Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1866-08-22

| bottom arm, chairs and few desks for Sec
retaries. A railing, called the ''bar of the
I house, divides the room in half, partition
| ing off the lobby from the space In which
| the members had their seats. The office Of
the Governor and his retinue are in the first
| story. Yesterday morning everything about
| the building was scrupuiouSly clean. At
night it was blood stained and smeared with
clots OF human gore from one end Of it to
the other. The stairway, the halls, the Of
hces, in fact every apartment, shows con-
elusive evidence of the desperation of the
mob and the cruel violence of their slayIght-
er. Tangled aud bloody knots of hair and
crisp wool show how whites and blacks died
together. struggling against iniuriated and
imI Ilacable enemies. The sidewalk IN front
of the Institute and ON both sides of the
street along the whole block is also bespat-
tered with blood and brains, and the fences,
and even the sides Of some of the dwelling
houses, are In the same condition. a re-
treshing shower which fell this morning
washed away some of the marks, but enough
remain to shock even the casual passer-by.
The chairs and furniture in the hall are
broken in pieces, and the window panes are
| shivered and shattered from the perfect rain
of bricks. The building stands now, smok-
ing under the rays OF the hot sun which has
| followed the ram, monument OF disgrace
to the city, the States and the country in
which such scenes can be enacted
1t is asked, was the riot prcconcerted? 1t
| plainly was! There was no regularly organ
! lzed premeditated attack at any one point
| or time, but there was general understand
ing among all OF the young bloods. about
| town that riot would occur, and they
promised each other to be present and do
their duty" whenthe time came. L heard
for days before the occurrence just such talk
IN the hotels and restaurants. and on the
streets. did not think the speakers We're
in earnest, nor do | now believe that they
were but circumstances happening just as
| they did. they started for the Institute, re-
volver IN hand. on the impulse of the mo-
ment, and the whole affair seems now to
have been regularly prearranged just be-
| fore one o clock. when the firing had pro-
gressed but short time, the re-bell rang.
A man in the street cried at the top of his
voice, Now the devil is to pay" Another
said, Look out for hot work" What au-
thority those men had for the statements,
l know not, or who rung the bell. The po-
lice were partly taken off duty the night be-
fore, and were armed better than usual
When the fire bell rang the Fourth District
| force appeared. moving toward the Institute,
! and IN short time every available police
| man in the city was on the ground. Young
men deserted their business everywhere, and
hurried in the scene Of action. The signal
intended for the police was adopted by the
rioters.
The affair commenced at l2:45, and last
ing three hours ended at 3:45. 1t did not
end until every negro and white man in The
Institute had been either killed or wounded
and captured, with the exception of three
or four whites. As there were about hun
dred men of both classes in the building.
ayI OH J.l ha
casualties will amount to one hundred and
twenty-five, of whom fifty were killed or
have since died from their wounds. This
estimate is moderate.
The military force was encamped at Camp
Jackson. FIVE miles from the scene Of the
riot, and in the morning we're told to be
ready for any emergency. They did not ar
rive until quiet had been restor, d, and it
was only restored when there was nothing
left to kill or MAIN. 1t is certain that some
body was very derelict in ordering the troops
into town. Gen. Sheridan was not in town,
and Gen. Baird had command. | under
stand that one of his staff reported every
thing quiet when, at the time he was max
ing his report, the massacre had begun and
progressed for quarter of an hour This
derelictIon should be investigated
The police impressed the baggage wagons
Of an express firm in the city to cary OH the
0eaQ, one iOaui cOIislatinS VI elSHt VI teu
bodies, had two living men at the bottom.
They were wounded, and perhaps would
have died; but they had life enough left in
them to struggle for air. An eyewitness.
whose name can furnish, says that police
man mounted the cart, aud showing his re-
volver down between the bodies on top,
killed the poor fellows, with one shot for
each The iendish thirst for blood which
seemed to possess some of the rioters was
too brutal for even the Imagination of a saw
age. Their eyes cleaned with it and rolled
in their sockets: their tongues protruded
from their mouths. parched apd shriveled,
and their voices grew husky from demoniao
yells. | have no doubt but that some of the
policemen and rioting whites were wounded
by members of their own party, as some of
them seemed possessed with a desire to shoot
at human beings regardless of caste, color
or sex. No females were hurt that know
of. Houses were pillaged, but the outrages
were confined to the immediate vicinage of
the Institute. One man in a livery stable
deliberately took up a rifle and killed ne
gro who ran through the door looking fora
place of refuge.
In Richmond, few days since, there was
a concert and tableaux for the benefit of the
poor. The tableaux, among other things
4