Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1876-07-26
The Hamburg Slaughter.

burg. 5. c., "a few days ago
STATE OF SOUTH CAROIINA,)
i EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
COLUMBIA, July Is. 1876.
/ Tie Hon. j. L. ROBERTSON, United
| Suites Senator. WASHINGTON u, {.
! DEAR SIR: Your request FRA statement
! from me of the recent bloody affair ut
/ Hamburg in this State was duly received.
| Lave waited before replying until official
reports and statements should be recciv
ed There are now before me the official
reports of The Attorney General and Adj
jutant and ln~pector-G General. the tcsti-
monv taken at the CorOners inquest, and
the written statements of several other
! persons who Were present and witnessed
he whole or part of the atfrir. | will
present to You rs briefly rs possible the
leading facts u they appear from the evil
dence to which have referred.
On the 4th Of July instant Il company of
the State militia (colored) were marching
along one of the streets of Hamburg. The
street WAS over 100 feet wide, and the
company was marching in columns of
of fonr~. While SO marching it WAS met
by two young white men in Il buggy. who
insisted in Keeping their course in the
street without regard to the movements of
The militia. and drove against the head of
I he column, which thcreupon halted.
Some parleying took nl;tcc, which resulted
in HE company yielding. opening their
ranks and allowing the young men to
proceed on their course. On the follow
ing d,y the yonng men referred to took
on warrants of arrest against some of the
officers of The militia company, who We're
brought before 4 trial Justice for trial. The
trial was afterwards adjourned till t z. NJ.
"n Saturday. the Sih Instant Before the
hour arrived on Saturday many white citi
Z.n> from the country around IIlmblry
began to gather in the town. armed with
guns and pistols The militia company
in the meanwhile, had assembled ut their
,lmory in the village. and ut the hour st
for triad the defendants did not appear
At til point it has been stated in dispatch
Is and newspapers that the militia officers.
having Iciicd the authority of the trial
jus; ice. the citizens were called on to assist
the trial justice 10y acting rs hi, posse.
Nothing of the kind. in fact. occurred.
lhr militia failed t. appear because of
their fear of mi ny ut the hands of the
armed white men. and the trial Justice,
after formally calling them, took no fur
Their steps to cause their presence in his
court, on account of the rXcitcmcn. and
the evldcnc''> of IN impending conflict.
While affairs We're in tins condition,
there being, according TO all accounts.
from , . H. 500 armed white men from
the surrounding country in the Gown Il de-
III nj WAS made bv the white, for the sur
Render 10 them of the arms of the militia
An hour on two passed in negotiations con
corning This demand, the whites intormn =
the nIlti, comp my thtl if the arms Were
rot given up III Il short time I'm ST of the
witnesses LAY in Il half hour) the whites
would open fire on the mili,l,. The mill
ii. lctil>,.l 70 deliver up their arms say ing
that the dm:,nl was wholly unNlrrtnled
AMI Illegal aud that they had reason To
fear t,r THEN lives if they gave up their
;um>. \ brisk lire was then opened by
the whites upon the building in which the
militia were assembled ayi soon after one
of the attacking party WIS Killed by a shot
j from the militia in The building. y piece
of artillery WI, Then thrreupol brouL ht
across the bridge from Augusta. LOADED
with canister. AMI tirrl several times 1T
! the building. his hal the effect to c;.u~c
/ IN militia l. en,c ,vor to make their g.
ctpc nom the rear OF The builiing. The
town marshal of lIalnburr-:, rolorcl man
-w vino was leaving the building, was in
>!.tn;iy SHOT by he attacking p,rty. While
/ lhu~ ,nlc iv"llng To escape from The build
M. twenty OF twenty five of the mllti,.
vtlr capt Ircl by tn Attacking party and
kept Under guard for several hours Ii
n;tllv. about o'clock on The morning OF
tie oh of .July-Sunday -titrr consulIn.
among their caltor,. and with com plct,
apparent deli five If the capture i
hal Inv.
and shot to death in The presence of i ltl =,
DO Iy OF their ctptDrS. Tlc res of The
cap urrd p.t, were either turrlel loose o.
broke loose AMI ran. They We're fire.
upon u hey r;tnln three OF them severe
tv Woundcd-one oitheln probably mortal
ly.
.\ttorn"v-G neral Stone thus snrcinc Is
reports this p.rt of ihc ;tff llr: ">iN lntl
took \ I. .Atttwty out OF the RIM. ii,
and ni~ mother begged Ton hi, life, but il
vain. lie WIS told To tuln around. an,
wt> Shot t. death hv tn. crowd. David
Philips wis taken ont. and was similarly
>.licI. Poupry Garry was next c,,llr,
ont. He rrco LniZe among the bN>t;inI-
els Henry Gt,z,n and DR.. PIERCE Batter
ana called on thcn to keep the other men
rom killing him. He ran, and was shot
Is lI,. ran. one bullet striking him in tn,
leg brioW the knee. Afterwards Alber
Nyni,rt, Moses Parks, lnd Hampton
Stevens We're killed. S.cvtns did not be.
'on- to the comp any.
The Attnrn,.v-ti..nrril. who has person.
ally visited lltmburL. thus concIu les hi
report to me: "Mnkiny due allowance
for errors in minor details. the facts show
.. that the demand on the militia to give ~
their arms was made by pcrs ms withou,
lawful authority to enforce such dem md
or To- receive the arms h,d they been sur
rendered; that the attack on the militi, t
compel a compliance with this dcman'
MAS without justification or eAcEsc; ;,n'
that there had been some - OF - prison
rrs captured and completely in the powc
Of their captor-, and without means .
making further resistance, five of then
were deliberately Shot to death AMI three
. more severely unIrd." Such was tn
affair 1t Hamburg. If You find word
, to characterize its atrocity and barh.ri>n
= thc trlrltlIty of the causes, the murlelOu
and inlluman spirit which marked 1t il
all It's stages, your power Of language eX
, cted> mine. 1t presents i darker plctur
of hum IN cruelty than the Slaughter "
. Custer and his soldiers. for they Were shu
i in op II battle. The victims ut lIambnr;
: We're murdered in cold blood after the
had surrrnderel and were utterly defense
u less. No occasion existed for causing tn
=. presence of Il single armed citizen i
a Hamburg on the day of this III lssacre. y
violence was offered or threatened any one
i, 1t is indeed said, rs usual. that the hi :.
ycrs We're iinpu lent; " bat the cvidenc
shows THAT all the actual physical agyres
: sion WAS on the part of the whites; tia
T. they mule Il demand winch they h,u II
: right to IN Ike and that when that lcman
: was refused, Is 1t should have been. the
e prncerdrd to enforce it by arms, an
u crowned their success in enforcing thel
II dcminls bv b utal murders.
Shame and disgust must fill the breast {
every man who poets his race or huma
: nature II, he reads this tale 70 me in m
n official capacity. wherein us you will test
u ~ have done my utmost. ut no little ris
: of personal and political dctractlon frol
: my political friends. to remove abuses AN