The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1867-05-29
The Mobile Riot.
PARTICULARS BY AN EYE WITNESS.

A Mobile correspondent of the Mont.
gomtry Advertiser, gives the following
account of the recent riot:
Mr.. Kelly commenced bis discourse by
abiding very derisively to the epithet Of
"no,orious Radical which had been
given him since he came South, and said
that he came "to serve his cour try, aud
n political faction"
For some twenty minutes quiet and
order markell the proceedings of the meet,
ing. At first lie told the people to forget
the past and all unpleasant memories
After this twenty minutes had passed with
comparatively no disturbance, the speaker
retrospect ed and alluded to the "CIark
amendment in Congress years ago, and
its relations to the se,tement Of the ques.
,ion Of slavery" (Some person cried out
ats a lie !") The speaker continued to
discourse, his manner and. words waxed
warmer as he advanced and amplified
upon this inhsmmatory theme. He spoke
OF the great privileges and rights 1T WAS
now the freeirnan's right to eujov," which
occ"sioned deafening applause from the
blacks
Sill, the remarks of the speaker as.
sumed more innammatcry and in ccndi
ary tone, and were calculated to excite
Southern men. He.spoke to the negro in
this strain-A"These men who were once
your masters, fought for four long wears to
perpetuate your slavery, while we fought
to make and perpetuate yonr freedom.-
You had no privileges, but you were
abused and matreated bv them whec
they owned YOU, and you made them rich
by your labor. Now you are as free as
any man, and | am here TO talk with vou
about exercising the rights, immunities,
and privileges OF citizen Of the great
United States, and to tell you Of Your
duty to the party who set you free Tim
mense applause and cries of put him
ont!) These men ought to thank YOU
for your faithful service which you render
ed them; and these very men who tried
to rlvet slavery upon you, now want to 90
to Congress with vour vote"
These remarks were irritating in the
extreme and excited the vile passions OF
some Iaw'ess characters. They ahnoved
the speaker, and he would, with some re
mark Of sleeping venom, indulge in un
necessary bOmbast and thereby elicit great
applause from the blacks. SO it went on
and the storm was brewing. lie then
spoke of the Confederate dead in n very
disrespectfu manner, aud finished this
point by indulging in an elaborate and
i'll timed encomium upon the "Federal
dead, vino died to free the negro, and
to avenge the public wrcng." (Cries of
:.'give him negro harem")
IL was now few minutes after nine
o'clock. when he went back 10 the DAYS
OF 1917, and began to speak Of how the
South had acted then with regard to the
question Of slavery. Mems blood boiled
with rage and excitement "a voice from
the crowd, "Put him down.'O The speak
er said, "You can't put me down and
YOU had better not try it. for here are
some Of the 18th US Infantry, Al my
back (Cries Of "put him down.D-
Said the speaker, "lf these can't sustain
me, 'h" 18th. regiment can do it, and If
the l5'h Uni'ci States Infantry can't
protect a lrvaI subject while speaking to
the down trodden thachs and Union men
in Mobile. the United States Amy can
do it." Cries Of Put him down" came
up from many quarters Of the assembly,
and he conld not continue to speak.
Just at this juncture the Chief o. Police
went to arrest a very noisy man in the
crowd, and then the smothered feelings of
some characters were put in pPctical de
monstration by making the rupture open
and the disturbance general The large
body Of blacks surged to and fro like bill
lows Of a storm troubled sea. A panic
seized the blacks and they began to STAN.
pede. Three shots were first fired in the
street, and c'u' s were used freely. TheIe
was rapidS but random fire issuing from
dense crowd of negroes on the ruins OF
the old court house building around the
speakers stand. The city bell immedi
atelv sounded the alarm, and two com
panies were Immediately dispatched to
the scene Of action to quell the distur
bance.
Shots were being fired from the juno
ton ofRoyal and Government streets from
the old courthouse building. from the
north eide Of Govern ment and from the
left of the building at the corner Of ROYAL
and Government, all contemplated on.ihe
centre Of the latter street. The firing bel
CAVE rapid, and there was a running fire
down Royal toward Dauphin. up Dauph
in, up Government, and up Cont street,
for some twenty minutes until the militia
ry got on the ground. Sope persons
were killed and some wounded bow
many has not yet been ascertained.