Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-30


brought his troops so quickly on the
scene, bloody riot would have been
kept up all night, and the consequences
are dreadful to contemplate.
The streets were lined with groups of
men, laughing and exulting at the break
ing up of the meeting, and expressions
were freely made that they hoped Kelley
had been killed.
Many of the negroes, who came to the
meeting unarmed, went home and re-
turned, armed, to the scene, and numer-
GUS encounters occurred between them
and the white rioters during the fight,
in different parts of the city. Others,
again, were so terrified that they hid in
back alleys and out-buildings, afraid to
go home till daylight.
TIMIDITY OF THE UNION MEN.
Before Colonel Shepherd arrived at
the Battle House consultation of some
of the Mobile friends of Judge Kelley
was held with him, and to show how
completely they are afraid of the rebel
authorities, some of them requested the
Judge to appeal to Colonel Shepherd for
military protection, which he declined
to do, alleging that this request should
come from citizens of Mobile and not from
him. But these gentlemen, apprehen-
sive of further violence to themselves,
were loath to make the request, and
while the subject was being discussed,
Colonel Shepherd and his troops arrived.
THE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
From official sources learn that two
white men and one colored man were
killed.
A white boy, about twelve years old,
was shot in the thigh, directly in front
of the stand, and carried Off
Abouttwenty or rtwenty-fivearek known
to have been wounded, many slightly,
and it is almost a miracle that 80 few
were hit, when the number of shots fired
are considered.
SHOTS FIRED AT THE SPEAKERS STAND.
An examination of the speakers stand
this morning shows dozen bullet marks
on the wall in the rear, which renders it
remarkable that so few casualties occur
red among those upon 1t.
1t is asserted that shots were fired upon
the stand from the roof of a house oppo-
site and from the windows of building
on the west side, directly in range of
Kelley's head. They evidently intended
to kill him, and if they did not succeed,
it was not lack of trying to do it.
PROXIMITY OF THE CITY AUTHORITIES.
The City Hall, with the Mayors office
and police headquarters, is located about
one hundred yards from the speakers
stand. No precautions were taken to
prevent riot, and no arrests have been
made by the police, except the arrest of
Files, the ex-Chief of Police, the first
man who interrupted Judge Kelley, and
undoubtedly the ringleader of the mob.
He was to day held by Mayor Withers in
Sc, 900 bail.
Only twenty policemen are available
for duty after the beats are supplied, and
the Mayor says these twenty men were
all at the meeting. If they were present,
they certainly did nothing toward arrest
ing the rioters, but on the contrary some
of them stood on the corner of Royal
street, where the most noisy group of
rioters assembled before the shooting
commenced and there is little doubt that
instead of their trying to stop the riot
they gave it aid and countenance.
WHAT is NEEDED HERE.
The prevailing sentiment here is de-
cidedly dsloyal. Mobile suffered little
by the war, and her citizens have that
insufferable arrogance of the fire-eating
Southerners of the anti-war times
Hence they look upon the advent of
Northern men as an intrusion, and are
unwilling to allow them to express their
sentiments openly and freely without
molestation. Their treatment of Judge
Netlcy is pTOOl vi blllS, anu w hile bOliic
would talk fairly to his face, they would
secretly encourage plots for his assassina-
tion.
The city needs thorough reconstruc-
tion. No halfway measures will answer.
Mayor Withers should be removed, for
the riot clearly shows that he is not the
man for the place, for who ever heard of
the Mayor of a city retiring to bis home
on an extraordinary occasion like this,
when he must have known that the most
inflammable materials were in existence,
and ready to explode, upon the slightest
provOcation, or without any prOvocation.
The City Council and police should
also be removed, and good Union men
placed in charge of the city government,
for there Is no safety in any other course.
The citizens are completely under the
domination of the rebel police and the
rebel press, which is malignant to an ex-
traordinary degree.
The subject has been laid before Gen.
eral Wager Swayne, and there is little
doubt that he will take such prompt
measures as the occasion requires.