The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1919-03-06
Hamburg Riot Tale Retold.

the fourth, while two young men
were riding through Hamburg, on
their way home, they were detained
on the streets by the colored mill
tary company which was parading
at the time. These two young men
demonstrated at the treatment they
were receiving and the soldiers
threatened to keep them overnight.
That was sure some humiliation for
such high strung young men as the
gentlemen were known 10 be, but
what could they do? However, they
made application to Prince Rivers,
one of the notorious and despisable
characters of those days for an in
vestigation.' 1t seems, as an out
come, or<rather we might say pre-
liminary to the outcome, there were
charges preferred against the two
young gentlemen for obstructing the
course of manoeuvers, or whatever
way it was put, of the military, and
the ones in authority set about to
further heap indignity and insult"
The two you4g men who were
'sheld up by the colored soldiers
were two men who in the years gone
have been we'll known to all the peo-
pie of this community, Messrs.
Thomas Butler and Henry Getzen,
one of them has been called to that
land from whence no traveller re-
turns. and the other one is still with
us in the flesh and highly regarded
by all who know him as being one
of our staunch citizens.
Mr.. Tom Butler die some years
back. Judge Henry Getzen lives at
this time in his home in North Au-
gusta not very far distant from the
scene of the tragedy enacted forty
4 three years ago on the streets of the
historic old town of Hamburg.
Gen. M. C. Butler was employed
by the father of Mr.. Tom Butler to
act in the trial. The day of the
trial came and the colored captain,
Doc. Rivers was the first witness to
be called. Rivers became so inso-
lent in his manner that he was
threatened with arrest for contempt
of court. Whether the arrest was
actually made '.deponent is at this
time unable to say" but the whole
affair caused such another stir as
had not been known for good long
time, and the court was adjourned
until four o'clock in the after
noon.'' At the convening of the ad-
journed session of the honorable CD
court, (God save the name!) when
Doc Adams was called for, there was
no response to the call, and it devel-
oped that he with his company OIL
soldiers CD was up the street some
distance and he refused to respond.
Gen. Butler in addressing the court,
!, declared that such a state of affairs
as had been going on had "existed
long enough" and he demanded in
no uncertain terms the disarming of
the colored soldiers.
The answer of the negroes when
called on to give up their arms, was
that they would not, and that they
intended to fight, may be, but it
turned out different from their in
tentions.
The darkies .entrenched themselves
in the old brick building known as
the Sibly building in Hamburg. The
house is standing today and gives
mute evidence of the struggle on
that memorable day in July, 1875,
the scars left by the impact of can
non balls on the masonry of the
building are plainly discernible at
this time
The first white man killed in the
melee was young man by the name
VI hdShSs AhSt lNOCuC1. ~ JA0I
about o'clock, according to ac-
count in the old paper, he was
struck in the head by a minnie bail
and died instantly. At the time he
was standing beneath the trestle of
the old South Carolina railroad
bridge, and it was from that point,
as I understand it, that the white
men in the avenging party made
their deadly assault upon the ne
groes.
The trial above referred to took
place in a house just on the upper
side of the embankment on the Car
olina side of the Center street
bridge.
Not very many weeks elapsed af-
ter the Hamburg riot before the af-
fair known as the Ellenton riot oc-
Cured. In that skirmish were men