The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-09-23

| Ia, last saturday. The following particulars
nave been telegIaphed from cambridge, twenty.
four miles from the scene of the riot:
| Plerce, Radical nominee for Congress, and
| Murphy, ex-burean agent, with about two hun.
dred negroes armed and eqUiped, started on Fri
| day for Camilla with three weeks proyisions and
| boxes of new arms and equipments the intention
being to overawe the citizens and kill the leading
democrats OF the town and vicinity. Before
starting friendly negro exposed the plan, and a
negro courier was dispatched to Camilla TO inform
the citizens what was going on. delegation of
three prominent citizens met the mob at China
| Church, hve miles from town. The governor g
| proclamation disarming and fOrbidding armed or
| CARNATIONS was read, but they paid no attention
| TO it, and determined TO march on the TO wn and
| kill whom they chose.
Two more deputations demonstrated with the
negroes, enIreating them to come in without arms
| and they should not be molested. All efforts to
| dissuade were fruitless and the negroes marched
| into town with banners flying and drums beating
| They numbered nearly four hundred, numbers
having joined on the route. The mob halted and
clamored for the blood of a man named Johns.
! Johns in company with DR.. Twity, presented
himself, when hundred guns were leveled at
| them.
The former being intoxicated fred and the rest
| commenced, the mob firing at every one they
| could see. The citizens, white and colored raj.
| lied, gathering about fifty stand of arms. The
| mob was vigorously attacked and driven back,
beating hssiy retreat, which spread into panic.
| The negroes were then pursued five miles losing
thirty five killed and many wounded. The total
| lose SO far as ascertaned being from seventyfye
to one hundred in killed and wounded
Pierce and Murphy are reported mortally
wounded. Owing TO the panic among the mob
| only five whiIes were severely wounded. The
colored citizens of the town are reported to have
| rallied promptly with the whites in defeating the
mob. Their stores and munitions were captured
amounting to three weeks provisions and boxes
OF aims. At last accounts Camilla was quiet.
The news Of q riot at Camilla has caused some
excitement. IL is known that the negroes are
armed throughout the State, but the whites have
no serious fears of disturbances If the negroes are
not preclpitated into riots through pernicous
counsels and violent appeals to their passions.
ATLANTA, Sept. 22.-The particulars of the riot
at Camilla, as telegTaphed from Bainbridge to Au-
gusta yesterday, are incorrect and exaggerated.
The following gives the account of both sides: O,
II. Howard, brevet major U. S. A.. sub.assistant
commissioner freedmen's bureau, telegraphs Gen.
Sibley, commanding the district, the following
from Albany, Sept. 10th:
At o'clock p. NJ, Ishmael Sunnor, freedman.
reported himself directly from Camilla, Mitchell
county, stating that he had left there at o'clock
P. NJ That in the forenoon of this day he ap-
preached Camilla with John Murphy, WIN. K.
Pearee, candidate for Congress, second district
and +. F. Putney, white, and about seventy-fve
colored persons, all en- route for Camilla. where
Pearce and Murphy were to deliver political ad
dresses. Upon approaching Camilla, the relator
being IN advance, was accosted by an armed and
mounted white man, who at first stated that he
was in search of a doctor to attend freedman
who had been hurt by the falling of a tree, but
who stated that he was q courier, and ad-
vised relator and oihers of the party
who had overtaken bin, not to go to
town, that the people there were determined
that the Radicals should not speak in Camilla.
That Notwithstanding the warning the party
moved on towards Camilla, when they were met
by the sheriff and his posse, who sccosted Capt.
Pearce, and who was assured by Capt. Pearce
that he desired and intended to speak in Camilla
on political subjects. The sheriff endeavOred to
diccpadn m rom 90 i'm hat ha
people would not permit it; that the sheriff then
went back into Camilla and again returned, say.
ing he had done all in his power to dssuade peo.
pie from violence, but with no avail; that the
party moved on to town; that Pesrce and Putney
entered town, and dismounted from their buggy
ard hitched their horse TO the courthouse that
as the wagon containing the music of the party
entered town, it was fired upon by the mounted
man who had Just accosted him and by several
other white men that the freedmen then started
to escape to the woods; that Pearce attempted
to rally them, calling on them not to fly; that the
cOlored men being unafmed would not stop;
relator being mounted dashed out Of town past
the freedmen on foot and past musicians, who
had abandoned the wagon that Murphy and
Philip Joiner, In buggy, also drove rapidly away
towards Albany; that the relstor kept ahead Of
them; that when about seven miles from Camilla,
the buggy containing Murphy and Joiner was
overtaken by five or six white men mounted
and armed; that the buggy was stopped; that
one horse dashed, riderless, up the road towards
relator; that lie then came as rapidly as possible
to Albany.
The following Is the statement of the sheriff of
Mitchell county, sworn 10 by himself and other
prominent citizens. Ii is addressed to the mem.
beTs of the Legislature:
On Saturday, 10th inst, il was made known 70
the citizens of Camilla that John Murphy, of AL
baDy. Ga, had issued a circular and secretly cir
oulsted same among colored men Of this county,
ordering them to bring their arms with them to
the political meeting advertised for that day at
this place. The information was corroborated by
statements made by Robert Cocran, Sr., Thomas
Jones and others, who came from the road in the
direction of Albany, stating that armed negroes
were assembling in large numbers at China
| Grove Church, waiting for the delegation from Al
bany, headed by said Murphy and Pearce, caudi-
| dates for Congress, who were TO be the speakers
for the occasion. At the request Of the citizens,
NJ. j. PoOTe, sheriff, with committee OF six other
| citizens, went out to meet said procession
| and to protest against armed negroes be.
| ing marched in procession in our town,
and to state to them distinctly that If they
would put down their arms, no objection would
be made to their entering tjwn aud holding their
political meeting. The sheriff delivered this mes
| sage to Murphy and Pearce, leaders Of the pro-
cession, and they replied that they had nothing to
do with those armed men, the guns belonged to
them, and that they were in the habit of carrying
| them wherever they went. The sheriff replied
| that as peace officer il was his duty under the
| law TO forbid the assemblage Of armed men at
political meetings, and assured them that if they
| entered town with their music and banners, fol.
| lowed by armed men, as they then were, that
| there would be a breach OF the peace, and he
| would not be responsible for consequences.
| Shortly afterwards the column moved in town IN
regular order, headed by Pearce, candidate for
! Congress, and one Putney, white, in a buggy,
armed with q double barrel shot gun, Spencer
| rife and two pistols with quantity OF ammuni-
| ton, as was afterwards ascertained next four
| horse wagon containing q band and a number OF
| armed negroes; next followed the column Of ne
| gro men on foot between three and four hundred,
| attended by about twenty mounted outsiders; al
lesst one.hslf, if not two-thrds, were armed with
| guns, and most Of them with pistols music play
| ing, and the crowd noisy and threatening
| in their conduct; Murphy and one
/ Philip Joiner, negro, in buggy IN
\ the rear. As the head Of the column
/ approached the square one of our citizens, Jas
/ Johns, who was intoxicated. approached within
| few feet of the column and ordered the music to
| stop, which was not obeyed. The column moved
on, and when about twenty steps from Johns ;
| gun was fred, whether intentionally or uninten-
| tonally is not known. but il was pointed in diff