Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-08-08
J. no.e country
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HEADQUARTERS, FIRST Div., N q. p.
CAMP AT BLAIRsvISLE JUSCrIoS,
Jply Dh lS17

] hkADoUARTkks. IRsT Nv. N. W. Il.
CAMP AT BLAIRsvIsLE JUSCIIoS,
July 20, 1877.
Major General A. L. Pearson-My
Dear General: It is, perhaps, need
less to tell you that l have been busy
since last Saturday afternoon. have
been too disgusted and annoyed at
the treatment received by my COM
mand, not from the hands of the mob
flor we expected that, but from the
public generally, and particularly the
public press, TO care to make any ex-
planation to a people who detested
law and order so much. The false
hoods fell to thick and fast for me to
combat. Public sentiment seems to
be changing in your city, and / feel 1
must write you to refute Gf possihle)
some of the gross misstatements /
have seen printed and have heard said
against you. In my mind, and l had
some opportunity of Judging the case
in view, there could be but two sides
to the riot question, one directly
against it and the other encouraging
it either in deeds or giving counte-
nance to those who quietly nodded
their assent to those infuriated drunk
en- devils. Their works Of pillage,
arson and murder We're the worst of
the lot. You were a sworn officer of
the State, and took the strongest
grounds against this lawless gang,
and to have done anything else would
have been to become a rioter; and,
for the position you assumed, you
have been a recipient of outrages
which Paris in its days of butchery
would have blushed at. With us they
have done even worse. Called at
moments notice by imperative orders
from the highest authorities in our
State. We left our business and our
families, and, braving all dangers,
rushed to the assistance of a sister
city to place our lives between her
and an atrocious band of cut-throats
and villains. Men from their work
shops. clerks from their desks, hesi-
tated not a moment to answer the call,
We arrived among you calm and
orderly: bearing no malice to any
one; having but one object in view
to do our duty Not one kindly voice
greeted us, but between us and the
demons they had the preference. We
were told that it was not the railroad
men who were disorderly, and from
all / could afterwards learn, they
were sorry for the action of their
friends.
NO FRIENDLY WORD OR ACT.
From the Mayor of your city to the
lowest of the masses we never re-
ceived a kindly glance. We were
hemmed in by this infuriated mob,
hooted at, and violent language hurled
at us. We bore all this with calm
ness and patience that Inever believ-
ed was possible for even military dis
cipline to accomplish. My instruc-
tions to my command were to bear
anything from the mob, and not to
fire unless actually attacked; and
self-defence is proper at all times.
At Twenty-eighth street 1 had less
than three hundred men, having left
my Second brigade, as you remem-
Der, down near the lumber yards.
Va,...llv we persuaded and expostula-
ted, until om' progress was entirely
impeded, without usii;g force. 1t
was then that a pistol shot 1ired by a
rioter, and then fusilade of stones
from the hill, was showered on us. 1t
was more than human nature could
further endure We did not come to
your city to be murdered, and we had
sufficient amount of manhood to
prevent it.
One or two men fired their pieces,
and without any definite order the
firing commenced. 1 can swear you
never gave any order to fire, as was
intently listening for the order which
was not given. When the firing
ceased we found that some innocent
persons had been shot. What they
were doing there, knowing that col
hsion was possible, and even expect
ed, is more than can imagine. Cow
ardly must the party be who attempts
to shield his guilty form by inducing
innocent women and children to pro
tect him. Your papers said we fired
on a defenceless mob. We had three
men hurt before we fired a shot, and
during the melee we had fifteen sol
diers wounded When ordered to
the round-house and machine shops |
of the railroad company you were
there, and much to my disgust re
fused to allow me to defend myself. |
Until you left the round-house for
the purpose of getting us rations not
a shot was fired from our guns, al
though two of my men were wound
ed from the mob outside deliberately |
firing into us.
DEFENCE DETERMINED ON.
After you left and / became com
mander of the situation l determined
that if no one would assist me 1
should certainly defend my men and
the situation myself 1 gave the
crowd warning and my guard instruc-
tions to fire on any one who ad-
vanced on them, and it was then that
the fighting commenced. Before it
was all on one side. suppose some
of your people would say that 1
should have allowed my command to |
be raked by the artillery of the mob,
and afterwards have allowed my men |
to be roasted by the fires that were
kindled for that purpose. The thing, |
however, struck me in different |
Light, and 1 made up my mind to
clean some of those fellows out, and
l was quite successful in preventing
the guns from being used against u.s. !
Captain Breck, of your city, can ties
tify how We acted, and the mob had
but little terror for us. knowing their |