Year: 1866




guilty, suffer the extreme penalty for his
crime


Resoloed, That we hereby express our un-
qualified disapproval of any attempt to re-
store rebels to power and earnestly protest
against the admission to seat in Congress
of any Representative or Senator from States
lately in rebellion who is unable to take
what is known the I" test OATH" and it
would be an insult to every Union soldier in
the Republic to allow men whose hands are
yet red with the blood of their comrades to
legislate for them, and for the wives and
children of the gallant dead who fell on the
battle field or were atrociously starved or
murdered in Southern prisons


Res0tced, That, in the opinion of this
meeting, no State lately in rebellion should
be allowed to come back into practical work
ing relations with loyal States until they
have given unmistakabe evidence of de-
sire to cherish the Union and protect the
great principles of civil liberty, which they
so lately attempted to destroy.


ResOJyed, That it is the desire of this meet
ing that, if any of the benefits asked for
should be conferred by Congress, no distinc-
ton shall be made between soldiers or sailors
on account of color.


The Norfolk Riot.


An inquest has been held over the bodies
of Robert and Charlotte Whitehurst, recent
ly killed in Norfolk. A part of the evidence
is as follows:


Marshal Capps| was passing through
Nicholson street with three colored women
in my carriage; they requested me to stop to
see the procession; l stopped the carriage,
and was leaning against the pole; colored
man was lying in the road, between the road
and ditch; took him to be drunk; two
colored men came along and told him to get
up, that the procession was coming along;
he refused to get up, and told them to go
away from there, damn black sons of -, or
he would shoot them; or if they did not get
away he would kill them. turned towards
the stand to see who was speaking to the
colored population; pistol went off; 1
looked again and saw a black man lump up
and cry, oh Lord: oh Lordy ]" he was the
one who tried to get the drunken man up
my belief is that the negro who was drunk
shot him, for he told him if he did not 90
away he would shoot him; when he fell, the
negroes from the stand rushed towards Mich
olson street crying, ''Rally rally, boys and
kill white son of a - wherever you find
him :" they all rushed towards the side
walk; turned my carriage and got out of
the way, and drove towards Church street
then the crowd of negroes had headed up
white man; who he was l do not know; /
only know they were in pursuit of some one;
1 drove towards MIR. Collins>a and stopped and
looked back, and saw two negroes dragging
a man between them; they were headed off
by party at the corner of Nicholson street,
who turned them toward the old field; l
know both the men; the man that was kill
ed was the man they had between the two
horses heard firing at a house on Nichol-
son street. as l arrived on Church street with
my carriage.


Susan Fuller colored-I was at Mrs White
hurst's door yesterday, TMontlayl on Nichol-
son street at the time of the fight; Joe Mac
key said. Rally in, boys, bring him out
and shoot him ~ John - fred and then
l went off; l saw John shoot at him; l do
not know whether John killed him Robert
Whitehurstl or not; only saw one shot
fired, and went off to get out of danger :;
there was a number around with guns and
pistols; n colored man tried to protect the
house, and Mackcy seized him by the collar,
and asked him if he would take up for ii
dam white secesh son of a - the man
l saw John shoot was in his shirt sleeves l
saw no white person in the house except
those who lived there.


The OLD DOniiniOn, of yesterday, says -
The jury returned a verdict that Robert B.
Whitchurst came to his death from pistol
shots fired by a person or persons unknown
to the jury. The same verdict was rendered
in the case of Mrs. Charlotte Whitehurst,
with the exception that the word shots were
singular, and not plural Several parties,
implicated in the riot and murder are now in
Jail, and will be examined before the Mayor
at an early day. The coroner's jury felt con
fident that both Mrs. Whitehurst and her son
were killed by colored persons who had par
ticipated in the celebration of that day, and
discussed the propriety of inserting that in
the verdict. 1t is very evident, from the tes-
timony ad,luccd, that Whitchurst Brothers
were shot by persons engaged in the process
sion. deliberate and wilIully, but there is
testimony to show how Mrs. Whitehurst
cbCt inSi 10 hn


Martial law has been proclaimed in the
Norfolk military district.


The Peace Proclamation. Official Cen


Observation-Disclosures by the President.


On the 7th inst, General Tillson, at Au-
gusta, Georgia, transmitted by telegraph the
following interro9atory, addressed to Gene
raj o. o. Howard:


Does the Presidents recent proclamation
remove martial law in this State? If so,
General Brannan does not feel authorized to
arrest parties who have committed outrages
on freed people or Union refugees. Please
answer by telegraph.


The following reply was sent from the
Adiutant Generals office:


The Presidents proclamation does not re-
move martial law or operate in any way up
on the Freedmen's Bureau in the exercise of
it's legitimate jurisdiction. 1t is not expcdi-
ent, however, to resort to military tribunal
III any case Wncrc JuStlce can DE attalneti
through the medium of civil authority.


E. d. TOWNSEND, A. A. G..


The Washington correspondent of the
Chicago 7ridune, GaadicaD gives the follow
ing report of ,Sp interview of General How
ard with the President, on the 4th instant:


THE General opened the conversation by
explaining that he had sought the interview
for the purpose of learning, without delay,
the effect which the proclamation was de
signed to produce upon the methods and
machinery of the Bureau. More specifically,
he wished to know if martial law was abol-
ished, and with it the system of military
courts established for the protection of the
otherwise unprotected freed people.


"The President replied, without hesita-
ton, that the proclamation was declaration
Of 7olicy and nothing more; that it did not
abolish military courts, did not remove mar
tial law, and was not designed to modify the
operations of the Bureau in any respect
whatever On the contrary, it was the
Presidents expectation and express desire,
that the administration of the Bureau should