The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-10-23
THECAINHOY AFFAIR.

THECAlNHOt affair."
As the negro riot which occurred at
Cainhoy, South Carolina, recently, has
resulted in the ordering of troops to that
State by the President, many persons
will be glad to read a careful statement
of the facts connected with that affair.
We, therefore, reprint the following un-
vanished statement OF tie matter taken
from the Baltimore Sun, noL-parlisan
paper;
There is great reason to fear that the
killing by armed negroes of several white
men and the wounding OF thirteen others
some MORALLY and most of them badly
at a place called Cainhoy, about ten
miles from Charleston, was premeditated.
The occasion Was political meeting, at
which it was agreed that the candidate
of both parties should speak. Of the
number present on the ground when the
firing commenced some two hundred, of
both political parties. were from Charles
ton. These, it appears, went to Csinhoy
on board the steamer Pocosin. They were
nearly all unarmed, only q few among
them carrying pistols. The arrangements
for . joint meeting had heen made with
Sheriff Bowen, who has for years ex-
erted powerful influence over the ne
groes of Charleston and its vicinity.
The village appointed for the meeting
was about three miles from the land
ing, and on reaching it they found
Bowen there with some two hundred
negroes congregsted about him-he
having preceded them on reaching the
landing. Bowen opened the meeting,
and on his nomination a colored man
named Stewart was chosen to preside.
Bowen made a brief opening
address, in which he SAID several times
that he wanted "peace' each
time great stress on the latter word.
The first speech by Mr.. Jervey, Demo
crat, passed off quietly, but 1t was noticed
even at this time the crowd in front OF
the stand was divided on the color line,
the negroes clustering together on one
side and the whites OF the other-the ne
groes in numerical strength being some
what the larger party of the two. w. }.
Mckinley, q cslored Republican, was the
next speaker, but he had onl y SAID few
words when one of the white men stand
ing at house near By caught sight Of
some rifles secreted in an open chimney,
and called attention to the TACT The in
slant the discovery was made the negroes
hed to thicket covering n marshy
stream some fifty yards oil, and as they
hnnHraH OF har
groes emerged from the thlcket armed
with rifles They were warned back,
but as they persisted IN advancing the
whites seized the rifles concealed IN the,
chimney, drew such pistols as they had
and stood on their defense. AT this mo
ment shot was fired at the whites from
the negro ranks, and the whites fired a
single shot in return. The negroes then
poured in a volley, and the whites then
retrested. the negroes keeping up a run
uing fire on them until they reached the
boat. Before the ARRAY was ended fit
teen whites were either killed or wound
ed. Such, IN brief, is the story OF
the Cainhoy ambush as told by an
eyewitness, and as corroborated in ali
its main features from other sources. In
this instance, At least, there appears TO
be no doubt that the whites were led
into trap, and that before the meeting
was opened the treacherous assault was
arranged and the negroes placed in
ambush who were to make the attack.
In the Charleston riot the negroes were
also the aggressors, and at Clinton they
brought on the trouble with the whites
by attempting forcibly to rescue one of
their race who had been arrested for rs
sault. and robbery. Since the latter
affair a number of white men have been
arrested for their alleged participation
in it, but we have yet to learn of
any arrests being made of ne
groes. Even handed justice would make
them responsible for their acts equally
with the whites. But it is the whites
who are accused by Chamberlain of be-
Ing the offenders, and even when it is
they who are killed and wOunted, as at
Cainhov, and no negro suffers hurt, it is
still the negro who is held to be lie vic
tim. 1t is clear that there have been out-
RACES perpetrated in South Carolina, by
both races; but the bulk of the testimony
goes to show that, in nearl y every in
stance, if not in all, the provocation has
come from the negroes, and that it is the
whites who have manifested the greatest
forbearance. And yet Chamberlain calls
on President Grant for federal troops to
protect the negroes, and he promptly re
spends to the appeal.