of cOlored men came running down Dry
AIDES street, from the direction of the Hall about
that time / arrested one of the eoloFed men whom
/ saw strike one of the white men. The crowd of
colored men then attacked me, striking me with
sticks and attempting to rescue the prisoner,
9 which they effected twice, crying out g kill
him. At this time there was one shot fired,
I, whether at me, or by whom, do not know. Al
citizen, Mr. Henry Clarke, then came to my
! assistance, and we succeeded in taking the pri-
i soner from the crowd. was also assisted by Mr..
Marcelin Pecora q citizen. We took ths prisoner
of, up Canal street towards the river; q portion
v of the crowd of colOred men followed few
steps. l met few policemen coming towards
u us, and informed them that fight was going on,
% and they went towards the crowd had left.
Sergeant Thomas was with these policemen.
d took the prisoner to the First Distrist station.
t Afterwards / returned towards, the scene of the
fight with the chief Of police, who sent me back
to notify the heutenants of the different districts
II TO with the ponce TO- mechanics lnsTl-
7. tute, which did. afterwards, saw the police
q with prisoners, under arrest some white and
l, some colorea. saw no instance Of any ezEess
d among the police, nor saw any of them use
any greater violence than was necessary to secure
l. their prisoners; on the contrary they protected
D. the prisoners from the attacks of excited. per-
a sons. Afterwards, when went to the Mechanics
Institute, the disturbance was queled this was
is about O'Clock; this was before the arrival of
to any military at that point. notieed amoRg the
a colored persons in the hall Of the convention two
armed with heavy slung shots, which they were
as exhibiting to Others one with very large knife
1t. and most of them had heavy sticks or loaded
Or canes. heard one colored man say, i'll the hall
when I was there bout IL NJ, that they hat
ne come prepared, and would . kill any son OF .
N bitch y who interfered with them.
% tSigned) EDWAED cREToN.
II N. c. sNETHEN SWORN.
ed am private secretary to Governor j. M. Wells
tn / was in my office as early as O'Clock on tn
"a morning Of the 30th Of July, at the Mechanics
an As early as or 10 O'Clock in the morning
noticed crowds of colored persons soliciting j
Is front Of Mechanics Institute; BY halfgast 10
is IL the street was pretty well filled with eol0r
red people; about H. Judge r. K. Howell came i
of the Office occupied by called his atttan' i
to the crowd collected outside, and; told Tin
in thought it was dsgraceful and disreputablet to
ed own convention TO have such crowd co IL ecte
ted and that had heard the hall was filled with
he similar crowd, and did not see how it as pos
to BILE for them to deliberate, oVerrun, as they wol
be, by such crowd Of people occupy ing I
ent room. He replied to me by ask ng
lis what were they doing there, OF vi
by brought them there, or words o t
1se effect. I answered him that supposed. they
ect assembled there in pursuance of the aAy ice gi
VS. to them by the speakers on Friday light
or said they were not there with his ap probat
ate that he had not been present at that rn eting
ty, did not approve of it. furbhsrmtd q stated
him that it was due to him an64 other respecta
nue. members of the convention to makea some eff
DR.. toinduce the crowd to dispersa> Hef aid he wo
go ont and endeavort to do SO. He aoeJc rdingly W
est and saw nothing of him till he Tie turned to
the office in about fifteen tWantyIn inutes Alb
ll& or before IL, heard q c0In motion in
9m- crowd without. 0ngoing toa Wlpid ow, obser
in the crowd running towards Sanalt street, and 10
en- ing that way, observed a.melea or fight at
intersection Of Canal and DryatS IS streets alb
ring the middle Of the street . bserved par
567. of blacks with a United Stat IS flag on ST
2s6 i and soon afterwards observed that they came
the crowd, in procession, 18th two drul
cam whether there was other ma sic do not kn
rict They came in front Of the u echanicsi Instt
the crowd of colOred persons that had gone f
af- front of the Institute returnin q with them
rper halted in front of the builT no and were ha
than with loud cheers by their cn nrades who occn
cot the street in front of the Institute Appa
the quiet interviewed foR quanS If or half hour s
person looking out of tina window Of nv Q
ring SAID some person U.s. making a speech.
Joined those at the wind ow, and saw 4 n
sent standing on a curb stonf on side Of bannr
the next to the building, viii a his face towards
OF of crowd in the street. add.H sssing them in spe
I could not hear whatlB ) said. Those at the
le of dow and nearer than j. said that is sensible
lone, negro; he Is giving tis am good advice; he
eight them to go home, th 1T this is convention
not publc,meedGgs i" and they don't want t
7zle- there.n LreturDed u my desk, and shortly a
ed in wards h9aring q coz motion outside, went to
+, has window again. 10 oked out and saw man
puted to be poll ceman, have hold of pc
ound by the coat coils r, who looked to me to
refu- white man; the colored crowd was rra
gests towards tho polir eman greatly excited. ! h
expressions utte red by the cOlored crowd,
con- as; +" Kill him, take him away" and Of
of shouting +" Let him go.n The policeman m
Eng OH with his prisoner towards Canal street
lowed by q. r.umber Of the colored crowd ar
oches lgettng in front of the building in course of
struotion etWeen the Institute and Canal 81
r-cut where there was a large quantity of brick
r. on the street, observed several negroes
oaceo, up bricks anl throw in the direction the p
d the man ahd pri soner took had not AT this me
tier. q view of J,ohceman and his prisoner. In Q
iGkled of . few minutes observed a c9lored man
q pistol in his hand, pretty long barrel,
lipped bright, fire the same in the direction of
whom stree6, which shot was Immediately answer
sew eral shots apparently frouA the crowd a
spel is bed at the corner. erhis was the first
nds Of ing near the Institute. / had prev
y. beard one shot, on Canal street, al
of OILY time of the melee previously alluded
p shed After the return of the fire of the shot st