Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1866-09-06
OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION OF THE NEW
ORLEANS MASSACRE.

ORLEANS MAS6AUhh'
A New Orleans dispatch to the New
York Times is as follows:
The Military Commission appointed by
General Baird to Investigate the riot III
this city on the 3Oth ult.. have completed
this dutys so far as taking evidence Is con
cerned, and are now preparing their report
1t will probably be sent to General Sherl-
dan for his review the latter part OF this
week, when he will forward 1t to Washing
ton. Nearly two thousand foolscaP pages
of testimony have been taken, the witness
es comprising policemen, white citizens and
freedmen, and including the statements OF
representative men on both sides. Inc hrst
testimony elected was from Colonel Ad-
ANS Chief of Police, and his aids, besides
a number Of the sergeants and prlvates OF
the force. The wounded whites and ne
groes were next sworn, and were followed
by white and black otherwise the report
will be classified in such a manner as to
give all of the evidence regarding the
cause and origin Of the riot under one head,
and the behavior of the police, with the
cruel murders by the rioters, under anoth-
er. 1t will show that the first shot fired
was from a revolver in the hands Of a white
man at the procession of freedmen which
was passing Canal street, en- Totte for the
Capitol where the Convention was in ses-
sion.
After this shot about twenty minutes
passed without further disturbance, and
the procession reached the Institute, when
a squad of police opposed, and in attempt
ing to make arrests fired on the freedmen,
who returned the fire A mob Of citizens
then Joined the police, and the great mas
sacre commenced. 1t also shows that sew
eral policemen had reversed the bands on
their hats in such manner that the num-
be~ could not be seen, and that after they
forced their way into the hall where the
Convention was held they disrcgarded the
display Of a white flag, and fired indis-
criminately on the unarmed members and
large number of spectators, some OF whom
were not in sympathy with the political
proclivities Of the Convention. Some of the
citizens wore badges indicating the exist
ence of the organization
After this gross breach Of faith, the testi
mony saws that the members and spccta-
tors rose en- n1asSe aud drove the police out
of the chamber with chairs, aud then barri
and spectators succeeded in making THEN
escape from the building during the coniu
sion which followed. After the barrcade
had been established not single person
| in the building escaped unharmed, anC
about thirty men were murdered. The par
| ticulars of the murder of Dr. Dostie while {
prisoner in the hands Of the police, and the
wounding of other members IN the same
| C ndition is also included The attempt t
lynch w. r. Fish, member, is positively
sworn to- and while credit is given to the
police for saving the lives of all who were
! in the building, and are not now dead, the
force is found guilty of nearly all the muir
| ders that were committed. Evidence wa:
ELECTED showing that in mary cases th'
police killed freedmen when they coulC
| have arrested them without trouble, anC
that wounded negroes were thrown in {
cart and killed while struggling to free
themselves from the dead bodies which ha(
been placed on the top of them.
As to the origin of the riot, the Commis
sion will undoubtedly report that it wa
caused by bitter feelings on the part of tn,
citizens and police toward the radical Tn
ionists and the freedmen. They will ais
De pTUDdUiJ VI lLc OpIulOH lhtIt lllC anal
was preconcerted, inasmuch as the evi
dence shows that it was talked of by tn
citizens for days previous to its occurrence
Altogc ther, the police and the rioters made
four separate attacks on the barricades be
fore arrcsting all the members and specta
tors, and the rioters did not cease unit
then When the military appeared the Con
vention had been dispersed, but it will b.
the opinion of the Commission that If til
troops had not arrived just as they did, tn
riot would have progressed to the exter
mination of all the Unionists and the freed
M in the city.
The investigation includes the proceed
ings and speeches of the universal sut1rag
meeting, which was held on the Frida.
night previous to the riot, and TIE eXac
words of the speeches will be given in tn
report General Sheridan has impose
strict secrecy on the Commission, and n
authentic reports were obtained of the ev
dence during its session. This statement
however is reliable, although brief Tn
entire city press having received the off
cial dispatches of Sheridan regarding tn
riot, it is pitching into him hot and heavy
some of the papers going 50 far as t
charge him with untruthfulnesS