The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-02-21
Ohe Atno51a Celegraph
Tsarsday, Feb. 2lt,, 1857.
The New Orleans Riot.

The New Orleans Riot
Report ofthe Congressional Investigating Com
altttee.
Messrs. Eliot and Shellabarger have sub
mitted to the House Of Representatives ma
iority report upon the New Orleans Riots
They begin by saying that in the discharge OF
their duty they have examined one hundred
and ninety-seven Witnesses one hundred and
fifty nine Of whom were residends Of New Or
leans, and forty seven of whom were sent be
fore the committee by citizens. They recite
the history of the movement to reassemble
the State Convention, which is generally known
and say that the legality of this move
ment was warmly discussed in New Orleans
but that the real cause Of the feeling against
it was the ayowed purpose Of some Of tits pro.
moters to disfranchise rebels and enfrsnchise
negroes They add that The proofbelore them
is ample fhat no intention existed to take any
action until the electioa ordered by Governor
Wells had been held and delegates chosen from
the unrepresented districts. They then give .
narrative oftle events Of July 30th.
The ''first shot" was fired at a coIored pro
cession on its way to the Institute where the
Convention met. Many of tue negroes had
canes in their hands, but none were armed,
carman iostled one of them over Getting W
the negro struck him, when he fired at him.
Another shot was fired almost at the samC
moment at the procession. At the door
of the Institute there was more firing al
the negroes, who replied with few brickbats
At 70 o'clock the Convention was called K
order, the roll called, prayer offered, and re
cess ordered o procure the attendance of alb
sent members. Many of those present expec
ted arrest, but none Of them seem TO have an
ticipated the massacre, notwithstanding tn,
threats which had been freely made Soon Of
ter the recess begun, the firing at the door re
ferred to above, attracted the notice of thos'
in the hall. Judge Howell went down stairs
and had brief interview with an officer 0
General Bairds staff. They parted with thu
impression that there would be no serou
trouble But the Judge had barely re-enterec
the hall when the firing broke out again, ant
lasted for two or three minutes. This occa
stoned much alarm. Judge Howell went a
once to the Governors room, but found tina
he had gone home. He had begun note t,
him, when the crowd moved upon the build
ing, firing through the windows.
THE MASSACRE.
The details of the massacre in the hall arr
substantially the same as those published a
the time in the Union papers. The police
rushed four times into the hall, discharged
theirreyolvers, and were beaten back again
by the negroes with chair rounds, sc. A sfev
of the negroes had pistols. Before the fftl
ATTACK, an officer Of the police force, apparent
ly a sergeant, came 10 the door and waved
handkerchief. Mr.. O'Cohnell asked him if tn,
police would protect them against the mob
He said, eyes, wen protect YOU and gave
MIR. 0'ConnelI his hand in token of good faith
The barricade of chairs was then taken down
land the negroes sent to the other end of tht
hall. The police then rushed in as before
shouting as they fired, Wen protect you,
and similar ordinations.
Mr.. OConnell testilies that at the first dis
charge outside the Rev Mr. Horton, who hat
opened the meeting with prayer, and who wa
afterwards murdered, and Mr.. Cutler, stepped
upon the rostrum, and in loud voice called
upon all persons in the hall to take seats in
side of the bar and be quiet, and above al
things to keep away from the windows rr5 Z
fire nothing from the windows and to clos
the windows which was done.
AT one Of the first rushes into the hall, Mr
Horton waved handkerchief, and told Tx
police that they were unarmed, that no resist
ance would be made, that they desired to bC
arrested and protected. He was shot and thc
i g
eral rule, refused to make any arrests. One O.
their officers said that no one should come out
of the hall alive. There were instances of hui
manity, but they were rare exceptions. Out
side the hall a crowd of roughs and fremer
were ready to intercept any one who might
escape, as some attempted to do, through the
windows.
Negroes were shot wherever found, and il
many eases were hunted out from their houses
lonc was dragged from undera street-crossine
and killed at blow; men concealed in out
houses and among piles of lumber were eager
\ ly sought for, and slaughtered or manned
i without remorse; the dead bodies upon the
treet were violated by shot, kick and stab
yae face Of man gust breathing his last was
gashed By knife or razor in the hands of a
woman; a policeman riding in a buggy delfb-
erately fired his revolver from the carriage in
to q crowd ofcol5red men; colored man two
miles away from the Convention hall was Ia
ken from his shop by the police at about four
o'clock of the afternoon Of the not and shot
and wounded in side, hipa back; one man
was wour led by fourteen blows, shots and
stabs; the body ofanother received seven pis-
toll balls. After the slaughter had measurablv
ceased, carts, wagons and drays driven thro'
the streets gathered the dead, the dying and
wounded in 'promiscuous loads q policeman
in some cases riding in the wagon seated upon
the living men beneath him"
These facts were established before the COM
mittee by the concurrent testimony ofseventv-
four witnesse-. The number Of killed and
wounded cannot be accurately known. The
committee estimate it at more than 200 car
ried away and buried One witness testified:
81 saw dray taking five or six of those
wounded away I heard drayman say, where
win 7 take them TO ? and policeman said
Throw them in the river One witness
says that he saw from twenty to thirty car
rage loads Of killed and wounded. Dr.. Har-