Wilmington daily commercial., 1876-07-14
FIRST EDITION.
The Hamburg Butchery.

they do 80 they reveal a story of brutal
butchery which becomes more revolving the
fuller the facts are obtained. There has
for some time been
FEELING OF BAD BLOOD
between the races in the vicinity Of Ham
burg, writes correspondent OF the New
York Times, and it lis not at all difficult to
provoke a disturbance. On the occasion
referred to the cause was most trivial.
At Hamburg is colOred militia company,
equipped with arms furnished by the state
Government. The whites also have their
sabre and rifle clubs, and are well armed
and mounted. - Doc" Adams is the COM
mander of the colored militia company. On
the 4th the organization turned out for pa
rade, and i'll the streets of Hamburg, while
drilling, TWO young men named Butler and
Gettson undertook to pass, but found their
way obstructed. The soldiers did not get |
out of the way of the young men, and some
HOT WORDS PASSED BETWEEN THEM.
On Wednesday Butler sent for Gen. NJ,
c. Butler, who lives in another portion of
the county, aud is practlcing lawyer, and |
retained him to prosecute the captain and
his company for constructing the public |
highway" (Gen. Butler was in the Con-
federate Army, lost leg in one of the nu-
merous battles of the war, and rose to the
rank of Major General of cavalry.) Gen.
Butler went to Prince Rivers, colored Tri-
al Justice OF Magistrate OF Hamburg, and
commenced his prosecution. but for some
reason the hearing OF the cause was posi- !
poned until Saturday afternoon. Saturday
evening Gen. Blu Ter again made his ap-
pearance, but the defendants were not IN
court, and when called failed to respond.
Gen. Butler then said to. Rivers that the
NEGROES MUST GIVE UP THEIR ARMS.
He sought Adams, who had in the mean
time gotten his men together, and made
the same demand. Adams declined to COM
| ply, but asked Butler to confer with his
men in the chamber Of the Town Council.
| or this conference nothing came. Rivers,
| who is Major General in the State Militia
as well as a Magistrate, advised the negroes
to surrender their rifles, but his words made
no impression. Gen. Butler then went over
to Augusta and told some of "the boys
that he might need their assistance after
awhile to dsarm the negroes. Some
ARMED MEN BEGAN TO ASSEMBLE
in the streets of Hamburg. The Sabre Club
from Currytown arrived, and the Sabre Club
of Beech Island was sent for, and came in
soon after dusk, A number of young men
of Augusta hastily gathered up their arms
and, crossing the river, joined the Carolln-
ians, and placed themselves under the COM
mand of their leader. In the meantime Doc
Adams and his men, conscious Of, the ap-
proaching storm, went into their arsnory and
determined to defend it to the
last extremity. When General But
Ter returned Rivers said he would
make a last effort to obtain the guns, provi-
ded the former would protect the town dur
} ing the night. The protection was promls'
ed, and Rivers had another consultation
with Adams and the Mayor of the town,
, Gardner, colored, who was also in the Arm
| no r1fI1696 NJ
4 der the guns, saying that they were the
! legal Militia Of the county and had been
j armed by the proper authorities of the
+ State. This closed the negotiations. II
was now O'Clock in the evening, and an
ORDER WAS GIVEN TO COMMENCE THE ATTACK.
= At 73O o'clock fire was opened on the
: armoryIa a two-story brick building, from
front and rear. The windows were aimed
at and we're soon riddled with bullets. The
beseiged returned the fire with spirit, some
shooting from the windows when occasion
presented, while others who clambered upor
7 the roof shot from the cover of the parape
wall. The firing was tolerably rapid an(
. we'll sustained, and the sounds brought tx
% mind sharp skirmish on the picket line
IL Most of the white people had been warned
n of what was coming and left the town il
d the afternoon. The colored people now be
gan to retreat to the woods. In shor
y time most of the houses in the town wer
y desertsd, and the comba.ants had it all T.
u themselves.
l, THE FIRST VICTIM.
- About o'clock the beseigers sustaine
a their first loss A young man from Edge
" field county-T. Mackey Merrlwether-wh
4 had been firing from behind the ston
g abutment of the railway bridge, expose
e. his person too much and was shot by on
IA of the men on the roof. The ball entere
"a the brain and he fell dead almost withou
NJ a groan His death added to the exaspers
"a ton of the whites, and it was determine
to to take the srmory at all hazards. Seein
M that small arms made no impression upo
NO the brick walls, it was determined to brin
II heavier metal to bear against them.
q squad of men were sent across the bridge
ar Augusta to
lg PROCURE PIECE OF ARTILLERY
with which to batter down the fortalice.
volunteer artillery company of August
promptly loaned them an iron six poundt
Id belonging to their organization, and fu
80 uished them with some grapo-shot, the on
ammunition tkey had. The cannon vi
TO taken across the river, placed in positio
en- and the iron hail sent bursting into the u
'or per story of the armory. This silenced ii
nd firing from the house, the inmates seekil
he safety in the cellar When the grape sh
h gave out dumbbells and old pieces OF met
elf were fred.
lis FLIGHT FROM THE BUILDING.
At nine O'Clock a party of Ave emerge
ere from the building and successfully ran tl
ill gauntlet returning the fire when fired upo
EN- and reaching the woods in safety. At
we negro attempted to jump fence in re
it'll of the building, but was seen, and in {
nt instant fell dead, his head being literal
lch honey-combed with bullets. A second II
n gro was killed near the same place. Anoth
ac negro taken prisoner, was shot dON
where he stood. An hour later the hou
was entered by the whites and Quilted, a
X. three or four colored men picked L
in after which general search "
ler made through the town.
Iot all 30 fugitives we're captured in bidil
he places. The prisoners were placed uud
Inc guard, and General Butler left, when t
re' work OF
,ad KILLING OFF THE NEGROES BEGAN.
her The guard had list Of the ''ring les
her ere," and as the name of negro was call
-