The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1876-07-22
THE HAMBURG MASSACRE.
STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA,
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
COLUMBIA. July IL. 1876.


DEAR SIR-1o our request for a statement
from me of the recent bloody affair at
Hamburg, in this State, was duly received.
| have waited before replying until official
reports and statements should be received.
There are now before me the otfic reports
of the Attorney General and the Adjutant
and Inspector Generals the testimony
taken at the Coroner's inquest, and the
written statements of several other persons
who We're 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 evidence to which
| have referred.
On the 4th of July, instant, a company
of the State militia (colored) were march
ing along one Of the streets Of Hamburg.
The street was over one hundred feet wide,
and the company was marching in columns
of fours. While so marching it was met
by two young white men in buggy, who
insisted on keeping their course in the
street without regard to the movements of
the militia, and drove against the head of
the column, which thereupon halted. Some
parleying took place, which resulted in the
company yielding, opening their ranks and
allowing the young men to proceed on
their course. On the following day the
young men referred to took out warrants
of arrest against some of the officers of the
militia company, who were brought before
a trial Justice for trial The trial was
afterward adjourned till p NJ. on Satur-
day, the Sth inst. Before that hour arrived
on Saturday many white citizens from the
country around Hamburg began to gather
in the town, armed with guns and pistols.
The militia company, in the meanwhile,
had assembled in their armory in the viii
lage, and at the hour set for trial the de-
PENDANTS did not appear. At this point. it
has been stated in dispatches ard news
papers, that the militia officers, having de-
fled 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 formally
calling them, took no further steps to cause
their presence in his court, on account of
the excitement and the evidences of an i'm
pending conflict.
While affairs were in this condition, there
being, according to all accounts, from two
hundred to three hundred armed white men
from the surrounding country i'll 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 con-
corning this demand, the whites informing
the militia company that if the arms were
not given up in short time (most of the
witnesses say in ahalf 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
|
whites upon the building in which the
militia were assembled, and soon after one
of the attacking party was killed by shot
from the militia in the building. A piece
of artillery was thereupon brought across
| the bridge from Augusta, loaded with can
lister, and fired several times at the build
| ing. This had the effect to cause the militia
to endeavor to make their escape from the
rear OF the building. The town marshal
of Hamburger colored man-who was
leaving the building, was instantly shot by
the attacking party. While thus endeav-
oring to escape from the building, twenty
or twenty-five of the militia were captured
by the attacking party and kept under
| guard for several hours. Finally, about 2
o'clock on the morning of the 9th of July,
| Sunday after consultation among their
captors, and with complete apparent DELHI
Grafton, five of the captured militiamen
were marched out, one by one, and shot to
death in the presence of large body of
their captorS. The rest of the captured
party were either turned loose or broke
loose and ran. They were fired upon as
they ran and three of them severely wound
ed-one of them probably mortally.
Attorney General Stone thus succinctly
reports this part of the affair: "Six men
tnnl ttnyr Nf ~, H.
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 was next taken out, and was SINH
larly killed. Pompey Curry was next called
out. He recognized among the bystanders
Henry Getzen and DR.. Pierce Butler, and
called on them to keep the other men from
killing him. He ran, and was shot as he
ran, one bullet striking him in the leg.
below the knee. Afterward Albert Myni
art, Moses Parks and Hampton Stevens
were killed. Stevens did not belong to the
company"
The Attorney General, who has person
ally visited Hamburg, thus concludes his
official report to me: "Makins due allow.
ance for errors in minor details, the facts
show that the demand on the militia to
| give up their arms was made by persons
without lawful authority to enforce such
demand, or to receive the arms had they
been surrendered; that the attack on the
militia to compel a compliance with this
demand was without justification or ex-
cuse; and that after there had been some
twenty or twenty-five prisoners captured
and completely in the power of their cap
tors, and without means of making further
resistance, five of them were deliberately
shot to death and three more severely
Wounded Such was the affair at Ham
| burg. If you can find words to character
| iZe its atrocity and barbarsm, the trivial
| ity of the causes, the murderous and inhu-
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 SOL
| diers, for they were shot in open battle.
| The victims at Hamburg were murdered
in cold blood after they had surrendered
and were utterly defenseless. No occasion
existed for causing the presence of sin
! gle armed citizen in Hamburg on the day
of this massacre. No violence was offered
or threatened to any one. 1t is indeed
said, as usual, that 1.-THE nggers We're i'm
pudent," but the evidence shows that all
the actual physical aggression was on the
part of the whites; that they made IA de-
maui WHICH tHty udu no Il8HU TO make,
and that when that demand was refused, as
it should have been, they proceeded to en-
force it by arms, and crowned their sue
cess in inforcing their demands by brutal
murders.
Shame and disgust must fill the breast of
every man who respects his race or human
nature as he reads this tale To me in my
official capacity, wherein as You will testify
| have done my utmost, at no little risk of
personal and political detraotion from my
political friends, to remove abuses and re-
store good government and harmony to our
people, the occurrence of such an appall-
ing example of human passion and deprav-
ity comes as deep modification and dis
couragement. What hope can we have
when such a cruel and blood thirsty spirit
waits in our midst for its hour of gratitica-
ton? Is our civilization so shallow Is
our race so wantonly cruela Such acts
call for condemnation and punishment-for
condemnation as a bloody blot on the record
of your race and mine, as a cruel aftront
to a race whose long suffering, patience
and forbearance challenges the admiration
and gratitude of the world, and as shame
full dishonor to the name of South Caro-
for, iel,