The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1866-08-15
TIE NEW ORLEANS REBEL
MOB.
Statement of Gov. Wells.


men at New Orleans by rebels very
naturally exci,es a great deal sympathy
and indignation. The act was SO dis
craceful and so much misrepresented
by the papers of New Orleans, and by
correspondents trucking to the Wash
nston powers that Gov. Wells has
deemed it proper to give full explana.
ton of the affair. He says that on the
22nd day Of February, 1864, an election
was held for State officers by the au.
ho,ity Of proclamation ofthe military
ommand Of the District, in all thos
arishes then in the Union lines, and in
which only Union men were allowed to
participate. That soon after Conven.
ion was called to remodel the consti.
tuition of the State new constitution
was formed prohibiting slavery, ard
the convention adjourned not sine de
but subject to the call Of the president
for any cause. That now the rebels
held nearly al the State Offices, and
were very bitter against the new cousti
'uiion and had been ying for some
irae to call another convention to fix
p their constitution to su;tthem, that
here was not the least probability ofthe
Legislature passing the late proposed
Ia Al
United States, and hence for this pur.
pose the Convention of 1861 was again
conyened at the call of It's President in
accordance with its adjournment.
He says the convention would not
have been one sided affair as is repre-
scnte,, by the rebels and those in their
interest. There would have been - of
the old delegates Of these ten or twelve
would have gone with the extreme con-
seryatives, because they refused to sign
the constitution in 1861, that q parishes
more were now entitled to fifty.one de.
! gates, hence they would probably
have been nearly equally diviied-15o
b. ing the whole number. The conven
ton assembled on the 3Gth Of July. 4
arge force Of police also appeared in
the Streets near the building where the
onvention was held. They assembled
there with the understanding with the
Mayor to break up the convention. 4
force of negroes also appeared in the
streets for the purpose Of defending the
convention if attacked. The first act
of violence, which Immediately com.
menced the disturbance, was the ar
resting OF negro by q policeman
This created considerable excitement
some taking one side and some the
other. Brick bats were soon thrown
and pistols fred, and the blacks soon
found the police all arrayed against
them, an much better armed than they
were, an they soon took refuge ia the
building in which the convention was
being held. In this building, Governor
Wells says, the police might have easily
kept the negroes. until they could have
sent for the military and had them all
arrested il they were tthe mob or the
direct cause of the riot, without any
material loss Of life. But this did moi
suit their purpose. They advanced
into the building and shot down every
negro that undertook to escape. Tie
conyention;sts hung OF: tie white flag,
and the police then took and marched
/ them out into the streets where great
number were shot and stabbed, and not
a single arrest made by the police Of
the whites who were shooting Union
men and those who had surl endered to
the police for protection. Over three
hundred persons were killed and
wounded, by these minions Of slavery
and fends OF hell.
The following are the two closing
paragraphs ofthe Governors letter.