Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-08-18
Tn. New oriean. siaugh ter.


the New York Tines The letter bears
candor upon its face, and shows moro dis
tiuctly than any account we have seen, The
brutality Of the New Orleans police officers,
many OF whom-lke the Memphis police
took advantage Of their Official positions to
murder Union men and Freedmen " After
describing the movements of the colorcd
procession, and the gathering Of crowds,
the letter says: ta[
The procession disturbance had been re.
ported TO the Police Headquarters, where,
anticipating trouble, a large reserve force
vas stationed, Oaders we're Immediately
issued to arrest the negroes engaged in il
Sheriff eS rebel General) Hayes accompa.
nied the force to The scene OF ection. and
found Dryades street, 10 front Of The Insti.
tute, tbronged with freedmen. and their
white friends 1t was useless TO try 10 get
into the building while such crowd re
mained in front Of Il. '
In The meantime, an immense concourse
| OF people had congregated at the junction
of Dryades and Canal, aud more looking
toward the capitol, some Of ibem shouting
and blasphening terribly The whole CITY
was in q tremble. Such excitement as the
ciiizons exhibited / never Witnessed before.
The crowd just mentioned comprised men
OF every grade in society, including many
young in years, who we're brundishiD9 re-,
volyers inthe air, and were seemingly anx
/ iouS to be led on TO the destruction of the
Oonyentioners and all of the freedmen near
and in the building a similar crowd had
also assembled 10 Common street, at the
other end OF the block in which The Iasti-
tu,ca is located. Many members of the
police force we're mingled with these crowds.
They soon commenced 6ring on the freed.
men in front of the building and drove them
into it. j. .I,. ilw i lGds NsIeo.ra
| When The freedmen, members of The Con
vcntion, spectators and others, had been
driven into,he building the police advanced
to the entrance and forced their way mp
stairs o the door of the Hs / Of the House
of Representatives, where the Convention
had been assembled, aud mo which they
and the freedmen had relreated. Several
different tales are told as to what followed
Certain it is that one policeman was NOR
tally wounded in the Hall, while, as he
claims, be ives attempting to arresta mem
Der. 1t is claimed by a member who was
wounded by this policeman, that he tried
TO shoot, but his pistol being knocked up,
The ball sped harmlessy into the air, where
upon he seized the weapon on the barrel
and struck The member on the temple with
the bnit end 1t is said that oil hands in
/ ~ I ELI sbofr 20 -.
police had expended their shots. got up and
drove them ont OF the room with chairs,
&c After this, R. King Cutler is ead
to have demanded that every armed man
leave the room. Capt Blu Ike, formerly
Union Chief of Police. did so, and received
slight fe b wound 10 the side while pas
sing out. Another version Of this assault,
ia. that the policemen without demanding
the surrender of any one, poked their pistols
through the half open door and fred pro
miscuously at the crowd inside this, Will
a white flag was being displayed from
cane stuck up en- the speakers platform
1t is certain that so much confusion pre-
vailed inside that each of the stories ma,
have some foundation, for with the hubbut
orcasioned by the firing and the shouting
lof the one hundred or more men in the
hail. no one could see or hear anything OF
be sblc to tell exactly what occurred. .
| The mob and the police filled the side.
walk and the stairway Of the building
Shots were fred through the windows from
both in and outside. aud bricks, paving
stones, clubs and other missiles were throw u
from both directions. A gentleman named
Fox came down stairs aud was arrested /;
bnt on stating that he was merely o spec
tator was released. and walked across the
street, where he shielded himself on door
step. From his position he could see,inside
the building which he had jnst left. and be
states that only one person after him came
ont without being killed or badly wounded
as they came down stairs, by the police and
the mob of rioters accompanying hem. =
! GOV. Hahn, who is. lame and walks with a
crutch, was met on the stairs as he came
down, and escorted out TO the curb stone
by two policemen. On reaching the side
walk he was surrounded by about Nenty
persons who beat him on the back Of the
head with clnbS, and be re ceiyed a severe
stab in the back, also o pistol shot from
behind 1t is probable that this shot wns
fred by policeman. On reaching Canal
street be was placed in a carriage, and
under the charge of the Chief of Police was
taken safely to the lock up, He owes bis
life to the chief and his squad, as they pre-
vented him from being lynched. Fish,
Henderson, Shaw and other members were
treated likewise. On reaching the foot Of
the stairs they were beaten by the police
and the mob, and after being rendered in
sensible were dragged off to Jail An at
tempt to lynch Fisk was made on Cana!
street. but the police in charge of hin pre-
vented it, although they nearly killed him
themselves by heating him with the butts
OF their pistols But few freedmen were
arrested coming out Of the building, as they
were nearly all shot dead at sight, The
Rev Mr., Hortoni n clergyman from New
Hampshire, now in charge of a church in
this city. 6ficiated as CLaplain Of the Con-
ventiou. Iheard his prayer OF the opening,
in which he asked fervently, that the'ives
tof the members might be spared, and
thanked God that peace had been declared
in Europe, praying for the same blessing in
This country. In q habit peculiarly miais-
terisl, one which distinctly marked him as
o clergyman, he came down staira with o
white handkerchief on bis cane, intending