The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1876-09-14
a BLOODY Riot in Charleston.


on Wednesday night, the 9th instant
and for several hours spread exo1te-
ment and alarm throughout the City.
Tho News and Courier says: "The
affair was the result of tho settled de-
termination of q gang of colored rows
dies, calling themselves Republicans,
to wreak Vengeance upon their own
color, who have presumed tS)publicai-
ly affiliate with the Democratic party.
The trouble began by comparatively
small body of rioters, speedily assum-
ed formidable dimensions; idle and
excitable colorod men and boys from
all quarters hurried to the scens of the
disturbance, swelling the crowd and
increasing the, tumult, and the main
thoroughfare of Charleston was for
moro than two hours in possession Of
fierce and bowling mob of negroes,
oursing the whites and savagely at
tacking and beating every white man
who CHANGED to be on tho street. Capt
| Hendricks, with squad of thirty po~
lice, finally succeeded, by persistent
effort, in dispensing tho rioters, but
not until long list of bloody casual
ties had occurred. somo of them seri-
GUS and perhaps fatal in character.
The result is now squarly presented
to the citizens, whether or not Char
lesion is to be left at tho mercy of
mob of ignorant and excitable negroes
whenever their vicious leaders may
give tho signal for riot:
HOW THE RIOT BEGAN.
The Hampton and Tilden Colored
Club of Ward 4 met last evening at
Archer's Hall. J. II. Jenkins, the
Vico president, called the meeting to
order, and speeches wore made by
jenkins, J. W. Sawyer, Isaac B. Riv~
ers, Augustus Grant, Stophney Riley,
J. w. Barnwell and Lawrence Brown.
AS there had been q threat thrown
out that the colorod Radical members
of Live Oak and Hunkidory Clubs
would break up tho meeting and kill
tho colored Democrats, it was resolved
by the Club to escort the colored
Democrats to their homes. After the
meeting adjourned, about quarter past
10 o'clock, the line was formed and
each colored Democrat was placed in
the centre Of half dozen whites.-
Tho line then marched up King street
quietly and without interruption, un-
til they reached the German Church
opposite tho Citadel Greon, when a
mob of about $50 negroes, armed with
slaves, clubs and pistols, came yelling
after them, hurrahing for Hayes ana
Wheeler. The white men stopped,
and ono Of the leaders of tho negro
gang who had run up ahead of his
crowd accompanied by about dozen
knocked the first white man ho met in
tho head with slung shot, and the
crowd Immediately behind him firod
a pistol into the crowd Of whites,
shouting. that they would have the
colored Democrats out oven if they
had to kill overy man in the crowd
to do il. Tho white then returned the
fire, shooting over the heads OF the
negro mob, and portion of the white
mon took Rivers, Sawyer, Jenkins,
and other colored Democrats to the
Citadel, whore they were placed un>
der tho guard of the United States
troops. In shorter time than it
takes to tell the story, the negro mob
had increased to fully three hundred
all of whom were yelling and shouting
and breathing threats Of violence
There were about forty whites in the
crowd, and those retreated backwards
up King street, facing the negroes and
keeping them off as we'll as they could
by returning the fire from the pistols
Of the mob. On reaching the corner
of John street the negro mob was re-
inforcod by another multitude of
blacks who swept out Of John street
end cut off the retreat of the whites.
it was at this point that the fight be-
came hotter. 1t was now q hand to
hand contest, in which pistol shots ex
changed very rapidly. Only four or
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