Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1868-04-17

plantation. AT their meeting they sta
toned picket guards along the road,
armed with muskets aud shotguns, who
stopped all the colored men on their way
to the picnic, aud in some instances even
white citizens, whom they threatened
with violence. They forcibly dragged
one colored man from tho carriage Of q
white gentleman, and by threats and
actual violence compelled all colored
men to join their political meeting. Some
ofthese colored men, however, succeeded
in breaking through their lines and went
on 10 the picnic.
In the meantime everything at the pic
mic was passing Off with the utmost har.
mony and good feeling. White and
black men, all seemed TO enjoy the occa-
sion, and whilst the repast was being
prepared and arranged, Col. w. M.Small-
wood was called upon to address the
meeting, and did so in most appropri-
ate manner, urging the white people TO
cultivate and encourage the most ami
able feelings toward the blacks. and the
blacks TO act in the same spirit toward
the whites. II was the common interest,
he argued, Of white and black, that we
should all be friends, aud labor to pro-
mote the happiness and prosperity oi
each other; and the man who sought to
ALLEVIATE the feelings Of the two races was
the enemy of both. Let the black man
stand by the white man, he added, and
the white man would then stand by him;
but il he attempted to compass the ruin
Of the white race, as many bad men had
urged him TO do, that course would only
end in his own ruin and be fatal to the
peace of the country. The speech was
we'll adapted to the time and the occa'
sion, and was received with hearty ap-
plause and satisfaction by everybody
present.
After Col Smallwood had concluded,
DR.. Knapp was called upon and pro-
ceeded to address the people in very
much the same strain; but in the midst
of his address drums were heard down
the road in the direction of the Warmoth
meeting. In the distance could be dis
tinctly seen the approaching column
with flags flying. On it came, and at
the head OF it was H. G. Warmoth,
the Radical candidate for Governor,
accom- mpanied by Col. ]. H. Sypher,
Radical candidate for Congress, DR..
Southworth, of the Republican news
paper, Gen. A. l.. Lee, Major Copeland,
Radical candidate for State Senate, and
Mr.. John Pardee and Thomas Ong. In
passing, these individuals made slight
halt, and rose up to look into the inclo.
sure where the Conservative picnic was
being held. They then moved on, and
| Immediately after them came their black
followers marching in column like sol
diers, and all more or less well armed,
some with double -barreled shot-guns,
some with muskets, and the balance with
clubs and pistols. Warmoth established
himself at 0ngs residence, half mile
below, whilst the rioters proceeded to
execute the programme that had evi-
| IDENTIFY been prearranged for them.
In the meantime couriers were con-
stantly passing between those headquar-
ters and the negro rioters. After War
moth had reached Ong's place, all the
hands there were marshaled and pushed
| forward as reinforcement to the rioters.
As soon as the black column came OPP
posite the picnic party they commenced
firing their guns and shouting and yell
| ing like savages. With loud impreca :
| tions they declared their intention to
murder certain Conservatives, particu-
larry Grief Robinson, colored Conserva-
tive orator. and they sought every OPP
portunity to do so, and would no doubt
have accomplished their purpose to.
wards him bad he not been hurried of
into the woods for security. The rioters
bcontinued to move up and down the road,
occasionally firing their guns, and en-
deavoring to get at the Conservative col
ered men. AS was to be expected, when
the rioters thus presented themselves,
| the Conservatives kept themselves within
the incosure, but several colored men
were dragged into the road and terribly
beaten. Two of them were wounded by
gunshot--one severely, perhaps mortally.
Mr.. Manuel Mesa, white man, received
a shot through his hat. The colored man
who was so severely wounded had pre-
viously been very badly beaten with a
club, and at the time he was shot was
being taken home by his friends. The
Radicals jumped up into the wagon, in
which he was lying, to shoot him, and did
shoot him as he lay in the bottom Of the
wagon.
The rioting was kept up for more than
two hours, and but for the courageous
efforts Of the conservative white men,
would have proved most bloody affair.
1t is fact that should not escape remark,
that the white radicals did not make the
least effort to quell the disturbance,
although fully cognizant of all that was
taking place. The first gun shot oc.
Cured in the hearing of Warmoth, as it
is impossible that he could have gotten
more than two or three hundreds yards
on his way to Ongs before it occurred.
Besides, couriers were seen going to and
returning from his headquarters during
the riot. One of our contemporaries says
that the interval between the time that
Warmoth passed and the arrival of the
regular column was about fifteen min
utes. We are assured by a number OF
gentlemen who we're present that the in
terval did not exceed two or three min
utes, and that when Warmoth passed, his
followers were not more than two hun
dred yards behind him. 1t is the belief
of every white man present at the picnic
that the whole thing was planned aud
arranged at the Warmoth meeting before
it adjourned, and was diabolical at