Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-08-18

1 we're conveyed TO prison almost unihiared
~ On Common, Bsropne, Drysdes,1 St
Charles, Rampant and Carohdolet streets
2, freedmen were murdered-by the police and
the mob inicold blood. Standing in the
! door of the Telegraph Office on Csrondolst
!, saw abont two bnBdred men chasing one
negro along the sidewalk. =, Six policemen
were nearest to him, and ia advance OF hi
lpursners They empted their revolver
iGto bis back, and finally, another one
when be- was near enough to bis vicinitC
4 lay his hand on his shoulder, shot him ir
d the head , and be fell dead into an alley
Another freedman trying to,escape from
the Institute was climbing over q fence
when u saw him fall from a policeman /
lshot. AS he'sttuck the ground atilesst a
dozen police and rioters surrounded him
and fred theirgpistols into his head and
! breasts at the same time pounding himbwith
Clubs, ord canes, The blood flowed, from
i wounds in his scalp, covering his entire face
but they continued their brutal assault
until he brenthed bis last although he sev7
eral times raised his feeble and wounded
arms to gesticulate for the mercy bis tongue
could not ask for. | saw white man
draw Stiletto and strike 1t into the heart
of a'dying negro on Common street. The
blood spurted ont great red jets, staining
the mnrderer's clothing, face and hands =
He got up and displayed the CORY marks as
| If they were the proud omblems Of n praise
worthy deed. These and other incidents
(which Tsaw, suffice to show yon how lie
freedmen we're treated in a majority Of ca
seS Itis due to Justice, however, to ssy
that some of the policemen even treated
the freedmen with moderation, aud rescued
them from death at the hands of The mob.
The police behaved, as o general rule,
with extraordinary bravery and extraordi-
nary cruelty. Probably fifty, Of them, are
| wounded, several mortaly. They, were
nearly all doubly armed, and used their
arms with great effect and ndiscrirhinate
slaughter. AS I have before remarked,
some Of them did their duty in protecting
their prisoners, and all the prisoners who
are now alive owe their lives TO this fact,
The mob would have lynched every white
msn 10 he building and lrutually murdered
every black man, if it had not been for. o
few gallant and chivslric policemen, From
what l have already said, however, yon
must know that some of the force were the
wo styrioters present. A gentleman OF my
| acqna'ntance spoke to one of them in the
act OF killing freedman, asking him, Why
dou't You arrest him2 Don't kill him
The reply wes, Shut yonr mouth. you mig
ger-loviDg -, or I'll kill you. The
force seems to be o mixture Of cowardly
brutes and respectable men. The few Off
GERS that l have couversed with since the
! riot do not pretend TO deDy what have
here stated about them. and lam willing to
oAiTm that I have told nothing bat The
truth .- ..5-
saw colored corporal of an artillery
regiment apparently. walking in the middl'
OF Baronne street, while on his right hant
an infuriated crowd we're chasing a freed
man down the side walk, and on the lei
hand another crowd were chasing one u
. the sidewalk. Each crowd were frin
pistols and throwing 81 nes and clubs a
their victim. The corporal walked in th
: middle of the street, in full uniform, will
side arms only, as steadily and soldierly q
il on drill. He had been sent on an erranC
by one of his officers, and was returning
1t was scene that made my heart thrill
with admiration for brave map, although
be was as black as ink. t.--.. .....
heard q Union man 10 the midst of 6
crowd of rebel rioters, who we're pounding
a negro and shouting for JEFF. Davis sweal
at them and call them traitors and every
epithet OF ignominy that bis tongue conlf
command. Strange to say they allowed
him TO escape nnburt., ...... s........t- /
An old gray headed Irishman, mcmbe
of the Convention, named Haynes, did th
same thing while passing through the GROVE
under guard, althoughthey had ropes read
1 to hang him He d,fed themto do thei
worst and threatened to haunt them vii
his ghost If they harmed hair of bis he ad
When Fish, the FIRST member that 1 sa 8
arrested was passing down Canal street, {
rn(fian mounted piece of scgfaldtng IL
front of @ new building and attempted Il
throw a rcpc over his head Another ont
hit hin, in the back with a brick bat where
! upon he turned around and defed them il
language remarkable more foG its abusive
ness than politeness, s,.a - h-A,
l saw negro drsymen and other coloreC
men, pursuing their regularahuslness ayoca
tions, pas, through the crowd unbarmed
One old colored m0n attracted my atten-
tion particularly. He walked through The
mob on the side -walk- with bundle under
his arm and an iron bar in his hand. His
chin las firmly set and his eyes looked dag
gers No one dared molest him. eui-
! II was asked, was the riot preconcertedi
III plainly was. There was no regularly
organized premedAated attack at any one
point or time, but there was general IN
derstspdiHg among all of the yonDg blooa'
about town that riot wo Id occur, and
they promised each other to be present and
do their duty when the time came. / heard
for DAYS before the oeclrren' just such IL
in the hotels and restaurants, and on the
streets. did not think the speakers were
In earnest, nor do I now believe that they
were: bat circumstances happening just as
they did, they started for the Institute, re
volver in hand, on the impulse OF lhemo
nent. aud the whole affair seems nowito
have been regularly prearranged. Jnsl
before l O'Clock, when the firing had bro
gressed but. a short time, whsn be fire bel
fFapg. A man 10 the street, cried ut the
Etop of his voice, Now the devil is to pay
hAao.her said, Look out for hot work.r =
What authority those men had for ths