Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1867-06-28
Interesting Letter from Judge Abel ON the
Louisiana Troubles.

To the President OF The T3aited States, Major
General y. s. Grant, and Mayor General
p. II. Sheridan:
Nothing could astonish one more than to
find the extraordinary statements contain
ed in the telegram from General Sheridan
to General Grant dated the 9th inst. So
far as it relates tome, nothing could be more
at variance with the record and facts of the
case. It seems to me that they are not on
ly made in error, but are most incredible.
Judge Abel repeats here the letter al
ready published of General Sheridan to
General Grant, of June 6, giving his rea-
sons for removing from office Monroe, Her
ron and Abel, and thus concludesl:
Respect for the officers of my government
forbid my characterizing this telegram in
the language that it certainly appears to
deserve, or such as General Sheridan sees
fit to use towards officers Of rank and MGR
it. [ shall content myself with q candid
and earnest refptation of the numerous
groundless assertions made in it.
In the third paragraph of the telegram
General Sheridan sayS:-'F The court over
which Judge Abell presided is the only Grim
inal court in the city Of New Orleans. For
period of at least nine months previous to
the Both of July he had been educating a
large portion of the community TO the per
petration of this outrage, by almost proml-
sing them no prosecution IN his court
against the offenders in case such an event
occurred" This statement is extraOrdi-
nary, without foundation, and utterly I'M
possible. L never thought Of such a thing.
1t is utterly impossible that / could have
known, nine months previous to the Both
of July, that such a meeting would take
place. The c0nven.ionists and their friends
held nearly every office in the State, and
ON llTlln wifi hn +n+i
Its author, General Banks, pronounced it
s. the best ever made" President Lincoln
said ''it was q most excellent constitution"
The cOnventionists continued to hold near
ly all the offices under it until they were
displaced by the newly elected democrats,
which occurred only about three months
before the riot. How could 7 know, nine
months before, that these men would as
semble to alter so good q constitution, I'M
less the General ranks me with
Chacas the wise, the Grecian priest and guide,
That sacred seer, whose comprehensive view
The past, the present and the future knew.
If the General be satisfied with his as
sertions I shall not complain. He pro-
ceeds-'"Tho records of the court will show
that he fulfilled his promise, as not one of
the guilty ones has been prosecuted" This
assertion is plainly contradicted by the rec
ord referred to- It shows that the Grand
ty-iye of those whom they believed to be
the guilty parties, and i'll doing 50 they
cOncurred with General Sheridan, who tel
egraphed to the President that the meeting
of the Convention was the immediate cause
Of the riot and the law only Furnishes
those who are theimnlediatec cause OF breach
es of the law.
Gen Sheridan proceeds-''In reference
to Andrew S. Heron, | considered it his
duty to indict these men before the crimi-
nal court. This he failed to do, but went
so far as to attempt to impose on tie good
sense of the whole nation by indicting the
victims of the riot instead of the rioters
in other words, making the innocent gull
ty, and the guilty innocent. lie was, there
fore, an abettor and coadjutor with Judge
Abel in bringing on the massacre of the
goth of July" Fortunately for the coun-
try, what amounts to unlawful assemblies,
riots, &C., are questions of law, and not
mere opinions Of our generals. | did
everything in my power by legal means to
prevent that meeting, and l have always
believed that, had the military com
manders Of this department done half that
I did to prevent the meeting, there would
have been no assembly, no riot, and cOnse-
quently no blood shed and + so stated in
q letter to General Sheridan which had
the honor Of addressing him on the 29th
August last The cOnventiOnists claimed,
up to the very day Of their assembling,
that they had promise Of military assistance;
and if their assertion has been denied l
have never seen it.
Finally, the General says &c Mayor
Monroe controlled the clement engaged in
this riot, and when backed by an Attorney
General who would not prosecute the gull
ty, and Judge who advised the Grand
Jury to find the innocent guilty and let
the murderers 60 free, felt secure in en-
gaging his police force In the riot and mas
sacre. With these three men, exercising q |
large influence on the worst element in this |
city, giving to these elements an immunity |
for riot and bloodshed, the General in Chief
will see how insecure [ felt in letting them
occupy their positions in the troubles which |
Dlight occur i'll registration and voting in !
the reorganization. So far as / am con-
cerned the statement here made has no |
in fact. 1t is too unreasonable |
to gain credence among an intelligent peo- |
pie. My charges to the Grand jury are on |
file in the First District Court, and will |
show exactly the contrary. | am prepared |
to prove by the whole pannel of the Grand |
Jury, most of whom are of equal intelli- |
gence and worth with General Sheridan or
myself, that [ never gave them such advice
rs here stated. [ never spoke to them on
that or any other subject before them sx
,ept through my charges, which are on file
md cannot be garbled, AS to controlling
he elements of which General Sheridan
speaks, with the exception of the occur
,ence of the Both of July, no city in the
United States had order better preserved.
That that occurrence was forced upon the
people by irresonsible men admits of no
loubt.
[ have endeavored to show to the Chief /
Executive officer of the United States, to
Generals Grant and Sheridan, that the
telegram of the 9th inst, from General
Sheridan to General Grant is unsustained |
Dy facts and unjust in its application. /
ask that it be oyerruied as in
and that myself and the officers
Of the State of Louisiana and Corporation
IF New Orleans be restored to the functions
If their offices until superseded By officers
elected under q new constitution, as in
tended by Congress, as clearly appears by
5he sixth section OF the act of March last,
which declares ''that until the people of the
said rebel States shall be by law admitted
to representation in the Congress Of the