The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1876-08-31
THE OTHER SIDE.
General N. G. Buffers account Of the Ham,
burg Riot IN Reply to Governor Cham
beTI0tB.
Charleston Journal Of Commerce.

Upon the heads of those charged with
the execution of the laws rests the
responsibility for this collision. fit is
true that governor Scott placed these
arms and this ammunition in the hands
of these ignorant people, it was crime
against them and the white people that
he did so. It was a crime in governor
Moses to have allowed them to remain
in their hands, and it was more than a
crime in governor Chamberlain in the
light of his experience upon that subject.
1t was a cruel and inexcusable wrong,
an objectionable sin against the peace OF
the country and the lives Of the people
that he should have allowed these guns
and ammunition to remain in their
hands. The jurisdiction and powers of a
trial justice are large and the response
bility proportionally increased, at an
important point of our border, like
Hamburg; and man of the greatest
discretion, fidelity and firmness could
and should have been procured to fill
the office; but instead of that, this man,
Prince Rivers, wholly unfit for SO i'm
portant a station, is the only acting trial
Justice in Hamburg, and believe the
next nearest in Aiken county is about
twelve miles distant. Now, if there had
been trial justice accessible, who would
have given Mr.. Robert Butler justice,
when, like a law-abiding man, as he is,
he appealed to him to protect members
of his family against thissO-called militia,
this 'horror" would never have been
chronicled. Not only does he not afford
him protection, but the rufian constable
of the trial justice, one Bill Nelson, a
copper-colored negro, insults me as his
attorney when approached him in a
perfectly respectful manner, to inquire
about the whereabouts of the trial justice
in order to begin the investigation. 1
was moreover baff1ed and trifed with
for hours by this trial justice and his
negro associates, until this armed COM
pany of outlaws had time to concentrate
in their armory, where they could sue
cessfuIIy maintain their attitude of
armed instruction, armed with guns
which this same Prince Rivers admitted
in my presence had been taken from
him by these negroes without authority.
The town had negro intendent, negro
aldermen, negro marshal. 1t was al
most q terror to every white man whose
business req u.red him to pass through it.
They had harbored thieves and Grimm
ais from every direction. They had ar
rested and fined some of the best and
most peaceable citizens for the most
trivial ofenses against their ordinances
some for drinking out of spring
adjacent to the highway. One young
man was fired upon, the ball passing
through his hat, arrested, dragged to
prison and heavily fined, because his
horse SHE'D on the edge of a sidewalk.
An old man was arrested, insulted and
fined, because his horse turned on the
sidewalk as he was in the act OF mount
ing Market wagons, camping within
five or six miles of the town, have been
robbed night after night, cattle had been
stolen and run into this place and sold.
Stolen goods have been Systematically
received here, the parties knowing them
to have been stolen. For nights pre-
vious to the collision unotfending white
citizens were halted by the pickets OF
these militamen, armed with state guns
and stationed on the highways. In one
instance five or six of them had scraped
their bayonets on the palings Of gentle
man, and upon his remonstrance cursed
and abused him in the hearing of his
wife and some visiting ladies. The
names OF all these persons can be given,
Why did this attorney general and
these swift denOuncing" newspapers
not put themselves to some trouble to
ascertain the provocatiOns on both sides;
That this was not company of state
militia, kut a band of negroes organized
contrary to law, or without the author
ity of law, who had taken the state
property without authority, that "Com
pany A, Ninth regiment, national guard
OF the state of South Carolina, " had beer
disbanded for several years, and thai
thia hnnd Ind nnsnrned their organization