Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-07-27

Tas- 9AnBURe Rlor.-ln the multi
tude OF con6icting statements which
have betn PublAhed in regardso tie
late riot|a HsnburE. S. c.. ii Is diA-
cult, sl4qR impossible. 10 &c. At "
bOtia IL" or ny fiets, indeed.
which beN faily ns1ie to exenps
either ~ from grave blame and
wrong-ing. n is certain that the
blacka invoked, if they. did not COM
mence Y riot. II is also claimed that
the first nan killed was . white man.
On the ooer hand. it is clear that Eve
OF the Nacks were murdered by the
whites Der they had been captured.
The origA Of the riot and the attending
circumstances are thus described by the
New Ye 7Si5une. republican paper
and an sIient advocate Of Hayes and
Wheeler!
Tive young men who were riding
through he streets on their way home
on that morning were detained by a
military solored company, the soldiers
threatening to keep them all night. APP
plication was made the next day to a
justice, Hince Rivers, for an investiga-
ton of TIE rights of the militia to block
up the hRhway. The nature of the ju-
dicial prEeedings is somewhat inde6-
nitely gSsen. for the justice being asked
by Ge1.,Rutler whether he was sitting
as q CT q military Officer. replied that
-0o edaposf the facts as they
should be developed; that he was then
acting as peace officer. The colored
captain, Adams, was so violent that the
justice committed him for contempt
His trial was to take place the next day,
but he failed to appear. In fact, he was
at large. and with his company upon the
street. General Butler had confer
ence with,a black man named Gardner,
and suggested as the best solution of
The matter that the blacks should give
up their arms; but they absolutely re-
fused to do this when It was suggested
to them. Nor does the demand seem
to have been backed by any particular
authority-the disarming was only pro-
posed as citizen by Gen. Butler. The
whites began to assemble. The blacks
announced their determination Of fight
ing, and speedily the fight ensued. The
blacks posted themselves in their drill
rooms in brick building. They fired
from the windows: the whites respon-
ded and the fusilade became general
Mr.. Merriweather, an estimable Young
white man, was killed. This lnfuriated
the white crowd, which Gen. Butler
says was under the special command Of
nobody. Apiece of artillery was brought
from Augusta, which silencedthe blacks.
fifteen Of whom were captured. or
these, five we've murdered after they had
been taken into custody, and three blacks
fell in the fight. One white man was
killed and one wounded. For the Kill
ling Of the prisoners there seems to have
been no excuse
As pendent to the above, we make
the following extract from the speech of
Lamar, Of Miss. delivered on the occa-
sion of the introduction of this subject
to the attention OF Congress, promising,
that il met the approval and elected
the applause ofthe republican members
of the House:
THE Hamburg afTair'was disgracefui
and terrible, but he denied that it's cir
cumstances were legitimate topic in
in the House in debate. There were
one or two facts that cleaned out which
were indisputahle. One of these was
that body of white men had put to
death, without authority of law, a num-
Der of colored citizens while prisoners:
not prisoners IN the legal sense, inasmuch
as these white men had no right to de-
pr;ve them Of their personal liberty
He wished to say in his place that no
excuse or palliation could possibly be
found for that OUT a &C and barbarism.
The South had its lawless class as the
North had, with this difference, that in
the South they famed out in different
localities and were confined to short PEE
RODS of time. while here in the North
some counties were sometimes held in
terror for months, and the State author
tiles defied. In those Southern States
where disorders occurred there were
governments of peculiar character
and type. They were called Republic
can, but il was a spurious Republican
ism, which had no sympathy with the
purposes and feelings of the great ma
tional Republican party. 1t was these
State governments which had encour-
aged these disorders and these murders
bv their inc Efficiency, their inability and
their cowardice. 1t was the duty OF
Governor Chamberlain at once to- adopt
measures swift and Just to bring to JUS
tice those who shot those prisoners in
cold blood, and if he did that he should
receive his (Mr. Lamar's) support and
praise. Instead of doing SO Governor
Chamberlain rushed to Washington for
the purpose of making this occurrence
the foundation for fanaticism and strife.
He will not stop that disorder. Arkan-
sas was an illustration for the past two
years OF the advantages of good gov.
eminent under a fair and intelligent
man-Governor Garland. In conclu-
| sion, he declared the occurrence al
Hamburg was a morabund element, not
sporadic, but unnatural, and one that
would disappear under good govern
ment.
The New JAiL.-The material fol
the new Jail is being deposited in the