National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1876-07-25

of rectitude by any partisan influence or in
terest, and would not deny even to SO great
criminals as these Hamburg murderers the
statement of any evidence tending to mitigate
or palliate their crimes. His ancestry Is better
than Gen. Buffers in every sense in which
civilized Christian people must consider 1t.
The rawlings or sneers of q thousand such
chevaliers as NJ. c. Butler can have no more
effect upon the reputation of William Stone
than paper pellets on the armor of a moni-
tor. Whatever report he has made will be
found TO be true, so far as it was possible to
elicit the truth from the eye witnesses of the
tragedy. We quote again from our "Cheva-
lier :"
"When we read the report and consider
the data from which it is made, the ez parts
statements of lying negroes, and the partial
partisan and false conclusions of its facile au-
thor, the suggestion arises, why the aflidavits
were not written out in Columbia, made to
order there, and sent by express to be exc
cuted without limit by the dusky atlantis of
that rendezvous, Hamburg. This plan would
have answered the purpose of the outrage man.
ufacturers and their hireling newspaper cham
pions just as we'll"
Our comment on this Is that the first account
we had of this massacre came from the Demo-
cratic paper, the Chronicle and Sentinel, of
Augusta, Ca, a paper published within two
miles or less Of the scene of the slaughter, and
whose editors are both personally and edto-
rally as bitterly hostile to Republicans and the
Republican party as their capacity permits.
They have aided in the circulation of every
partisan reproach, true or false, which could
be begotten or conceived against the Republic
can party or policy. Their sympathies are all
with the Democracy, and with the objects which
the Ku-Klux endeavOr to effect by their afro
cious means. 1t would be hard to find paper
in the South less inclined to make statement
damaging 10 the white ruffians who perpe-
trated the sickening slaughter at Hamburg.
Yet the account that paper aye differs in no
essential point from that given in the report
submitted by Attorney General Stone. Every
element OF atrocity is as clearly outlined in the
account given by the Chronicle and Sentinel
as in that of Mr.. Stone; and the Ne,cs and
Courier, of Charleston, also q strong Demo-
cratic paper, joins with emphasis in the indig-
nation of all right minded men. 1t is not to be
presumed that either of these papers would
say one word more unfavorab!e to Gen. Butler
and his confederates in this crime than the
facts demand.
All Otu. DuilcE IduJ SDOuG Cudul-
pions of the press" champions of Radical
outlaws" and his repetition of scurrilous cpl
thets upon the citizens of Hamburg will avail
naught in conccaling the foulness of the muir
| der done there; nor will his speaking of the
| murderers as "trhitc men engaged in the merited
ehdStisenem Of this body Of armed OUTLAWS"
| avail TO justify or palliate an attack utterly
unprovoked by the members of the militia
company.
If the company were wrongfully in posses
sion of the arms they carried there was a right
way to remedy the wrong, and it is clear that
| the "white men" composing the mob had no
more right to dispossess the company of the
arms except by due process of law than they
would have had to disarm a company of Uni
ted States infantry. The law would settle all
questions of that nature in a regular way, but
that is not the process to which the cheValisrs
of Buffers stamp resort. 1t is quite clear,
however, that the arms were not as dangerous
torhe community in the hands of the negroes
| as they would have been in the hands of the
"white men," for although the negroes were
rightfully defending themselves, and had all
| the prestige of right on their side to induce
| them to do all they could to defend them
selves, only one white man was slain, viz
McKie Merriweather, whom Gen. B. calls 'sIhat
splendid, fearless and honorable young man."
This "splendid, fearless and honorable
young man" was firing on the negroes from
behind the abutment of bridge, where a shot
from the building in which the negro company
| were, or from another negro outside, killed
| him.
The following from the ConStit,tionalist of
Augusta, a Thoroughbred Democratic paper,
and from the Chronicle and Sentinel tells how
| "splendid, fearless and honorable" was the
occupation of Merriweather when he received
his death wound:
1.-TWO young men were firing from behind
| an abutment of the Charlotte, Columbia and
| Augusta railroad bridge, when two negroes
| slipped through the tall weeds On the edge of
the river, and coming up unperceived in the
rear of them, shot and killed Mr.. Merri-
| weather, son of DIR. Merriweather, of Edgefeld,
| the ball striking him behind the ear, killing
| him instantly. The young man who was with
| Merriweather turned and fred at the negroes,
killing one dead. The other threw down lis
| gun and made an effort to ESCAPE, but was
| pursued and captured by the young man and
| brought i'll as prisoner.
"But an eye witness informs the Chronicle and
Sentinel that he happened to be looking at
| Merriweathcr when he was killed. Two shots
| were fired almost simultaneously from one of
| the windows, and it was probably one of these
which struck the unfortunate young man, as
| he instantly fell"
The "splendid, fearless and honorable"
| young man was doing the work of an assassin
and persisted miserably in his act. We may
| mourn the state Of society that makes its youth
| capable of taking such part, but no right
| minded man can mourn at the death of one so
| engaged. Tears should be shed for the VIC
| tins of Merriweather and such as he, not for
his merited punishment.
Speaking Of Governor Chamberlain, Gen. B.
says:
GAS he recommends judicial investigation,
| and suDdry threats of arrests have been made
| by certain valiant knights of the quill, Icho,
presume, trH Colunteer to play constable TOR that
purpose, will reserve my exposure of these
| falsehoods for that interesting OCCASION"
The italics are ours. They contain menace
to those who volunteer to assist in making the
arrest of the guilty parties in this horrible
| crime. We doubt not the service on a posse
conaitatus to arrest these villains will be dan
gerous one. The county of Edge field was
| perhaps the least amenable to law and order,
so far as the white inhabitants are concerned,
| of all the counties in the United States, and
| Hamburg is in the new county of Aiken,
| which was part of Edgefeld county. Those
who go there to arrest any violator of the law
must understand that the average white citi-
zen sympathizes with the murderer of negroes,
| and still holds that the negro has no rights
which the white man is bound to respect.
| The officer who makes the arrests must be
supported by force strong enough to resist
| any organization of the white people of the
vicinage, assisted by a crowd of sympathizng
eheraliers from across the river in Georgia.
The Hon. Mr.. Hartridge may pledge his State
| government to aid in bringing the guilty
parties to justice. But the Hon. Mr.. Hartridge
will find that the public sentiment in favor of
the wrong-doer is so strong in Augusta and
vicinity that the action of the Governor of
Georgia will be in fact futile. Were Mr.. Alex
ander II. Stephens in the full vigor of his
| strength, mentally and physically, he would