The Portland daily press., 1866-05-10
Fne Memphis Riots.
TRUE ACCOUNT OF THE ORIGIN OF THE n,S-
URBANCE-INDIscRIAnN s1,AuGH-
TER OF UNARMED NEGRoEs-N-
CENDIARY FIRES,
IFrem the Memphis Post. MAY 81


After carefully sitting tine thousand and one
stories in circulation, in reference to the ori-
| gin OF the disturbance in South Memphis on
Tuesday, the following seems to be the truth
OF the matter: Some sixty or seventy soldiers,
recently discharged from the Third United
States (coloredl Heavy Artillery, were on
South street drinking They got noisy, but
were doing no damage. A squad of policemen
came along and rushed in among them, max
| ing an arrest or two. The soldiers made an
0utcry at this, but did not attack the police
Ihey, however, fred several shots from their
pistols, some say at the police and some at
fanuom. Inc police Immediately commenced
nrlng into the crowd OF soldiers, and they re-
turned the fire, killing one policeman and
wounding two others. JIM
Both sides were reinforced, and the action
became general, with about the losses on both
sues as given In yesterdays issue. We learn
from trustworthy gentleman who was in
South Memphis early yesterday morninp. and
also from the officers in the Fort, that nearly
all the negroes in the vicinity of the disturb
ance fled to the fort for protection after the az
fair on Tuesday night. South street was ner-
fectly quiet The bodies of the negroes who
were killed were lying unburied, and most of
them were horribly bruised. Few negroes
were visible anywhere in that locality. This
is corroborated by two gentlemen who accom-
panied the police on their first visit to that
part OF the town yesterday morning Large
numbers OF citizens, armed with pistols. car
blnes and muskets, went down with them.
AS soon as they reached South street, they
began to tire upon every negro in sight. +.
Dickenson, colored, while standing in front
Of his house, and who had been promised that
If he remained there he would not be disturb
ed, was shot down. @. Watkins, colored, was
cursed, and on his starting to get away, was
c mt hxr fVnn A
killed on sight. Another surrendered. and
while surrounded by policemen, on the cry of
shoot him" "don't let him escape" was shot
In three places. On raising his hands TO beg
for his life, he was knocked down with car.
bine. After falling to the ground in diving
condition he was shot through and through.
A boy was taken out from under a bed.
knocked down with a club, and dispatched
with some ten or twelve shots. Two colored
children Were killed. A black woman was
seen in a grocery and shot. Another on the
street was killed. rt
The respectable negro blacksmith opposite
Mrs. Hardwick's on Main street, who had not
been away from his shop, was shot down. and
will probably die. We could find no one. and
we inquired of several policemen and citizens
who went down, who had seen any armed ne
groes on South street, or in that vicinity dur
ing the day. A large posse was called out by
the Mayor and Sheriff, and armed from the
gun and pistol store of Henry Folsom a Co.
The Mayor had a conference with Col. Knann-
ner OF the Sd United States (colored) Artil-
lery, and the latter assured him there would
be no disturbance If the armed citizens would
disperse. The Mayor accordingly ordered
them to return to their homes MANY retired
but many more remained. The Sheriff kent
hundred men under arms last night at the
Greenlaw block. Early in the morning Gen.
Stoneman ordered an officer with. fifty men to
patrol and preserve order between Beal and
South streets, aud that guard be put around
the fort to keep the colored soldiers from be-
ing connected with the disturbance.
In the afternoon colored woman, while
walking along Main street, near the corner of
Main and Exchange, was shot down bv
drunken man. negro who came in from
the country was shot off his horse and his
horse stolen. The body of colored soldier
who was killed the day before, hay during the
forenoon on Mulberry st. 1t was repeatedly
spit upon, kicked and cursed BY ruffianly bovs
This soldier after being killed by a gun-s6ot
and several pistol-shots has been cut in the
breast several times with a knife. Two white
ladies made affidavit before Gen. Rupkle that
Col. Pickett (colored), who was dragged ont
OF his house and killed, in South Memphis.
had just returned from his days work. and
had no connection whatever with the disturb
aiSo' OSnCi aluueNiCS were MADE before the
General, identifying some who had killed
| peaceable negroes. He will give the whole at.
fair thorough investigation. ~
| In the afternoon the rioters set fire to the
house, near the end of Causen ST., which has
been occupied by ii. N. Rankin, (colored). for
colored school. Mr.. Rankin has had about
200 pupils in attendance. He himself, was
struck with whip at the corner of Union and
Second SITS. The ruffian attempted to draw
his revolver to shoot him, but was prevented
by another citizen. Several more houses in
South Memphis were burned during the after.
noon, and during the whole evening the sky
in that direction was lurid with flames.-
There were incendiary fires also on Madison
and Shelby SITS. Early in the evening there
was sharp firing out on DeSoto st. A negro
boy OF IL or IL years was killed. A negro
woman from the country was deliberatel,
shot on Shelby st. 1t is supposed mortally.