Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-07-27
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he recognized among the DyStanQerS
Henry Gotten and DIR. Pierce. Curry
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 Myniart, 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 per-
sonally visited Hamburg, thus con-
cludes his official report TO me:
Making due allowance for errors in
minor details, the facts show the de-
mand on the militia to give up their
arms was made by persons without
lawful authority to enforce such de-
mand or to receive the arms had they
been surrenuered; that the attack on
the militia to compel compliance
with this demand was without justifi-
cation or excuse, and after there had
been some twenty or twenty twenty
five prisoners captured and com pletely
in the power of their captors and with
out means of making further resis-
tance, five of them were deliberately
shot to death and three more severely
wounded.
Such was the affair at Hamburg. If
you can words to characterize its
atrccity and barbarism, the trlviality
of the causes, the murderOus and inhS-
man spirit which marked it in all its
stages, your power of language exceeds
mine. 1t presents darker picture OF
human cruelty than the slaughter of
Custer and his soldiers, for they were
shot in open battle. The victims at
Hamburg were murdered in cold blood
after they had surrendered and were
utterly defenceless. No occasion ex-
isted for causing the presence of a sim
gle armed citizen at Hamburg on the
day Of the massacre. No violence was
offered or threatened to any one. 1t
is indeed said, rs usual, that .the mig
gers were impudent,' but the evil
dence shows that all the actual physi-
cal aggression was on the part OF the
whites; that they made a demand
which they had no right to make, and
when that demand was refused, as it
should have been, they proceeded to
enforce it by arms, and crowned their
success in enforcing their demands by
brutal murders. Shame and disgust
must fill the breast of every man who
respects bis race ur human nature as
he reads the tale. To me in my Off
cial capacity-wherein as you will tes-
tify, have done my utmost at no lit
tie risk of my personal and political de-
traction from my political friends, to
remove abuses and restore good gov
ernment and harmony to our people
the occurrence of such an appalling ex-
ample of humnn passion and depravi-
ty comes as deep modification and
disbursement. What hope can we
have when such cruel and bloOdthirs-
ty spirit waits in our midst for its hour
of qualification? Is our civilization so
shallow? Is our race so wantonly cru
ell? Such acts call for condemnation
as q bloody blot on the record of your
race and mine; as cruel affront to a
race whose long suffering and patient
forbearance challenges the admiration
of the world; as shameful dishonor to
the name of South Carolina; for pun
ishment as a violation Of the laws of
the State and q wanton blow at the
peace and happiness of our State. 1
am glad to testify to the horror which
this event has excited among many
here who have not been wont to heart
lily condemn many of the past bloody
occurrences at the South. Nothing,
however, short of cendign and ample
punishment can discharge the Obliga-
tion Of society and our State toward
the authors of this causeleSs and cruel
massacre. ....5
d. III. CHAMBERLAIN,
Governor of South Carolina.