The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-10-06

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diately responded to by vol-ey from
thesnegroes on the ourbs. " .E--
In the meantime, while the firing
was atits height, the utmost confu-
sion ensued. From the moment the
first yolley, or rather succession OF
yolleys. was fred, the negro men, and
women in the streets scattered in all
directions, shrieking and crying out
for help. Several fell in their hurry.
and others in the general rush fell
over them, until lat certain street
corners there were piles-so to
speak-of human beings rolling
about and yelling murder" at the
top of their voices. The negroes in
the procession were not o whit less
frightened. Dropping their torches,
banners, transparencies, flags and
notices, they broke into fragments
as though n regiment of cavalry were
at their heels. AS they ran down
streets and alleys they continued to
discharge their revolvcrs at random,
some III the air, others against the
houses they passed, and others among
the crowds fleeing before them, while
several attempts were made to fire
the awnings of some stores in Cherry
street.
About 200 of the most desperate
and drunken of the processionists,
after the "scare" had somewhat sub
sided, rallied round one of their lead.
ers and made n charge into saloon
where several persons had fed for
safety. The doors were barred
against them, and straightway the
windows were broken in with stones,
and volley after volley was poured in
through the broken panes, while
those from within on the ground floor
and others who had taken refuge in
the upper stores returned the fire
with interest. The police, to their
credit be it said, exerted themselves
to their utmost to repress the fight;
but they were but q handful in the
midst of the desperadoes, and several
of them were severely dealt with
before quiet was restored.
Just as the rioters were on the
point of entering the saloon en- masse,
two companies of United States
troops were deserted coming down
the street with fixed bayonets, and
then another stampede took place,
every negro running wherever he
thought he could find shelter. all of
them. however, continuing to fire off
their pistols through every street
through which they passed. Qniet
having been thoroughly restored, de-
tachments of the military were sta
toned at the police headquarters and
ut the capitol, while others were held
as patrols in the vicinity of the scene
of the riot.
Up to midnight, several bands of
the negroes who had been in the
procession, roamed about the town,
threatening to burn the city to the
ground, but they were finally dis
persed by the police. Four persons
were badly wounded during the fight,
and one negro, named Padden, has
since died of the wounds he received
on the occasion. No white man was
engaged in the riot on either side,
although there can be no doubt that
If the negroes had made an attack on
the whites, as several of them had
threatened to do, fearful slaughter
would have been the certain result.
To-day the election passed off quiet
ly, the presence of the United States
troops at some of the polls at the
close of the day, and the experiences
of the night previous, proving amply
sufficient to deter even the most
desperate from renewing the riot.
MIR. EDITOR: From knowledge re-