Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-07-28
The Hamburg Massacr,

LETTER FROM GOVERNOR CHAMBERLAIN Oh
SOUTH CAROLINA.
We give below the full text of letter
written to United States Senator 7. J. Rob-
ertson, by Governor Chamberlain, of South
Carolina, in regard to the outrage at Ham
burg, in that State:
STATE OF SoUTH CAROLINA,
Executive Chamber.
COLUMBIA, July l3, 1876. J
Hon. r. J!Robertson, United States Senator,
Washington, d. c.:
DEAR SIR-Your request for statement
from me Of the recent BLOODY affair at Ham
burg, in this State, was duly received.
have waited before replying until official re-
ports and statements should be received.
There are now before me the official re-
por IS of the Attorney-General and the Ad-
jutant and Inspector General, the testi-
mony taken at the Coroners inquest, and the
written statements of several other persons
who were present and witnessed the whole
or parts of the affair. will present to you
as briefly a. possible, the leading acts as
they appear from the evidences to which |
have referred.
THE STORY OF THE AFFAIR.
On the 4th Of July inst. company of the
State militia (colored) were marching along
one of the streets of Hamburg. The street
was over one hundred feet wide, and the
company was marching in columns of four
While SO marching they were met by two
young white men In buggy, who insisted
on keeping their course in the street with
out regard to the movements Of the military
and drove against the head of the column,
which thereup0n 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 re-
ierred to took out warrants of arrest against
some of tie officers of the military company,
who were brought before Trial Justice for
trial
THE WHITE MEN ARN THEMSELVES.
The trial was aiterward adjourned till
?. m, OF Saturday, the Sth inst. Before
that hour arrived on Saturday. many white
citizens from the country around Hamburg
began to gather in the town, and armed
themselves with guns and pistols The mi
litia company in the meanwhile had assem-
bled at their armory in the village. and at
the hour set for trial the defendants did
not appear.
At this point it has been stated in de-
spatches and newspapers that the militia
officers having dofed the authority Of the
Trial Justice, the citizens were called to
assist the Trial Justice 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 evidence Of an i'm
pending conflict.
TIE ARMS OF The coLORED MILITIA DEMANDED.
While affairs were in this condition. there
being, according 10 all accounts, from 200 to
800 armed white men from the surrounding
country in the town, demand was made by
the whites for the surrender to them Of the
arms Of the militia An hour or two passed
IN negotiations concerning this demand, the
whites informing the militia company that
II the arms were not given up IN short
time, most OF the witnesses say in a half
hour, the whites would open fire on the mil
ltla. The militia refused to deliver up their
arms, saying that the demand was wholly
unwarranted and illegal, and that they had
reason to fear fJr their lives if they gave up
their arms.
TIE ATTACK BEGUN BY The WHITES.
\ brisk fire was then opened by the whites
upon the building in which the militia were
assembled, and soon after one of the attack
ing party was killed by shot from the mil
tia IN the building. \ piece Of artillery
was thereupon brought across the bridge
from Augusta, loaded with canister, and
fired several times at the building in which
were the militia. This had the effect to
cause the militia 10 endeavor 70 make their
escape from the rear of the building The
town marshal Of Hamburg, a colored man,
who was living in the building, was in
sianty shot by the attacking party while
thus cndeayoring to escape from the build
ing
coloRED MEN CAPTURED AND SOME OF THEN
SHOT.
Twenty or TWENTY-FIVE Of the militia were
by the attacking party and kept
under guard for several hours. Finally about
two o clock on the morning Of the 9th Of
July Sunday, after consultation among
their captors and with mplete apparent de-
Liberation, five of the captlre1 militia men
were called out one by one and shot to death
in the presence Of large body of their cap
tors. The rest Of the captured party were
either turned loose or broke loose and ran.
They were fred upon as they ran. and three
OF them severely wounded. one of them
probably mOrtally.
Attorney-General Stone thus succinctly re-
ports this part Of the affair
DETAILS OF THE KILLING.
Six men took \. T. Attaway out of the
ring. lie and his mother begged for his
life, but in vain. lie was told to turn ound,
and was shot to death by the crowd.
David Phillips was next taken out and was
killed. Pompey Curry was next
called out. lie recognized among the by
ISLANDERS Henry Getzen and DR.. Pierce, and
called on them to keep the other men
from killing him. lie ran. and was shot as
he rar, one bullet striking him on the leg
below the knee. Aiterward Albert Myniart.
Moses Parks and Hampton Stevens were
killed. Stevens did hot belong to the com
pany.
THE ATTORNEY GENERAL s COMMENTS.
The Attorney General, who has personally
visited Hamburg, thus concludes his official
report to me
Making due allowance 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 en-
force such demand. or to receive the arms
had they been surrendered that the attack
on the militia to compel 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 the captOrs, and
without means of making further resistance,
five of them Were deliberately shot to death
and three more severely wounded.
DARK PICTURE OF HUMAN CRUELTY.
Such was the affair at Hamburg. If you
can find words to characterize It's atrocity
and bar5ariSm, the triviality Of the causes
and the murderous and inhuman spirit
which marked it in all its stages, your power
OF 4aDSuAge tAcSeuS mine. II HTt>cuts a
darker picture of human cruelty than the
slaughter of Custer and his soldiers, for
they were shot in open battle. The victims
at Hamburg were murdered in cold blood
after they had surrendered and were utterly
defenceless No occasion existed for causing
the presence of single armed citizen on the
day of the massacre. No violence was
offered or threatened to any one. 1t is in-
deed said, as usual, that 1.-THE niggers were
impudent :" but the evidence shows that all
the actual physical aggression was on the
part of the whites that they made de-
mand which they had no right to make. and
when that demand was refused, as it should
have, been they proceeded to enforce it by
arms, and crowned their success in enforcing
their demands by brutal murders.
SHAMEFUL DEED.
Shame and disgust must fill the breast of
orarr man rho racpacfa his rape or human