The Republican journal., 1876-08-31
The Hamburg Riot.
Fro!n Charleston News and Courier.
IT'S ORIGIN AND CAUSES.

her at Aiken, on Thursday last, on behalf
OF the persons accused of being concerned
IN the Hamburg riot, throw q flood Of
light upon the affair, and will, it is
hoped, put it before the country in its
true aspect The witnesses are citizens
of good character and high standing. In
any court OF Justice their words would
outweigh the words Of excited and alarm
ed negroes. who, in many cases, are
proved to have made extraordinary blum
derS, if they did not fully perjure them
selves III neatly every case, it is proved
that the persons charged with the killing
At hamburg. as principals or accessories,
Were far from the place at the time that
the crime was committed This will be
shown whenever they are brought to
trial Our more immediate concern is
with the causes and origin of the atfray,
rs made apparent by the testimony sub
mitted for the defence on Thursday.
The fight took place, it should be re-
membered, on July $. The parties were
Il body of armed negroes, claiming to be
a militia company, and II number OF white
citizens Of South Carolina and Georgia.
John Lee, of Aiken. swears that Doc.
Adams in June last, told him he was or
ganiZing a militia company at Hamburg
Ito kill the whites Frank Taylor, col
orcd, swears that he was told the same
thing by Adams at about The same time.
Both these witnesses are Radicals. Ed
ward kumley SWears that previous to the
fight on different occasions, armed bands
OF negroes patrolled Hamburg, stealing
cattle and destroying fences. Other WIT
ncSses corroborate this. t. T, Butler
sWears that on July Sd an officer and two
prjyates of the negro militia halted him
and tried to pick Is quarrel with him.
Aaron Butler. COlOred, swears that on
july 4th AttaWay Boosted to him that the
militia intended to Kill the whites and
several negro women who were present
sand the men would shoot the whites and
the women would cut their thloats Geo
henderson. coiorcd, swears that on the
same day he and another colored man
were invited by Attaway to join the com
panH he WAS getting up to XIII the whites
This is evidence enough to the purposes
OF the organization OF re- organization OF
the militia company We now come to
the overt act which led to the fight on the
Ath.
Two young men, ON July 4th were
driving along the main road in Hamburg.
When they reached a point where well
and ditch cover halt the road, they We're
met by Doe Adams militia company, who
cursed and abused them, spread them
selves across the road, and refused to al
low them to pass. They were detained
fifteen minutes, when the militia broke
ranks aad the young men were allowed
10 drive on The averment Of the ne
grOes that the two white men interiered
with them and would not pass on, al
though they could have done so, is rebuff
ted conclusivelv by the ai1idavits Of the
young men themselves. They are men
of character and standing, and the con-
duct of the negroes towards them was. as
we have shown, consistent with the APP
parent purpose Of the armed negroes to
force a collision with tie whites Pro-
ceedings were taken against Adams and
his militia company for o5structing the
highway. The hearing took place on the
9Th Adams was so insolent in court that
he was rebuked by Trial Justice Rivers
and placed under arrest, and the further
hearing was adjourned to July 0th.
The Rev j. T. Mealing swears that on
July 9th Attaway after the proceedings
in the Trial Justice Court. walked up and
down the street, cursing the court and the
whites. declaring that he was ready for n
fight, and 50 exciting the negro women
that they yelled out, start it now. start
it now We want to hang on So some
white mans collar" The same gentleman
swears that Doc. Adams said, "D-n
Rivers and his court While have II
company no one id negro OF white
man shall rule me-" Prince Rivers cor
roborates Mr.. Mealing's statement con-
concerning the conduct OF doc Adams
and his arrest for contempt. The same
day Aaron I. Tyler was cursed and threat
ened by the negroes in Hamburg; and Mr..
d. 5. Henderson swears that he was told
by eN-Speaker Lee, pending the trial that
Sparnick, the Radical Judge of Probate.
said that Il good thing, politically could
be made out Of the 18th, and that Sparnick
subsequently represented the State. 1t
should also be noted that Jerry Whitlock,
colored, sWears that on the lth Of July he
heard Attaway make threatening remarks
against Henry Getson, who was riding by.
This Mr., Getson is one Of the two young
men who were halted and abused by Alta
ways men in the evening.
We have now brought down the MARIA
tive to July 9Th, when the final hearing OF
the case was to have taken place. The
whites who knew then what the public
only know now, had every reason to eN-
pect an attack of some sort. Mr. Mealing
swears. however, that at the opening OF
the only seven white men were present
and but two of these were armed. Col.
A. p Butler swears that he drove to Aiken
in private carriage, and rot at the head
OF a band Of armed mtn, and that during
the riot which occurred he and Gen. But
Ter did all they could to restrain the mob
from violence; and he swears positively
that he did not fire a gun OF II pistol, OF
order the killing of a single man. On that
very day colOred courier rode from
Hamburg to Horse creek, told the colored
men there to hurry over to Hamburg, and
went on to Reach Island At midnight
the same courier went back to Hamburg
with ten armed negroes. These facts are
sworn to by Mr. r. f. Carroll. And more
imj ortant than all that goes before, VIM
+. Flint, the Waterman on the Charlotte,
Columbia and Augusta Railroad bridge,
swears that. on the morning of the Sth,
John Thomas, one Of Adams company
passed him on the bridge, with a large
pistol in his hand that he said that Adams
had been arrested, but the boys were not
going to allow HIM to be tried" The
deponent further overheard Doc Adams,
that afternoon, give orders to him in the
armory to fire upon the Buffers as they
come around the corner from Prince Riv-
er's office. j. Ii. Lamar swears, also, that
few days before the riot, he heard two
negroes talking in the woods about meet
ing on Friday night in Hamburg, and tell
ing each other that they wanted every
man at his post.
Another link IN the chain is the testi-
mony as to the status of the militia com
pany Charles Harden. the colored assis-
tant marshal of Hamburg, swears that
Rivers said that the company was not a
regular militia company, and their arms
were taken without his knowledge. This
is corroborated On oath by Prince Rivers
himself, and by Stephen Whitman. Not
being regularly organized militia COM
pany the surrender of their arms was de-
,naudad hv tho whites Thon tho oa.rroac