Year: 1866

From the Ne1o Orleans Tribune, AugUst1.


The May or himself does not dare to place the
responsibility upon the Union party-so appa-
rent is the CRIME TO be fixed upon the REQ els.
He speaks in his proclamation OF riots 'precipi-
tated' by the meeting OF the Convention. If
"precipTated" they were to happen sooner or
later, which means that the massacre of the
Union men was premeditated thing. ter which
the occasion only was wanting. The assem- bling
OF the Convention furnished the opportunity.
Suppose that assembling was illegal or irregular,
1t could be stopped by process of law. There
was no use to have recourse to assassIns.


No provOcatiOn whatever came from the
Convention itself, whose members were quietly
sitting in the hail. or from the attendance.
The Times itself, speaking of the origin OF the
riot acknowledges that the first policeman who
made a rush among the colored procession
acted on wrong impression. That journal
says:-


IA white man who was standing on the
neutral ground loking on, was showed aside by
one OF the freedmen, and stepping upon the curb
stone, fell, The policemen in the neig ghhorhood
seeing this supposed that the white man had
been struck, and advanced TO arrest the sup
posed asSallant.'


Now we must add, on information received on
the spot, that the white man showed aside" by
a cOlored man had hred a pistol into the pro-
cession, and wounded one man, who was brou5 5ht
into the Mechanics Institute. VINO was the ag-
gressor?


The whole narrative of the Times is highly
suggestive and cannot conceal the true charac-
ter of the Tiot-asSasslnatiOn OF black and white
Union men. We make for the enlightenment of
our Northern friends the following extracts -


sit is our painful duty 70 record the occur
renee in this city, yesterday, OF one oil the most
disastrous disturbances of the public peace
which ever disgraced our city, and attended
with more loss of life and manning OF body
than any similar occurrence in the history OF
New Orleans.n


Then comes PARAGRAPH which clearly shows
that the colored people gathered around the
hall of the Con VpOt had and did not
even expect that they could be under theneces-
sity OF defending themselves.


''At first there seemed to be no disposition on
the part OF the negro thrOng to interfere with
the policemen in the arrest Of the prisoner; the
negroes, atfrighted, packing themselves together
much as flock OF scared sheep"
And they were butchered like sheep.


Again the Times says:-


ga lull occurs in the firing, and the front is


now comparatively quiet. The police do not
enter, Notwithstanding lull in the fire. and
the negroes who come out of the front door, as


well as those who are dropping from the WIN
dows, one by one are attacked and killed


many of MISUNDERSTANDING the efforts oil
the police To see the negres mutilated and
| literally beaten to death as they sought to
escape, was one OF the most horrible pictures il
has ever been our i'll fortune 10 witness"
Again;-
"Chief Adams and all his subordinates were
| everywhere upon the scene, seeking to prevent
| violence at the hands of white citizens who
armed with swordcanes, clubs, and missiles
| attacked the escaping inmates OF the building
| Only when prisoner attempted to escape was
] he fred at, though there is testimony Of some