The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1866-05-11


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Below we publish extracts Gon
our Cincinnati and Memphis exchang
es, giving an account of one of tho
most disgraceful and horrible riots
that has ever occurred in this couu
try, in Memphis, Tennessee. The
scenes of the outbreak in New Yorl,
City were re enacted, the whole force
of the mob being directed against
the almost defenceless colored people
The reconstructed rebels of thai
place, should be treated to a little
more gunpowder and less of "my
policy" 1t seems to have been very
unfortunate for the Union people OF
the South, that the colored troops
were removed, as they are now a,
the mercy of our former enemies:
Tho difficulty commenced on the
lst inst, between some colored sol
diers of the 3d United States Heavy
Artillery, a regiment which has been
doing garrison duty for some two
years or more, and which was mus
tered out OF the service last week
and some other colorcd people IN
South Memphis. The quarrel had
ended and things were quiet, when Il
policeman and a fireman, who act
here as policemen, stepped in oil
ciously to arrest some OF the parties
This. was resisted, and in the conflict
which ensued, the fireman was killed
by a pistol shot from the negroes -
The policeman was wounded. But
the negroes did not fire until the 9th.
ers had fred several random but in
etfectual shots at them.
This was the occasion for gener.
al alarm. The entire body of the
police, who are Irish, and hate the
negro intensely, was called out, and
accompanied by several citizens,
among them some Of the city officials
armed with double barreled shotguns,
carbines, revolvers, etc, were quick.
ly mounted and on the spot, shooting
down any negro they might meet on
the way. They found the darkies
prepared to meet them, having been
re. enforced by several Of their com
panions in arms. The police began
the fray now by firing upon them,
which was returned, and for an hour
or more fierce fire was kept up be.
tween the. parties, until some half
dozen Of the negroes were killed, and
as many more wounded.
A company of the 10th Regulars,
on garrison duty here, were then
marched out of the fort and through
the streets, dispensing the crowd and
restoring comparative quiet, killing
another negro on the way. The row.
dies, who were the principal part of
those engaged with the Policemen in
tue matter, had become so excited
with rage and bad liquor, of which,
with the honorable ~ police they
had imbibed enough to madden ann
Of them, that they might shoot down
colored men and women wherever
they found them. AS the result of
this first evenings conflict, some
eight or ten colored men were killed,
including three women and several
children, and as many wounded. -
One white man was killed, and two
others wounded, the only white killed
by negroes during the whole riot.
Tho riot
was kept up all Wednesday night
Crowds of armed citizens were gath
cred at the corners. Many were half
drunk. The great feat of the roughs
was tho burning oi the colored school
houses, churches and homes. They
seemed TO have acted in concert. and
to have carried out u programme
which had been previously arranged.
This is shown by the clean sweep
which was made of every building
used for colored school or. place OF
worship by the colored people.
= An attempt was made to
fire every Government building in
town. In one that was burned, it Is
bald, that an immense amount of
Rartcrmasters' stores were destroy