Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-08-28
Danger 10 Two sides.


dangers to be avoided.
Danger 10 Two Sides.
Holly Springs South. 27th.l
The news which comes from Mem
phls continues disheartening. Disease
and death continue their ravages
And in this time of trial, in the midst
of this sufficiently awful calamity,
comes the additional and saddening
news that the city is infested with
thieves, that plunder of all the stocks
of goods in the stores, while the
dwellings and property of refugees is
threatened. Twelve or fifteen thous-
and negroes, little tearing the fever
even when taken down by it. demand
labor and food, refuse to 20 out and
be fed gratuitously by the whites, of
whom not one-third as many are left
to take care of their own property
and that of their friends. Thus the
African race demonstrates its good
citizenship and sympathy with the
whites, who have employed and fed
and clothed them with all kindness
for years. Plunder has begun. Some
of the largest grocery and provision
houses have already been gutted, and
the thieves are proposing to be mas
ters.
On the other hand, there are around
the city of Memphis ten thousand
brave ex-Confederates and white men
who dare to 60 in and take and com
mand the city. What is to be done?
The city must be protected by force
from without, ready to act; if not now,
on the instant the necessity arises.
What then? Shall body of men 90
into the infected place, at the hazard
to be incurred, for the mere purpose
Of quelling riot, commanding the
peace; and having ordered the people
to their houses only, return? No.
They must not do things in the least
by halves against a horde of heartless
robbers, and leave them to remain a
standing menace. They must 90 in
as a standing army to capture every
man and boy able to bear arms or
steal, and to send out as prisoners un-
der strong guard so many as there is
q shadow Of reason to suspect to be
dangerous to the health, peace or
lproperty of the city. Hunger will
break through a stone wall" Twelve
or fifteen thousand negroes cannot live
without money, work or food. They
are offered food and shelter beyond
1 the city limits and refuse it! They
bknow the supplies are there, and in a
time of calamity, feeling their superior
numbers and strength, refuse to 20
out and be fed, and arrest the progress
| OF the epidemic by going away from it,
determined to stay, and, with their
sick, further endanger the remaining
whites, of whom fifty per cent. taken
die, while but nine per cent of the
blacks die. What care they? And,
again, what then? If they do not at
once return to their duty, does any
thing remain but to take the city by
sufficient force, and order the popu-
lation to Court Square, or other point
Of sufficient capacity for the selection.
and Imprisonment of every suspicious
white and black in the city, on pain of
death There must be no child's
play in this matter If anything is
called for it will be martial law, with
no quarter to any one who may refuse
instant obedience. The city must be
cleaned out between the hours of 9
and I, and so thoroughly that no
threat shall hang over It until the
return Of the refugees in November,
though it cost a thousand lives.
There is danger to both sides. We
are no enemy, but friend to all good
colored people We believe majority
of them are willing to do what is right,
but while they follow the advice of
the incendiary, Ed Shaw, now that
the more conservative Thompson is
dead, and not there to advise them.
they must all suffer and be held to
account, alike. There is no other
alternative in circumstances like
these. And therefore we tell them.
in kindness, they must obey the laws
or fall victims to worse than Fort
Pillow trial Of strength, in which the
men who so in to subduc them will go
under an evaporation which will
make their flag a dangerously black
one. Let them take warning, for they
have already gone as far as will be
borne.