Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1876-09-27

The Hamburg Massacre.
The renewed attempt of the
organs to make partisan capital ont
of the Hamburg massacre, or "hor-
ror" as they call it, makes the fol-
lowing from the New York Nation,
which supports Hayes and Wheeler,
very timely:
1t is proper to ask the attention
of those who aro trying to magnify
the political Importance of the
Hamburg massacre, and make it
appear that if Tilden were elected
he would encourage that sort of
thing, to recent speech of Judge
Mackay, one of the foremost and
ablest Republicans of South Caro-
lima, with regard to tho share in
the matter of General M. c. Butler,
who has been so much abused, and
with regard to some of the occur
rences which proceeded the Ham
burg affair, and which throw a good
deal of light on the question why
it is that there is so much more
turbulence and disorder i'm States
in which the negroes and their
friends are in the majority than in
others. Judge Mackay states in
his speech, as a matter OF justice,
that in January of last year Gen
cral Buffers house and barn were
burnt down, rs was believed, by a
party of negroes from Hamburg.
A force of whites under Butler
subsequently had q fight with these
negroes, and Judge Mackay was
sent down by Governor Chamber
lin to investigate and restore order.
The judge issued warrants for the
arrest of man named Tenant, the
captain Of a negro militia company,
and several of his men, and for
that of Butler and twelve of his
men. Butler and his men surrend-
cred at once, riding fifteen miles in
n stormy night to do SO, and were
discharged after full investigation,
in which 1t appeared that Teppant
and his men had resisted arrest for
arson on warrants issued by a col
ored justice, and that General But
Ter and others were then and there
called upon by the justice in court
to aid him and the constable as a
posse, and that tho justice directed
him to act on the ground after he
and the constable had been again
repealed by armed force. They
then fred, after receiving o full
volley from the thirty negro militia,
and two Of the latter were wound
ed, and the rest surrended. This
is not oil, however. While the
negroes were in Jail on the charge of
burning Buffers house, tho proof
which Judge Mackay considered
sufficient to hold them to bail, there
was q rumor OF an attempt to take
them from the Jail and lynch them
whereupon Butler and other white
Democrats turned out with their
rifles and stood guard through the
night over the Jail. 1t Is needless
to add that Judge Mackay does
not believe him guilty Of completely
in the Hamburg massacre. It is
well for northern people to remem-
Der, too, that 1t Is only two years
since the Governor OF South Caro-
Ina called out the negro militia
ignorant men, with hardly q glim-
nering Of POLITICAL knowledge
10 protect him against the process
of the courts, issued against him |
On charges of larceny. k 1t won
lered at that men living under q re-
yime in which such things are pos
sible are irritable, and that being
irritable, and having still some of
he habits of barbarians, their ir-
occasionally finds vent in
leeds Of violence? Violence ought |
% be repressed at all cost; but IL
8 IN outrage on common sense to
ell people, as Republicans are now
very day told from the stump, that
'uch incidents as tho Hamburg af-
air record state of things which
'alls for tho neglect of everything
,ut the policing of the South, or
wen, according to Senator Bout
veil, a radical change In our poll
ical system.