New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-04
THE MISSISSIPPI STEAMBOAT OUTRAGE


cuars Of the outrage on deck hands Of tho steameE
Dubuque. It says:
The most fearful and bloody Of murders per-
petrated on the Upper Mississippi River aud Of charac
ter never before a steamboat In these waters
were committed the Northern Line steamer Dubuque
John b. Rhodes Captain at and near the eveo at HamP
Five negroes deck hands, were victims OF the prejudice
and erocity OF Of raftsmen aud were beaten cut
and drowned. The steamer left Davenport at about
o'clock In the morning She Is known of the finest
packets IN her line. Her deck crew was composed OF
majority were negroes When che left here. the mats
informs u.s. she had over 200 deck PASSENGERS on board
a third Of whom were raftsmen, the remainder being
harvest hands She also had over 100 cabin passen
gers The deadly riot commenced little after O'clock
as the steamer nearing Hampton. Mr. Jones' SECOND
clerk went on deck to examine tickets and receive fare
and stationed coOred deck hand named Moses Dayison
at the stairway to prevent deckers from going above
while he was thus employed; soon raItsman, wen
fine stairs DAWSON stopped him, after brief
rel blows were passed. The mate, John +. Sweet inter
PGsea anna u the rafmen and by Lynch himself
there was no trouble for ten minutes or So DAWSON
stood side and bore their insults without returning
word BY this time the boat was az the leyee AZ last
tho raftsmen formed kind KIND. Of ring on on the the
vson was hustled alongside OF him, and COM
manded TO fight it out. Lynch didn't ike the LOOKS
for him with chunk of coal In Instant ~ If the
matter had been agreed upon as many as - oI 5hG @
Of the raftsmen ran 70 the shore ana armed se
colored men. But Lynch and one Ted Butler, with
dozen followers commenced hunting the negroes on the
hurricane deck and secreted himself under the eboa
aft of the Texas. The Lynch gang went sweeping
ieapng to the shore, and rushing for upstsiLs
Two Of them caught aft OF the engines teTrloy
leap the water. The passengers saw them SINK ins
medate and that was t5 the a SSod 'f tSe,
went down. The names were VIM Olmstess
and Clayton Jones Both We're G9 from be sspSosrS
guards across the Of the boilers to the arooare
guards Where ne Tesd n iii he
Then half dozen villains seized him. ran MN 20 tne
o adV passepSers who saw him as he sank from the
windows OF the passage of the ladies' cabin that
as iS The fourth negro who was murdered
pursued up stairs along tho cabin guards aud across the
the stairs to the deck again. He fed toward the stern
was caught and plunged into the river AS he struck
the water great piece OF coal struck MN on tne neaos
and he went the bottom About ten OF the negroes e
capped to the shore and ran away ,D
After the murder of the negroes mentonsa ABOVE va
all through the places and by-ways on deek anu ao9
the guards OF the cabin and on the hurricane oech Az
last Lynch spied Dawson as the latter lay cufled up %
der the lfe-boat he cried OUT, heIG ,L sou .,
bitch" Dawson heard him, ana turning the DOat Ups
cabin stairs Lynch crled "Thats the one we want"
and with three others pursued him Down on the deek
Dawson sashed his bowels with knife The negro then
place where four Of his fellows had met their
jumped into the river aud padded with his hands for
while az! kept his head out OF water Two men ser Sut
could get him he ceased his efforts and sankl Pa
sehgels eOdoS 10 o severl negroes were locked M
i'm state in the ladies' cabin One instance mem
TONED particularly The Rev D. c Mccoy, Of Macomb Ill,
Was i'm his state room with his WIFE negro nearly
cred with blood from cut In his throat fairy BOUNDED
save me- Missisw The lady, perfectly ignorant of the
terrible work going on outside, Immediately closed the
men outside and the cry Where is the belion Then
there a rush back Tor the bow and her proege was
safe He remained IN the room more than an hour hr
Mccoy sp0nged his wounds and bound them, and made
the poor fellow as comfortable possible Several o.
the hunted hands were seereted IN the texas
S r. the % isg' Davenport wou nsS
company with VIM. Alexander Of East ST. Louis, and
another colored man whose name he did not know The
three were standing near the hlchlhs SHOWN as inc nk
GER" when the hunt began Immediately SIX or seVea
scoundrels made for them White jumped over some
boxcs and ran forward and e did he slashed
with knives the sides OF his head and in his le
stateroom by Bill Henderson, the barkeeper Alexander
escaped with but two three bad bruises his back.
odx bo locked him i'm her for the Tafsmes
would have had HIM had it not been for the
passage at the wheel house which hid him as he
tered the staeroom What became Of the other negro
not known. II is more than probable that he was killed
as he has been since the Villains came upon him
The officers were powerless NOT one OF them was 10
possesslon of shooting Of any kind and TO have in
terfered with the negrohllng seoundrels' unarmed,
would have been foolish Indeed All they eOulu 40 IN
opposition to scores OF ratsmen was TO seerete the no
grOes when possible Inc mate was SIveu ~ Taits
man. On the deck villain went rushhg a. tne mate
with large knife. At the mates side stood Mr NO
unp "
him staggering When ne returned 10 the sqek tne
mate wasn't where he used to was, aud MI Mckinney
was off somewhere else In 20 minutes the steamer hadns
a single deckhand on board who was VISIBLE The Killing
was ended In that time, and only when there were NO
negroes To hunt. Indeed several OF the rioters y0lun
teered TO act as roustabouts ana actually ala work Oh
deck ,,,,.,
but few rods, when she went into shore again. The
idea was await the arrival Of force from Rock Island
help but the murdercrs through the srategem aud
threatened Join together and fire the steamer II she
was not quickly moved up stream. SO the steamer
soon SWINE T S RsiInr went ashore as did also nock
marked Lynch Butler was captured, as will be seen
hereafter The last attack was made on porter who,
yely ouet went to empty water the guards lie
stepped out cautiously, but was discovered, aud
s syatGS aboye the Sheriff Of Rock Island
County was tceaphed to for assistance in arestng tina
hands OF Deputy -shcnf Payne superintendent Cotton
OF the Western Union placed train at ms disposal ane
at IL o'clock some 90 men, mostly armed were on then
way northward On they went I'll Fulton Junction was
reached. The force then went over to Clinton, and in
tween ana p. IN. As she threw out her staging.
dozen men, win reviewers IN manu-, s'etu n Wu
were cOwed Before reaching Clinton they were fun o.
posse showed discrimination TO arrest tnoem,
dead or alive they just WI, r., o a15
their feet shackled the officers doing tins work
five or six OF the fellows became Obsrepcrous but three
Capt. Rhodes had decided TO land the prisoners II
Rock Island, and the boat was turned So9th south
page at the Island, where Il was AT nrs deermhed "a
land the prisoners But this was gwen up Tue Du-
buque arrived at Rock Island at O'Clock Ihe whole
city seemed 20 be on the evee while hundreds were Oh
the Davenport lcvee hoping the steamer would Ouc On
this side. The people over the river were very quiet
however. Under direction of Deputy Sheriff PayAe,
ropes stretched about goodsized piece OF eYee.
and the people ordered To keep out OF the SQUARE
thus formed. The colorcd deck hands twhO mao
been picked up the way formed in two lines.
The posse c0ntdius stood guard with drawn reyOyers.
The CHIEF rioters marched of the boat and 10 Jail
Then all the remaining raftsmen marched between
the rows OF negroes be donued. Some % Of these
fellows were pointed out having participated I'm tho
ncgro-huntng business ope steamboat Some OF these