The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-03-20
Pinching Their Pockets.
The Crescent City Losing Her
Commerce.

New ORLEANS, March 15.-One of
the evil effects the labor disturbance
is having on the commerce Of this
city was shown to-day when it was
rumored that when the steamer Mia
CARA finished unloading, she will not
remain at this port to take On her
cargo of cotton, but will 60 to Gal
weston for it The Niagara is lying
at the wharf near the head of Phillip
street and in the vicinity of the place
from which a party Of rioters fired
upon negroes and killed one of them
last Tuesday. Yesterday she was
unloaded by n%on-union men and it is
expected that the unloading will be
completed to-day. The Elder Demp-
ster Company are agents for the
vessel, and as the rumor got abroad
that the craft was to be sent to Gal
weston for her cargo of cotton, the
inquiry was made there if the vessel
was to be loaded there, and the reply
was in the affirmative. The question
was asked if the labor troubles on the
levee were the cause of this action
being taken. The answer was
Partly because Of the situation"
and it was further added that the
steamer is to leave her moorings
to morrow morning and start out for
the port on the Gulf of Mexico.
The riot of Tuesday morning is
now being investigated by the grand
jury. The inquisitorial body met this
morning with Foreman J. A. Chalaron
and thirteen members in attendance
and went into session with the matter
of the riot before them for investiga-
ton. A large number of witnesses
have been summoned from the police
force and among the negro screwmen
who were present at the scene and
whose bodies we're made the targets
for the revolvers and rifles of the
attacking party. At o'clock Judge
Noise sent for the grand jury and
delivered a special charge urging
them to probe the affair to the bottom
in order to discover the perpetrators
of the outrage.
Those who went to the uptown
river front this morning before Z
o'clock in anticipation Of either wit
Messing bloody riot or the entire
resumption of the usua! activity on
the levee were disappointed, for
neither one or the other occurred.
Although it was known that the State
militia would be on the scene, work
was not begun at ! o'clock, not be-
cause of the absence of negro work
men, for they were out in great num-
bers, but rather because the soldiers
did not put in an appearance until
some time after I O'Clock. AS early
as els the street corner in the vicin-
ity of Mondays and Tuesdays dis
turbances were thronged with white
men, presumably screwmen and
levee laborers but these did not
talk of riots or trouble. The coming
of the militia was the one topic dis
cussed, and it was admitted on all
sides that no turbulent scenes were
likely to take place as long as the
boys in blue were kept on duty along
the river front. Many uncompliment-
airy remarks were made of the SOL
diers as to their ability to do battle ;
whether they would run if a mob one
thousand strong should come up the
levee, but it is safe to predict that no
mob will organize to face the soldiers
rifles. The police were patrolling
the levee early this morning, and the
only noticeable activity among them
was when a batch would be sent to
breakfast, and when they returned
another batch would be relieved that
they might eat 1t is needless to say
the officers look forward to the meal
hour with delight, and when they are
relieved they hurry off to their homes
as fast as their two legs will carry
them. On the way back to duty the
same pace is not discernable, any
this leads one to believe that they
leave with more gladness than the
return to the river fro2t. The hour
when they will be returned to their
old beats will be welcomed with JOY.
1t was as late as a quarter to /
when the first gang OF negroes to
work on the vessels arrived, and
when they had reached Water and
Sixth Street they halted and looked
up and down the street. One of
them asked a bystander if the militia
had arrived, and when he was in
formed that it had not some turned
and walked out Sixth Street and
others went over to the wharf, and
stood behind a number cf police. The
gro who had asked if the militia
-