The Greene County Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 185?-1867, 1866-08-15

reported that incendiary speeches had
been made and 1t was in everybody's
mouth that DR.. Dostie and King Cutler
had advised the negroes to arm them
selves on Monday and stand by the
Convention that was going to give them
suffrage, drive off the police, shoot,
stab and destroy ther enemies.
was present at the latter part of this
meeting, and heard most of the objec-
tlonable speeches, but heard nothing of
this kind. The demand for negro SUI =
frage was the great feature of the even
ing Threats had been made that the
Convention should be broken up, and
its friends (not negroes as such, but in
general, its friends) were urged to be
present and protect it from Violence
There was some excitement and much
enthusiasm but neither the speeches
nor the tone Of the crowd struck mo as
more Incorporate than is usual at large
political meetings. ,
About eleven o'clock at night, how
ever, mixed procession, whites and
negroes, had been formed, which march.
ed up Canal and st. Chares steels. 1t
was interrupted once or twice, and me-
groes, breaking from the ranks, had
chased those trying to make the distur-
bance out of the streets. After this,
was told by prominent member of the
Convention. that he knew there was
reason to expect riot on Monday, and
that il it came, the rebels would suffer.
All day Saturday and Sunday men
talked OF this revolutionary meeting and
the revolutionary Convention that was
to meet on Monday, the infammatory
speeches and the riot we were sure to
have Pistols were purchased in large
numbers, and everybody seemed prcpar.
ing, Sunday night the rebel Mayor Of
the city, Mr.. John Y. Monroe, sent to
the Dry Tortugas by Butler, elected to
to the mayora,ty by the returned rebel
soldiers as q reward for bis sulferings,
and especially parloned by the Presi-
dent, Il at he might enter upon the du-
ties Of his Office, called a private meeting
to consult. The President had been tel
egraphed that the Convention was about
to assemble, in defiance of the courts, i.
in defiance of the charge of Judge
Abel ia petty Judge here, ITO the grand
jury, to the effect that their assemblage
would be violation of the oath of office
they had taken in 1861, and should be
punished as perjary. The President had
replied that the military would sustain
the civil courts, Conceiving everything
to be now in their own hands, the rebel
authorities thought they should be able
to ''sette the convention and the Mig
gers
Monday morning every body talked
about ''the riot that was to come off
to,day." Some business houses were
never opened at all, or were closed by
nine o'clock The streets were full, and
nearly all the residents were armed
The assembling OF the Convention SEEM
ed to be awaited as the signal for the eX-
pected outbreak. Respectable re e, cit
liens earnestly advised their friends who
were strangers in the city not to be IN
duced by curiosity or any other motive
to gointo the hall Of the Convention, and
assured them that they knew there would
be bloodshed.
BY twelve o'clock, Canal and Com
mon streets, between which the Mechan.
les Institute is situated, were crowded,
Men gathered in excited groups about
the doors of the houses, at the crossings,
and the chance appearance OF a negro
was sure to produce that lndetinabe MUIR
mur which the reporters are so fond Of
calling sensation" Rumors of affrays
between negroes and whites in distant
parts of the city, occasionally passed
from mouth to mouth.
A little after twelve o'clock, the mem-
bcrs OF the Convention, who had repair.
ed to the Institute as unostentatiously
as possible, were called to order. Only
twenty-five or thirty answered to their
names, but few more came in after tho
roll call. The Sergeant-at Arms was
ordered to bring in absentees, and mean
time a recess Of an hour was voted. BY
this time q considerable crowd of whites
and negroes had assembled in the cham.
Der outside the bar; and larger crowd
composed mainly of negroes, nearly all
armed either with clubs or revolvers,
had gathered in the street before the
door. Halt square off, on Canal street,
the citizens aud police were assembling.
Manifestly here were the materials for an
explosion. 1t wanted but a spark, that
any accident, at any moment, might