The Portland daily press., 1877-12-03
Washington Correspondent Boston Adyertiser.l
The Hamburg Massacre.
Senator Buffers Completely in II.

Hers in Washington General Butler is famil-
iarly known as "Hamburs' Butler, and as his
seat in the Senate, when he gets it, and his
present prominence before the country, are
doubtless owing mainly to the affair which
occurred at Hamburg, S. c., last year, some
account of that transaction may be in order.
1t is now nearly year and half since is took
place, and many, if they learned them from
the confused and confusing dispatches pub
lisbed at the time, have forgotten the "details
of the Hamburg massacre. President Grant
characterized the scene at Hamburg as "cruel,
boodthirsty, wanton and unprovoked," and
| Governor Chamberlain says that sit presents
darker picture of human cruelty than the
slaughter of Custer and his soldiers, as they
| were shot in open battle" The facts disclosed
and demonstrated in the official investigation
| fully justified this severe condemnation, and If
| they do not as fully convict Matthew @. Butler
| OF the leadership and responsibility of the
murderous outrage, they have been strangely
| perverted and the truth suppressed. The Ham
burg narrative is exceedingly short and simple.
| On the 4th of July, 1876, company A of the
| eighteenth regiment (colored) National Guard
| Of South Carolina, while marching in columns
| of fours along Market street in Hamburg,
| street 14S feet wide, wider than Pennsylvania
| avenue in this city, and many times wider than
| the busiest part of Washington street in Bos-
ton, was encountered by two! Young men in a
| light wagon, Butler and his brosher-in- law,
who insolently demanded the right of way,
| and without difficulty, received it. This COM
| pany it should be borne in mind, was no tenn
porary crowd of armed negroes on a target ex-
1 60. oF T,I-
but had been raised five years before by Prince
| Rivers, Colonel Higgnson's color-sergeant In
| the old days of the first South Carolina volun-
| teers. 1t was armed, equipped and unifc rmed
| by the state, in accordance with Law, and had
| as much right to be and to bear arms as the
| Washington Light Infantry of Charleston or
| the National Lancers of Boston. As stated,
| the Young men carried their point without Diff
| Guilty, drove through the ranks of the soldiers,
aud here the whole matter should have ended,
| and as far as the negroes were concerned, did
end.
The next day, however, Robert J. Butler.
father OF the Butler who met the troops the
| day before, and who testified on examination
| at Columbia, last wiater, that he made bust
| ness OF slave hunting, keeping large number
| of bIoOd-hounds trained for that purpose,
| obtalneda warrant from Prince Rivers, who was
| also trial Justice, directing Captain Adams to
appear on the following day, July 6, Thursday
| to answer the complaint of uDlawfully battling
| Young Butler. This performance was abso-
| lutely VOID and Of no legal authority, as Botler
| senior did not consider his complaint Of suffi-
| cent i'm portance to make oath to. To oblge
him, the summons was issued AMI served, and
| Saturday, July 8, set for the trial. On that
| day-four days, as will be observed, after the
| street dfieulty-M. @. Butler appears on the
/ scene, coming over from Edgefeld, twenty
| miles distant, as he says to act as the counsel
/ of Robert j. Butler in his suit against Captain
/ rhn of hn had haor
| appointed for four clock p NJ, and during the
| afternoon Butle rode over into the city of Au-
| gusta, Ga, just across the river, and informed
| several young men whom he had met there
| that they had better come over to Hambarg
| during the evening, as he might want them.
As the afternoon wore on Hamburg began to
| fill with mounted and armed whites, threaten
| ing violence to the negroes IN general and to
Captain Adams's company iu particular. AT
| the hour designated for the trial the Buffers
appeared in the court room, and, abandoning
| all formalities or pretence OF respect for the
courtesies of justice, demanded Of Justice and
General Rivers that the arms belonging to
| Captain Adamss company be surrendered to
| them. This surrender, they magnanlmously
promised, would be accepted as full apology
and settlement for the difficulties Of the Fourth
and the iudgnity done the sensitive honor of
young Henry Butler. This insolent demand,
| unlawful and piratieal, was refused by both
Adams and his superior officer, Rvers,-just as
Colonel Clark of the New York seventh or Cen
L
| would refuse, though with far more patience
| and dignity than they would exercise should
John Morrlssey or any irresponsible ward poll
1 tician order them TO surrender the arms which
| they had received from the State, and for which
| they were responsible to the State and the pub
| lic Efforts were made to adjust the misun-
| derstanding with Robert ard Henry Butler,
but they referred all propos tions 10 General M.
| G. Butler, saying that he was their counsel and
| the whole matter was in his hands. As a last
| resort, and to save bloodshed, General Butler
| was asked if he would guarantee the safety Of
| the town if the arms were given up, to which
| his only reply was that would depend on how
| the negroes behaved themselves afterward. I'm
/ patient at the delay Butler again demanded the
| surrender of the arms, Threatening as an alter
native that be would lay the id town in ashes.
| At last the marauding and lawless whites
opened ire upon the armory, In which were
| the doomed negroes and their arms. Having
| but small supply Of ammunition, most OF
| which was issued i've years before, captain
| Adams directed his men not to lire until be
gave the orders. Outnumbered six to one and
surrounded on all sides the fire was at last re-
| turned, and one of the attacking party was
| killed. A feldpiece was then procured from
| Augusta, trained on the armory loaded with
| canister, and regular assault began. BY this
| time night had fallen, and the negroes were
| seeking for the best means of safety and escape
| from the armory. Many passed through the
lines of the besiegers, others hid under hoors OF
Deighboring buildings but, in spite or all their
| efforts twenty five negroes were captured -not
| one with arms in his hand, and some who
were never members of the company: About
two o'clock in the morning the hoIrid butchery
| began. The first victim was A. L. Attonoy,
young colored man of 81, first lieutenant of the
company, com missioner of Aiken county, who
was taken little distance apart and, despite
/ his own entreates and his mothers prayers for
| his life, shot in cold blood. After him, David
| Phillips. Pompey Curry, Albert Minyard,
| Moses Parks and Hampton Stevens were called
| out, one by one, and shot like dogs. 10 the
cool gray of this Sabbath morning, these six
Young American citizens were there cruelty
and savagely slaughtered for no offence, with
/ out trial, without sentence, without prayer and
/ without mercy.
Butler denies his responsibility for the mas
| sacre but Senator Angus Cameron's committee,
/ which last winter made thorough investigation
of The affair and all the circumstances leading
/ to it, will soon report and place upon Butler
| the blame AID guilt OF the transaction. Hear,
/ too, what unimpeached and undlscredited wit
nesses, participants and survivors of that fear
| full night say of Butler and his presence there.
When Corporal Parker was arrested and
brought TO the other prisoners he appealed to
| the Augusta gentlemen whom sbe recognized
for protection. General Butler then asked If be
| was one of the id rascals, and Parker an
| swering in the affirmative was Immediately
| shot in the back. Butler Edwards, another
| prisoner was taken at midnight before General
| Butler who told his captors to take him to the
| other prisoners. Willis Davis, another prison.
| er saw General Butler before any had been
killed, and Butler told himthat he would have
enough of it before he got through. After the
murder of the victims, pandemOnlum was let
loose in Hamburg. The armory was sacked
and set on fire, Prince RVers's house plum
dered, and only by the efforts of some of the
cooler leaders was general conhagration Of the
| town prevented and Buffers prediction that he
would lay Hamburg in ashes thwarted. 1t
| may as we'll be stated here as anywhere that
several Of the guns belonging 70 the Adams
company were last reported in Robert j. But
ler's possession; that the suit OF Butler against
Adams in which General NJ. @, Butler is coun-
rel has never been heard of since that fatal Sth
| of July; that though General Batler and eighty
six associates including six Buffers, were pre-
sented by the cor1neIs jury as guilty OF the
| murder of six innocent negroes, no proceeding
or prosecution against them was ever taken,
and that company A, eighteenth South Caro-
| lima, has had since the day of the Hamburg
| massacre no existence. Adams, its captain,
lives in Charleston. fugitive from home, and
the whole colored population Of Aiken and
| Edgefeld counties are in wholesome subiection.
A Card from the Author OF "That Lass