Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-03-08
THE NEW ORLEANS MAS.
SACRE.
Official Report of the Congress
i0nal Committee.
Origin, Incidents, and Results
of the Riot.
Fearful Slaughter OF limo
cent People.
Who are Responsible for the Muir
ders-Not a Single Rioter
Punished

w Nv aiC <VSoROnoAOlC III LIZ @huA
ders-Not Single Rioter
Punished.
The committee examined twenty-four
persons as to the fact Of violence and
bloodshed upon that day. II is in evidence
that men who were in the hall, terrified by
the merciless attack of the armed police
sought safety by jumping from the win
dows, distance of twenty feet, to the
ground, and as they jumped were shot by
police or citizens; some, disfigured by
wounds, fought their way down stairs TO
the pavement Colored persons at distant
points in the city, peaceably pursuing their
lawful business, were attacked by the pol
ice, shot and cruelty beaten. Men of
charscter and position, some of whom were
members, and some spectators OF the Con-
vention, escaped from the hall, covered
with wounds and blood, and were preserv-
ed almost by miracle from death. Scores
of colored citizens bear frightful scars,
more numerous than many soldiers of u
dozen well-fought fields can show-proofs
of fearful danger and strange escapes; men
were shot while waving handkerchiefs in
token of surrender and submission; white
men and black, with arms uplifted, praying
for life, were answered by shot and blow
from knife and club; the bodies of some
were pounded to q jelly" colored man
was dragged from under street-croSsing
and killed at a blow; men concealed in
outhouses and among piles of lumber were
eagerly sought for, aid slaughtered or
manned without remorse; the dead bodies
upon the street were violated by shot, kick
and stab; the face of man lust breathing
his last was gashed by knife or razor in
the hands of woman; San old, gray-hair-
ed man." peaceably walking the street at a
distance from the Institute, was shot
through the head; negroes were taken out
of their houses and shot; a policeman rid
ing in buggy deliberately fired his revol-
yer from the carriage into crowd OF col
ored men; a colored man two miles away
from the Convention hall was taken from
his shop by the police at about four o'clock
on the afternoon of the riot and shot and
wounded in side, hip and back; one man
was wounded by fourteen blows, shots and
stabs; the body of another received seven
pistol balls; after the slaughter had meas
ureably ceased, carts, wagons and drays
driven through the streets gathered the
dead, the dying and the wounded in pro
miscuous loatis, u policeman inso me cases
riding in a wagon seated upon the living
men beneath him.
One remarkable fact should be stated in
this conncction-only one ''citizen" was
killed. He was young man named Cen
asa medical student or young physician
and he was killed, as it appears in proof,
by accident, and not by any Of the friends
of the Convention. Only ten policemen
were wounded, and none Ofthem severely,
and not one of them was slain.
Ifthe Convention had been armed, or il
the colored citizens had been called upon
in advance to come armed to protect and
defend the Convention, this could not have
been the case.
! This riotous attack upon the Conven
ton, with its terrible results of massacre
and murder, was not an ancident. 1t was
the determined purpose of the Mayor oi
the city of New Orleans to break up thi.
Convention by armed force.
We state one fact in this connection. sig
nificsnt both as bearing upon the question
oil preparation and as indicating the true
and prevailing feeling of the people of New
Orleans Six months have passed since
the Convention assembled when the massa-
ere was perpctrated and more than two
hundred men were slain and wounded.
This was done by city officials and New
/ Orleans citizens. But not one Of these
men has been punished, arrested or COM
! planned of. These officers of the law, liv-
ing in the city and known to that COM
munity, acting under the eye Of Supporters,
clothed with the uniform Of office, and
some of them known, as the proof shows,
to the chief officer of the police, have not
only escaped punishment, but have been
continued in their Office. The gentlemen
who composed the Convention have not,
however, been permitted to escape.
Prosecutions in the Criminal Court, under
an old law passed in 1906, were at once
commenced, and are now pending against
them for a breach Of the peace. These
facts tend strongly to prove that the GRIM
inal actors in the tragedy of the day were
the agents of more criminal employers,
and demonstrate the general sympathy of
the public in behalf of the men who did
the wrong. against those who suffered it.
1t is charged, as prominent and direct
cause of these riots; that incendiary and
turbulent meetings were held on Friday
evening, July %.
On SATURDAY morning. July Is, Lieuten-
ant Governor Vorhies and Attorney Gener-
al Heron sent the following telegram to
the President:
NRw ORLEANS, July 2S 1866.
President johnson, Washington, ID. c.:
Radical mass meeting, composed mainly
of large numbers Of negroes last night, end
ing in q riot. the Committee of Arrange
ments OF said meeting assembling tonight
Violent and incendiary speeches made;
negroes called to arm themselves; you bit
terly denounced. Speakers, Field, Dostie,
Hawkins, Henderson, Hiestand, and others.
Governor Hahn arrived last night, but
sides with the Convention move. The
whole matter before Grand Jury, but i'm
possible to execute civil process without
certainty of riot. Contemplated to have
the members of the Convention arrested
under process from the Criminal Court of
his District Is the military to interfere
10 prevent process of Court?
ALBERT VOORHEES,
Lieutenant Governor OF Louisiana.
ANDREW s. HERON,
Attorney General of Louisiana.
The committee inquired carefully into
he alleged facts upon which this telegram
vas founded.
There were three meetings upon this
yening. One was held within the hall of
be institute, ono outside the hall, at the
anne time, and one at the City Hail. in the
treet, after the close of the former meet
ngs.
The meetings at the Institute were held
To- H. 1