Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-27
THE HAMBURG MASSACRE.
The Effect of the Outrage in a Political
Point of Ne,o-Letter from Goueynor
Characterization Defenseiess Ne.
groes We're Shot IN Cotd Blood.

The Effect Of the Outrage in a Politica
Point of Viel1-Letter from GOUerno
Characterization Defe1lseiess Ne
grOes We're Shot IN Cold Blood.
WASHINGTON, July 1.-THE Hous,
adjourned early to-day, the Democrat
being averse to a debate on the Ham
burgh massacre, while the Republican
and hard-money Democrats were read.
to adjourn as a means of defeating tht
tempt to repeal the resumption act
The South Carolina affair is an earnes
topic of private discussion. The AT
tOrney General and Secretary of Wa
have asked Gov. Chamberlain to com,
to Washington this week for consulta
ton. Prominent Republicans In tn,
House are determined to ask the Dem
ocrats what, if they should come int
power, they propose to do in such {
case, and there is among sensible Dem
Ocrats belief that such treatment o
it as Mr.. Cox attempted on Saturday il
the reverse of judicious. Meantime
the more fully the matter is investiga
ted the more clearly the leading anG
most horrible and disgusting details o
the story are established. The follow
ing letter from Gov. Chamberlain tt
Senator Robertson givesa recital of the
facts as developed by testimony. i
appears here that the whites were the
aggressors in every stage OF the event
! As the details become more certainly
known it is apparent that this affair i:
likely to have an important influence
upon men of Republican antecedents
who were moved to vote the Democrat.
ic ticket. Such people ASK what would
happen in such case if Gov. TildeI
were in the White House? The Fed
eral power now does very little, but il
at least exercises restraining infiu
ence. What, people ask, might not
happen if the Democrats welded the
federal administration? 1t is probable
that one or two leading Southern Dem
ocrats may answer thisquestion in the
House if the Hamburg affair comes uI
tomorrow and there may be lively
debate. The following is Gov. Cham
berlain's letter:
GOV. CHAMBERLAIN's LETTER.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA, I
EXEC. CHAM, COLUMBIA, July 13.
Hon. T. j. Robertson, U. s. Senator
|
DEAR SIR-Your request for state.
ment from me of the recent bloody al
fair at Hamburg, in this State, was du'
ly received. have waited before re-
Flying until officials reports and state.
ments should be received. There are
now before me the official reports Ot
the Attorney General and the Adjutant
and Inspector General, the testimony
taken at the Coroner's inquest and the
written statement of several ether per.
sons who were present and witnessed
the whole or parts of the affair. will
present to you as briefly as possible
the leading facts as they appear from
the evidences to which have referred
| STATEMENT OF THE AFFAIR.
On the 4th of July inst, a company
of the State militia (colored) were
| marching along one of the streets O1
Hamburg. The street was 100 feet
wide, and the company was marching
in columns of four. While so march
ing they we've 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 mill
tia, and drove against the head of the
column, which thereupoh halted.
Some parleying took place, which re-
suited in the company yielding, open.
ing ranks and allowing the young men
to proceed on their course. On the fol.
lowing day the young men referred to
took out warrants of arrest against
some of the officers of the militia COM
pany who were brought before JUS
tice for trial. The trial was afterward
adjourned till P. NJ. of Saturday, the
Sth inst. Before that hour arrived on
Saturday many white citizens from the
country around Hamburg began to
gather in the town and armed them
selves with guns and pistols. The mi
litia company in the meanwhile had
assembled at their armory in the viii
lage, and at the hour set for trial the
defendants did not appear.
At this point it has been stated in dis
patches and newspapers that the mill
tia officers having defied the authority
of the trial justice the citizens were
called on to assist the trial justice by
acting as his posse. Nothing of the
kind in fact occurred. The militia
failed to appear because of their fear of
injury at the hands of the armed white
men, and the trial justice, after formal
ly calling them, took no further steps
to cause their presence in his court on
account of the excitement and the ev-
licences of an impending conflict.
While affairs were in this condition,
there being, according to all accounts,
from 200 to 800 armed white men from
the surrounding country in the town, a
demand was made by the whites for
the surrender to them of the arms of
the militia. An hour or two passed in
negotiations concerning this demand,
the whites informing the militia COM
pany that if the arms were not given
up in a short time-most of the wit
nesses say in a 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
sembled, and soon after one of the
attacking party was killed by shot
from the militia building. A piece of
artillery Was thereupon brought across
the bridge from Augusta, loaded with
canister and fired several times at the
building in which were the militia.
This had the effect to cause the militia
to endeavor to make their escape from
the rear of the building. The Town
Marshal of Hamburg, a colored man,
who was living in the building, was
instantly shot by the attacking party !
while thus endeavoring to escape from
the building. Twenty or twenty-five
of the militia were captured by the at
tacking party and kept under guard
for several hours. Finally, about two
o'clock on the morning of the 9th Of
July Sunday, after consultation
among their captors and with complete
a apparent deliberatiOn. five of the cap