The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-08-30


gard to which much testimsny has been
taken BY the COMMITTEES, and which have
nnaialy served rs the basis for1ths
wholesale accusations against the white
people Of Mississippi with which the
pubic press and the ears Of the Nothern
people have been indastriously filed.
/ A riot At Yicksblrg on the occasion
Of the celebration Of the 9th Of July, (the
4th Of July happening on sunday
III. The riot Of Yazoo City on the lsi
of September
III. The riot at Clinton on the 4th oi
September; and
". Friars' Point on the 9th Of Octo-
Der.
In regard to the Friars Point riot,
there is no testimony whatever except
what is contained IN the statement OF
Governor Ames, at page 26, and of
Senator Alcorn, at page 81. Governor
Ames charges Senator Alcora with being
personally responsible for those occur
rences- This he does upon the informa-
ton of others, not being personally
present; but Mr.. AlcOrn, who was
personally present, gives in full a history
Of his participation as leader in that
whole affair, and divests it entirely of
such political significance as is referred
70 in the resolution appointing this COM
mittee.
He lestifes that the difficulty original
ed in the party schism between hs
adherents and those of Governor Ames,
in which the Democratic party, or, what
is the same thing, the white people Of
Mississippi, had no share He states, at
page 50, the cause of the riot, which
was his personal difference with John
Brown, the negro sheriff, and the organ
Ization by Brown by a large body of
armed. negroes, several hundred in num-
her, well armed and approaching the
town of Friars' Point, threatening to sack
and burn it.
Mr.. Alcorn organized force, and with
his "double-barrelled shotgun" headed
the defense. The negroes were dispersed
at first by the forces of Alcorn without
loss of life or wounds on either side; but
the murder by the negroes of respectable
young white man, by the name of Scott.
who was innocently attending to his
business and taking no partin the trouble,
led to II retaliation of the Alcorn party,
and he sums up, at page II, the result of
the conflict:
Two white men assassinated by the
negroes. one other shot himself accidently,
aud nine colored men killed by the Alcorn
party.
Deplorable and dreadful as the occur
renee seems to have been, and public as
it was, and we'll known to Governor
Ames, who has furnished the committee
with Browns communications to him on
the subject, (and which are to be found
at page 20 of the documentary evidence
attached to the testimony yet no action
seems ever to have been taken by any of the
civil authorities of Mississippi to vindicate
the law, and, SO far as the testimony OF
Senator Alcorn discloses, no member OF
the Democratic party was concerned in
the transaction. Whatever may be the
lawle.s and dreadful character of thi.
collision, it is proved beyond doubt to
have been discon1ected with any trouble
growing out of the Democratic Conserva
tive organization Of Mississippi. L
should not be forgotten that Senator
Alcorn is a strenuous arepublican anC
ally of General Grants administration
and that the Democratic party of Mis-
sissippi have no more determined oppo
nent
The riot at Vicksburg on the 9th O.
July, is stated by every witness who ha
been examined to have been entirel,
premeditated. The .colored people me
at the courthouse on the morning of tha
day for the performance of patriotic
exercises. Among the audience wa
Cardozo, the negro superintendent of edu
cation, and who was also to have been on
of the speakers on that occasion. He wa
the editor and proprietor of newspape
published in Jackson, in which, it seems
he had assailed Judge Cowan, a citizen O
the county. Judge Cowan and Cardoz
met at the railway station at Vicksbur
, on the morning of the 9th. An alterca
ton took place between them by reaso
of the scurrilous article by Cardozo an
/ collision ensued. Cardozo was assiste
by white man named -, and wit
his aid, the attack of Cowan was foile
/ the courthouse and took his place in tn
? meeting. A few young men, suppose
to have been friends of Cowan, follows
/ him to renew the conflict, and fndin
a there -, who had interfcred betwee
a them at the depot, an encounter too
t place in which --- was shot b
some one unknown to any witness WI
4 testified.
t The testimony discloses (see depositio
r of -, page =, and the deposition
S -, at page > that but single sh,
d was fred in the building, which resulte
in the wounding of -, who has sin'
e absconded from the State. After Il
n shooting of -, the meeting, compose
chiefly Of colored people, scattered
great confusion. Shots were fred ov
their heads, one of which struck an o
? colored man who was on the sidewalk, n
concerned in the meeting, and caused b
death. The Indignation of the men wi
n had sought CaFdogo continued scare
was made for him, but he was secrets
in an upper portion of the building Al
finally managee to escape unhurt. - IT
/? mayor Of the town, DR.. O'Leary, apes
ed promptly on the scene and soon broug
everything 10 order. The riot had
origin in the personal encounter betwe
Judge Cowan and qardozo, had no featu
Of political intent, and the loss Of life W
to confined to the old ooloFed man, who "
shot aecidently by some unknown perso
The person who was wounded in {
a courthouse was proven to be very disrt
Id utable man, and was either bar-keeI
C. or the partner of q negro who kept /
lst drinking-house. He having absconds
ry no proceedings have been taken agail
be the person who shot him, nor i
he known whether his wound Is dangerC
he or not The disturbance Of this innoc,
and peaeeahle assembly was undouhtet
of outrageous. and deserves the greatest I
la rotation but it Is impossible to belle
that It was in any way or degree c
nd nected with party politics. It wa.
gross breach Of the peace, which sho
have been promptly arrested, as it v
ing and severely punished By the q
ler authorities as it was not.
by The adray at Yazoo City took plac.