Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-07-26
The Bloody Shirt.


DEAR SIR-Your request TOR . state
ment from me of the recent bloody
affair At Hamburg, in this state, vas
duly received. have waited before
replying until official reports .no state
uents should be received. There are
now before me. the Official reports Of
the Attorney General aod the Adjut.nt
and Inspector General, the testimony
taken At the Cofoner's inquest and the
written statements of several other per.
sons who were present and witnessed
the whole or parts Of the affair. l will
present to you as briefly IS possible the
leading facts IS they appear from the
evidence to which have referred.
STATEMENT OF THE AFFAIR.
On the 4th Of July inst, . company
of the State Militia tcolored) we're
marching along one end of the streets
Of Hamburg. The street was over 100
feet vide, and the COMPANY was march
ing in columns Of four. While SO march,
ing they we're met by two young white
men in buggy, who insisted on keep
ing their course in the street without
regard to the movements Of the militia,
and drove against the bead Of the col
ump, which thereupon halted. Some
parleying took place, which resulted in
the company yielding, opening their
ranks AID allowing the young men to
proceed on their course. M
On the following day the young men
referred to took out warrants of arrest
against some of the officers of the mill
tia company, who were brought before
. trial justice for trial. The trial was
afterward adjourned till four P. N. on
Saturday, the 9Th inst. Before that
hour arrived on Saturday many white
citizens from the country around Hsm
burg began to gather in the town and
armed themselves with guns and pis-
tolls. The militia company iu the mean
while had assembled at their armory in
the village, and at the hour set for tIial
the defendants did not appear.
At this point, it has been stated in
dispatches and newspapers, that the
militia onieers having de6ed the au
tbcrity of the trial Justice, the citizens
we're called on to assist the trial justice
by acting as his posse. Nothing OF the
kind in fact occurred. The militia ia'l-
ed to appear because of their fear of in.
jury at the hands of the armed white
men, and the trial justice, after formal
Is calling them, took no further steps
to cause their presence in his court on
account Of the excitement and the evil
dences of an impending conflict.
While affairs we're IN this condition,
there being, according to all accounts,
from 200 TO 800 armed white men from
the surrounding country In the town,
demand was made BY the whites for the
surrender to them OF the arms OF the
militia.
An hour or two passed in negotia-
tioBs concerning this demand, the whites
informing the militia company that if
the arms we're not given up in short
time-most of the witnesses say in
half hour-the whites would open FIRE
on the militia. The militia refused to
deliver up their arms, saying that the
demand was wholly unwarranted and
illegal, and that they had reason to
fear for their lives if they gave up their
arms.
A BRISK FIRE.
Was then opened by the whites upon
the building in which the militia was
assembled. and soon after one of the at
tacking party was killed By shot from
the militia in the building. A piece of
artillery was thereupou brought across
the bridge from Augusta, loaded with
canister and fred several times at the
building, in which we're the militia.
This had the effect to cause the militia
to endeavcr to make their escape from
the rear of the building. The Town
Marshal of Hamburg, q colored man,
who was living in the building, was in
stantly shot by the attacking rarty
while thus endeavoring to escape from
the building.
Twenty or twenty-five of the militia
we're captured BY the attacking party
anc kept under guard for several hours.
Finally, about two o'clock on the morn
ing of the 9th of July Sunday, after
consultation among their captors and
with complete apparent deliberation,
Eve of the captured militiamen we're
called out, one by one, and shot to
death in the presence of large body of
their captors. The rest Of the captured
party we're either turned loose or broke
loose aud ran. They we're fred upon IS
they ran. and three of them severely
wounded, one Of them probably NOR
tally. Attorney General Stone thus
succinctly reports this part of the sf-
fair.
DETAILS or THE KILLING.
Six men took A. T. Attaway out of
the ring. He and his mother begged
for his life, but in vain. He was told
to turn around and was shot to death by
the crowd.
David Phillips vas next taken out
and was similarly killed.
Pompey Currey was next called out.
He recognized among the by-standers
Henry Ge.zen aud DR.. Pierce. Butler
called on them to keep the other men
from killing him. He ran, and was shot
as be ran, one bullet striking him on
the leg below the knee.
Afterward Albert Mynisrt, Moses
Parks and Hampton Stevens were kill
ed. Stevens did not belong to the com
pany.
THE ATTORNEY GENERALS REPORT.
The Attorney General, who has personally
visited Hamburg thus concludes his Official
report to me:
sMaking due allowance for errors In
minor details, the facts show the demand
a. a.. 60. hair