Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-05-31
DESIGNATION DAY.
Memorial Services Yesterday at
the National Cemeteries
Throughout the Union.
The Procession in Memphis
Speeches at the Cemetery by
General Smith and Ed.
Shaw.
crawling Scenes and Outrages-
Drunkenness and Robbery
Disgraceful Conduct.

Agreeable to public announcement tn
decoration of the Federal graves at tn
National cemetery, seven miles from
this city, was set for yesterday. At tel
o'clock in the morning the different ne
gro societies of Memphis, headed with
bands of music and bearing flags, forme'
professions, which paraded Second anC
Main streets TO the Louisville depot
where, with two Thousand men, womeI
and children, they embarked for tn
cemetery. Train after train on the Louis
vile railroad left the city, each one be
ing crammed with its freight of African
Americanism anxious TO honor(?) th'
memory Of the gallant soldiers who fel
while figL Sng for their
EMANCIPATION.
There sre 1882 soldiers, white
and black, inferred in the Mlssis
sippi valley cemetery. By two O'Clock
the grounds were covered with at least
five Thousand persons, all OF whom, eK-
cent half dozen white people.
were negroes. The different negro So
cjeties Tepresented were as follows :
Pole-Bearers, No 81, of Memphis; Pole
Bearers, No. 3, of Springdsle; Benevo-
lepce societies, Nos. and 3; Sumner
Guards. Sons of Ham, and Union Star
society, During the morning the So
cieties were escorted to the Louisville
depot by bands of music which played
alternately, "Just Before the Battle,
Nfotber,U % Come Put Me in My Little
Bed" and "Jordan is Hard Road to
Travel.n Upon arriving
ATTHE CEMETERY
the different societies paraded and
I counterlnarched outside Of the walls OF
the enclosure, and attracted a great deal
of attention. We noticed small frame
grocery with an arbor near by the sta
/ ton platform, besides q flying jenny
and several refreshment and liquor
stands. About an hour after the crowd
had assembled, the Pole-Bearers, who
were armed with muskets and bayonets
and battle-axes, thought no man,
woman or child had a right to sell or
barter anything whatever within mile
/ Of the enclosure wherein slept the he
rOes whose memory they had assembled
to honDr. But instead of paying the
honor due the heroism and the bravery
Of the Union dead; instead Of bowling
at the shrine Of memory and blessing
the name of the fallen; ins' cad Of
strewing each fresh mound with fair and
! beautiful flowers emblematic Of the
! grateful appreciation and typical Of the
| lasting gratitude cherished in the hearts
Of liberated negroes, were enacted the
most
/ BRUTAL AND DIsGRACEFUL SCENES
! that drunken ignorance or political
malice could invent. The negroes, in
stead of visiting the graves and holding
/ beside the avenue as did many of the
visitors, remained outside the enclosure.
Many of them, especially members Of
the Pole Bearers, seemed to be under the
influence of bad whisky or the advice of
wicked leaders. After some delibera-
ton with his party, Thomas
swan, director of the decoration, and
president Of the Bearers, selected
squad of negroes from tn order, armed
with muskets and fXed-bayonets.
He led his squad upon a fruit
stand kept by an Italian. The
fruit, cigars and other articles were
seized upon by the mob, and the poor
foreigner driven from the grounds, fear
ing that his life, like his little property,
might be taken by
THE AssAILANTs,
who, without the shadow Of law or the
pretense Of authority, ordered him to
| close up shop and leave instanter. The
! threats Of the negroes were sufficient TO
cause his immediate flight, and Is the
[ Italian drove down the street his vehicle
was pursued by a crowd of infuriated ne
/ groes, some of whom at every step
stopped to seize upon the fruit which
was iOlted from the flying wagon,
/ After driving the Italian from the public
! ground, the patriotic mob next "went
| for a negro named Robert Goldsby,
who had an eatiDg-stand, which was
laden with barbecued hog. Goldsby
| fled in terror, and after being pursued
! several hundred yards, hid in the briars
and underground, thereby escaping the
malice of his pursuers. After chasing
other vendors from their stands, which
were located on public rosd and with
ont the enclosure of the sacred spot Of
slumbering heroes,
THE MOB MADE A RUSH
upon the liquor and refreshment stand
OF Andrew r. Pope & Bro. This stand
was located within few feet of the pub
lie road, and on ground belonging to Mr..
w. NJ. Miller, OF this city. The ground
had been LEGALLY rented to Mr.. Pope,
who, by virtue OF the contract and the
license exhibited, had right to conduct
business there. Tom Swan, the negro
leader of the POle-BeaTers, marched his
squad up 10 the stand, and ordered Pope
to close up his stand. The proprietor
exhibited his license, and told the ne
gro that he was authorized by
law to sell there. This, however, did
not satisfy the negroes. who, at the COM
mand OF Swan, presented bayonets and
demanded twenty-five dollars OF MIR.
Pore.
IN TIE FACE OF THE BAYoNETs
and the muzzlas Of the guns, Mr.. Pope
was compelled to pay over twenty-five
dollars to Thomas Swan, who then per.
mitted him to proceed with his business.
This extortion of twenty-five dollars
was, of course, made in behalf Of the
memory of the Union dead. There were
two or three half-drunken negroes
shouting nLiberiy and freedom ~ rush
ing upon u defenseless man and COM
pelling him, at the peril Of his life to
give up twenty. five dollars, or else be
killed or have his property and personal
effects confiscated. Mr.. Pope remOn-
strated with the rapaeious horde, but
his words only seemed TO add iury 10
their demoniacal passions. Upon the
tree within the stand was posted the
following
UNITED STATES LICENSE,
by virtue of which Mr.. Pope was al
lowed to conduct his business:
IS 500-No. B., 62.574.
United States internal revenue. Re
ceived from Pope d Bro. the sum OF hve
dollars for special tax on the business OF
dealer in manufactured tobacco, TO be
carried on at six miles Old Raleigh
road, Memphis, State of Tennessee, for
| the period represented by the coupon or
I coupons therefor attached. Dated at
Memphis, April p, 1874.
R.F. PATTERSON,
! Collector Eighth District State OF Tennessee.
Across the back of this license was
written:
"i transferred to near the National
cemetery, on the thirtieth day of May.
HUGH NOrT."
To the above license Is attached twelve
coupons, giving license for one wear. The
other license is exactly like the above
one, except the business of"Retail LIQUOR
dealer" appears Ia the place Of ''Dealer
in manufactured tobacco" and the re-
eeipt is for twenty five dollars, instead of
five dollars, as in the other license, both
OF which are signed by the said coliec-
tor, aud bear the transfer-indOrsemento Of
"Hugh Mott, Deputy-CollectOI." This
license Of
GENERAL K. +. PATTERSON,
collector Of the eighth district, was ig.
nored. Even the authority Of the Unit
ed States was not respected or acknowl
I edged, A short while after thii
/ the APPsAL reporter saw Captain
I Knott, and asked him II the sigma
ture Of transfer, as written acrOss Mr.
Popeis license, wss his own. The depu
| ty-colleetor said that such was true, enG
I that he had no knowledge or concern il
the riotOus proceedings. Shortly ate
the mob had eZtOrted twenty-five dol
lars from Mr.. Pope, who was pOwerless
TO resist because of the bayonets pre-
sented, Thomas Swan held
CONSULTATION WITH RECORDER Pas
WINTERS.
This offioiai told Swan that he wa
acting without law, aaa could be mad
to answer for his Illegal conduct. Blu
I this fearless champion of negro supfe
macy did not heed the advice. He nat
= distributed circulars In Memphis to th,
effect that no one would be permitted L
circulate any goods OF offer anything 70
! sale on the grounds contiguous to tn
cemetery. This was his taf, and hai
TO he Obeyed. he acted upon hi
I damnable conviction, and after hi
squad had robbed Robert GOlsby'