Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-21
The Hamburg Massacre.

1t is part of the duty OF every good Demo-
crat at the North to believe that the most
perfect harmony now exists between the
whites and blacks at the South that tne
whites, having fully accepted the situation
as it was left by the War for the Union, are
now animated by the most kindly feelings to-
wards their former slaves and desire to pro-
tect them in the exercise of every right as
citizens and men and that If the concord be-
tween the races is ever broken. it Is always
and solely the fault ofthe colOred mer. Inc
facts of the recent massacre of black men at
Hamburg, S c.. do not quite bear out 'hiS
theory. Those facts, as related by respon-
sible witnesses. are, that the offence OF the
colored men was the daring to organize
militia company and to parade in honor OF
the Centennial Fourth. They were regu-
lar company of the State militia. Their arms
were furnished to them by the State and had
been in their possession long time, and
they had never given any indication Of pur-
mise to misuse them. But while drilling they
gave offence to young blood Of the SOUTH
who insisted that the whole company should
make w2y for him as he drove along IN his
buggy. The whites thereupon rallieu
from the country round, eager to Ind
any prete1t for bloody collision. They
ordered the colored militia company to sur
render their arms. This the militia men
refused to do, and gathered in their armoTy
to protect tie property placed IN then
charge. The armory was besleged by the
whites and attacked with rifles ard cannon.
The colored men fed from it; but some
thirty were taken prisoners, and OF these
seren were taken out and killed" as one
report SAYS. \ fuller narrative in the New
York Times describes the butchery The
blacks were turned loose in q field, one by
one, ordered TO run for their lives, and each
was shot down in his tracks before he had
gone twenty PAGES. Down to the date OF
the latest intelligence eight negroes were
dead, one was dying from his wounds, and
two Others Law in critical condition. All
Of them but one had wives and families de-
perdent on them for support. One white
man, only, was killed.
The Charleston Nelrs, Democratic pa
Der. admits that there was little, if any,
excuse for the conflict itself, and absolutely
none for the cowardly killing of the negro
prisoners. who were shot down like dogs
long after they had surrendered The Neiss
adds
Hamburg, it must be remembered, :
inhabited almost exclusively by negroes. In
what WAY did the defiant attitude of the
militia, in that town, threaten the security
Of the good people of Edgefeld from which
place and from Augusta. Ga, the white
murderers came? The Ham
burg militiameu, 50 far as the published ac-
counts show, had given no special offence,
and certainly had committed 10 such overt
act as would justify the onslaught OF the
men from Eigeheld Their offence lay, we
fear, in being negroes and bearing ar9s
Such events make it tolerably plain that
the work OF the Republican party j. no; vet
ended. We need Republican party and
Republican President, till it becomes settled
that well-behayed citizens at the South shall
have the right both to he negroes and to
bear arms
Prince Rivers, the colored justice Of the
peace al Hamburg, ; C., has made state
ment to Attorney-General Stone, in which
he says that, upon the affidavit Of one
Robert Batter, he Issued warrants az tria
justice for Doc Adams and the other com
missionei officers Of militia company in
the town OF Hamburg for ohstracting the
highway and preventing said Robert Butler
from passing. This was on the 9Th Of JaIy,
l576. Owing 10 some confusion taking
place in his Office On that day. he post
poned the trial till Saturday, the Sth, at :
?. m, at which time Gen. NJ c. Butler ap-
peared as counsel for Robsr, Batter During
the trial NJ. C. Butler asked for more time,
which was granted, he Butler promising
70 be ready within an hour but be never
returned TO Rivers's Office any more, but
went to Augusta and returned with two
companies Of soldiers. and demanded the
immediate surrender Of the arms in plsses-
sion Of the militia t. him Af.-- -'''T-
talk with Rivers, he (Gen. Bli.er) granted
them half an hour to comply with his terms.
Rivers then went to the drill-room Of the
company and consulted with the men who
were there assembled 10 get them to give
up their arms, sooner than have bloodshed.
This they refused TO 90, saying Gen, Butler
had no authority to make them give up their
arms. The time having expired Gen. Butler
gave the order for the troops under him to
fire, which they did. This fire was not re-
turned by the militia for some time Butler |
told Rivers he would have the arms or burn
the town. Rivers offered 10 box the guns
and send them 20 Gov. Chamberlain, but
Butler would not agree TO that.