, 1868-10-02
The Camilla Riots.

The Camilla Riots.
ATLANTA, Sept 22.-Two accounts of the
riot at Camilla are received-one from Freed.
mel, through Major Howard, Assistant Con-,
missioner of the Freedmen's Bureau, and one
from sheriff Poor, of Mitchell county. Maj.
Howard says: Ishmael jimmie, freedman,
staies that he left Camilla on the afternoon
Of lhe 29th. On the forenoon of that day he
approached Camilla with Jno. Murphy, VIM.
| 3 Pearce, candidates for Congress, F. f.
Icy, White, and about seventy FIVE ne
80 Y en- route for Camilla, where Pearce
es. Upon spPfSsctRRISSss tRR lSiifs, the narrator
being in advance, vas arrested by an armed
mounted white man. de FIRST stated that he
was in search of q doctor to attend freed
man hurt BY the falling of tree, but he SUBJ
sequently stated hat he was the courier
He advised the patty not to go to town !;
that the people wen determined the radiS
Gals should not speak there. Notwithsiaud-
ing this warning, the party moved on, when
they were met by the Sheriff and posse, who
accosted Capt Pearce He was assured by
Pearce that he desired and should speak in
Camilla on political subjects. The Sheriff
tried to dissuade him from doing SO, telling
him the people would not permit it. The
Sheriff then went back, but again returned,
saying he had done all in his power to dis
suade the people from violence, but it was of
no avail The party moved on to town.
Pearce and Pullney entered town, dismount.
ed and hitched their horses at the Court
House
AS the wagon containing music entered
town it was fired on by mounted white men,
who had accostod him and by several other
white men, and that freedmen started to es-
cape to the woods. Pearce attempted to rally
them, calling on them not to fly. The col,
ored men being unarmed, would not stop.
The party being mounted, dashed out of
town, past the freedmen, who were on foot,
and passed the musicians, who had abandon
ed the wagon. The Sheriff states that Muir.
ply had secretly circulated circular among
the colored men of the country, ordering
them to bring arms to the meeting advertised
for the 10Th. At the request of citizens,
Sheriff Poor, with committee of leading
men, met the procession when it was march>
ing toward town, and assured Pearce that the
the citizens had no objections to their march.
ing, but did object to their entering the town
with arms. Murphy and Pearce said the
guns belonged to the negroes, who were in
the habit of carrying them wherever they
went. The sheriff replied that as a peace
officer, it was his duty to forbid the assem-
biaane of armed men at political meetings,
and be assured :hem that if they entered the
town with music and Sanners, followed by
armed men, it would be breach Ct the peace,
and he would not be responsible for the con-
sequences The procession moved on into
town, headed by Pearce and Murphy, in a
buggy, armed with double barreled shot guns,
Soencer rifles and two pistols, with a guam,
tty Of ammunition. The next four horses
contained the band and a number of armed
negroes. Then followed a column of negro
men on foot, between three and four hundred,
attended by about twenty mounted out riders.
1t least one half, if not two-thirds of them,
we're armed with guns, and most with pistols
The music was playing and the crowd was
Disy and threatening in their conduct
Joseph johnson, an intoxicated citizen, or>
dered the music to stop, but it did not and
the column moved on. Johnson's gun was
discharged, but in an opposite direction from
the procession, when the column fred a
vdley, many atJohnson, but mostly atNiple's
store, where six unarmed citizens were woun.
dsd Immediately about 20 citizens sprang
tt arms and fred into the column, by which
two negroes were killed and an unknown
number wounded. The negroes Immediately
hoke to thick cluster of timber a hundred
yrds north of the Court House. At this
pint there was an attempt made by Pearce
tt rally his routed forces. Citizens to the
number of about thirty, part being mounted,
unde charge and completely routed the
whole force, Pearce flying to the woods and
Murphy escaping in buggy, on the road
hwards Albany. Several negroes were killed.
From the information we have, thirty or
firty are wounded, all of whom have been
properly cared for. The Sheriff goes on to
express the regrets the citizens Of Camilla
entertain at the necessity which brought
think it was their duty to obey the order Of
Nhe Sheriff to break up the armed assem-,
Hage.-Oregonidn.