Year: 1874

Vicksburg require sitting and explanation to
bring out the cardinal facts and fix the re-
sponsibiity for the slaughter. The longest OF
those accounts was telegraphed to the HERALD
by Governor Ames, from Jackson, the State
capital, place distant from the scene OF the
troubles and subject to some disadvantages in
gaining precise and detailed information.
The sources of Governor Ames' knowledge
seem to have been exclusively men of his own
political party, who were under strong bias
in favor of Crosby, the deposed negro Sheriff,
and his negro defenders, who were the VIC
Tins of the conflict It does not appear that
the Governor had held communication with
anybody on the other side and his state
ment must accordingly be regarded as
er parte. The other and shorter but
more circumstantial account was tele-
graphed to us by the city editor of the
Vicksburg Herald, who, writing on the spot of
matters within the scope of his professional
duties, ought to be one of the best informed
men in vicksburg respecting the facts but
he, too, is evidently under bias, though in
the opposite direction. 1t is safe to accept as
authentic the statements in which the two
dispatches agree, and these are perhaps suff-
cient to enable us to form correct judgment
of this deplorable affair.


Both accounts agree that these bloody con-
ficts were not between the whites and negroes
of the city of Vlcksburg, but between the
whites Of vicksburg and negroes from the
surrounding country. And yet the scene of
the bloody affrays was either just within or
little outside the city limits The question
then arises how it happened that just at the
break of day, on December morning bodies
of negroes, several hundred strong from dis
tant parts Of the county, were discovered
marching toward the city2 Why did
they leave their homes and assemble
at places Of rendezvous in the night,
and then by night march con-
centrate from different directions at the
town Of Vicksburg? It is quite evident that
If they had stayed at their homes and slept that
night in their beds the bloody encounters Of
which many of them were victims would not
have occurred It is impossible, in view of
these undisputed facts, to deny that the
negroes were the aggressors.


The next question is, What motive had they
in leaving their homes in various parts OF the
county by concert, and SO timing their move
ments as to reach the city at an hour when
most Of its inhabitants would be still in bed?
1t seemed like an army attempting to capture
an enemys camp by surprise But what
called those rural negroes together at an hour
and under circumstances SO unusual? This is
point on which there is no discrepancy in
the different accounts. They came to Vicksburg
from their homes in the country in order to
maintain the negro Sheriff Crosby in his
Office, which he was in danger of losing by
the action of the white citizens. Up to the
time of their assembling for this purpose
there was no bloodshed and no likelihood of
any. Now, whether there were good grounds
for displacing Crosby or not, it is plain that
the negroes from the country were acting with
| out authority and bent on an illegal object
II Crosby was in danger of being ousted' with
out cause it was for the courts Of the State or
the Governor of the State to protect and de-
fend him, citizens having no warrant to come
to his rescue until summoned by the proper
authorities. When an attack on the town
seemed imminent by those bodies of outside
negroes, an alarm was given, the citizens as
sembled under arms, went out to meet the
negroes and easily put them to fight killing
and wounding quite number. It is clear
that the negroes were the challenging, aggres-
sve party, and would have escaped all harm
if they had not concerted measures for taking
the city by surprise and reinstating Crosby,
the negro Sheriff


One specious argument used by Governor
Ames to invalidate this conclusion deserves
some notice. 1.-The same old story" he says,
negroes killed by the score, none of their
opponents hurt, and still the negro to blame"
II the negroes had equal courage and equal ex-
perience and skill in the use Of firearms this
argument would seem plausible. Almost
every white man in Mississippi is an old Con-
federate soldier, while not one negro in hun
dred ever had gun in his hands till since the
war, and they have never been trained in sit
uations which give steadiness and self-posses-
sion in danger. The consequence is that
they get panic-stricken and break and run at
the beginning of an encounter, while the we'll
aimed firing of veteran white soldiers does
deadly execution. The disproportion in the
number of negroes killed does not disprove
the fact that they left their homes in the night
and mustered at vicksburg for an illegal pur-
pose, apd thereby provoked the slaughter of
which they complain.


The action of the whites in relation to the
negro Sheriff, Crosby, though legally indie
fensible, admits Of some apology. It is
charged by his opponents, and not denied by
Governor Ames, that Crosby had not given
the bond required Of the Sheriff by law.
The Governor says-probably on Crosby's
authority, who visited Jackson to confer with