The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1866-10-18
THE N. ORLEANS MASSACRE.
Report of the Investigating
Commission.

Report OF the INVESTIGATING
Commission.
The military Commission, appointed
by Gen. Baird, to investigate the facts
connected with the terrible massacre of
July 30th, have made a unanimous re-
port, which fully sustains the official
report of Gen. Sheridan, heretofore
published in our columns, and dis
closes some new facts, strongly con-
firming the conclusion that the whole
riot was a premeditated and deliberate
conspiracy to murder the negroes and
members of the Convention, and to
intimidate and drive away the Union
men of the city.
We make some extracts from a syn
opsis of the report, which we find in
the Cincinnati Gazette:
The Commission reports that the
police were called off their beats the
night before, to be prepared for this
work; that it appeared to be designed
that the mob should open the fray I;
that as soon as the mob had attacked a
procession of colored men, the police
in body marched upon the scene and
opened general fire upon the Conven-
ton through the windows that then
they broke in the doors and fired their
revolvers into the assembly until they
had exhausted their magazines, when
they retired to recharge them.
The Commission reports that the
members of the Convention were un.
armed that in view of the general
threats they expected arrest, and were
, ready to appeal to the courts thai
they surrendered, and still the polio,
kept firing on them, and shooting
, down those who attempted to escap
= from the hall; that clergyman VIII
t was present was shot down in the ac
of bearing a white flag to the polio,
who were firing upon the Convention
The report says:
{ "The work of massacre was pursued
: with cowardly ferocity unsurpassed
in the annals of crime. Escaping ne
groes were mercilessly pursued, shot
S stabbed and beaten to death by tn
: mob and police. Wounded men o.
D the ground begging for mercy wer
/ savagely dispatched by men, police
S firemen, and Incredible as ii may seem
g IN ttco instances 6y aComen."
+ The report states that at a peculia
signal upon the fire bells, which wa
the same as that which was used
! call out the rebel forces during the wal
! in case Of any attack upon the city b
u the United States forces, the fireme
turned out and joined the police in tn
slaughter, blending the assistance {
their iron wrenches to the congenis
e occupation of dispatching the wounC
n ed" Also that the badges worn b
= the men engaged in this bloody wor
J. showed that several distinct militar
o and civic bands were there as organ
l. cations. One of these was the badg
o ofthe Washington Artillery. Anotl
; er badge was a crescent and q stan
= another was blue ribbon at the bu
r. ton hole; another q white handke
d chief round the neck. One witne
D was advised by friendly policema
> who desired to save him, to put on
- white handkerchief.
70 These accounts of the extensive Q
lie ganization of this work bring back
X st. Bartholomew. The Con,miSSit
~ ~ 6etieres that the organization intend
M a general massacre Of the loyaJ men a,
ID the Northern citizens, and that the g
ot rival of troops, though too late
o. stop the murder of the conventions
- alone prevented vastly wider slaug
ter. The report says:
"The Board will state it as the
or firm conviction, that but for the dt
of laration of martial law, and the pr,
70 ence of the troops, fire and blOodsh
m would have ragged throughout t
1g night in all negro quarters of the Gil
GO and that the lives and property of [
10 iOnists and Northern men would ha
~ been at the mercy of the mob. T
OF conservatOrs of the peace being for [
co time the instigators of violen
he nothing would have remained but
arming for self-defence, and see
might have ensued unparalleled in
be history of the age. In the Boar
70 opinion, the property of the SouthC
-st merchant, not less than the life of {
,as negro and the Unionist, was that mis-
of under the protection Of the Fede
he bayonet alone" 't '-
ars -----s s'-------- sa.
hin A young man named George