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Staunton Spectator: August 07, 1866 Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

[No Title]
(Column 04)

Summary: "Gulliver" recounts a meeting with an old citizen of Staunton, who told him stories of the town's past.
(Names in announcement: Jacob Peck, Tommy Thompson, Enoch Fenton, Larry Tremper, Isaac Collett, Josiah Cole, Rev. William Calhoun)

Trailer: Gulliver

The Atlantic Telegraph
(Column 01)

Summary: Declares that "the greatest triumph of art in modern times is the successful laying of the Atlantic Telegraph connecting the Eastern and Western continents."

Origin of Article: Richmond Examiner

Bloodshed in New Orleans
(Column 02)

Summary: An account of the recent "riot" in New Orleans, drawing on stories from New Orleans newspapers, which claims that "negroes had been instigated" by Radical whites to "make menacing and insulting demonstrations." Reports that "some 20 or 30 negroes were killed in this encounter" and some policemen were injured.

Origin of Article: New Orleans Times; New Orleans Crescent

Full Text of Article:

Two years ago, when Gen. Banks held military sway in Louisiana, a Convention of Union men, many of them being men from the North, adopted a State Constitution, and organized the State Government to suit themselves.--That Government was approved by President Lincoln, and is the present Government of that State. By this constitution, the whites were not disfranchised and the negroes were not franchised. The Radicals at this time, desiring to disfranchise the whites, except the Radicals, and to confer the right of suffrage upon the negroes, adopted the expedient of calling together the Convention which had adjourned two years ago. The President of the Convention, the only persons who had the right to do so, if it can be supposed that any one had the right to resurrect that dead body, refused to call the Convention together. A portion of the members then met in caucus an elected a man President who was not a member of the Convention, as he had previously resigned. This man called the Convention to meet at New Orleans on the 30th ult. Some twenty-odd met with the view of superseding the Government they had established two years ago. In the mean time it seems that the negroes had been instigated by those conspirators to arm themselves and make menacing and insulting demonstrations, with the hope, no doubt, that it would result in conflict and bloodshed, and thereby furnish capital for the Radical party.

Several circumstances seem to confirm this view. At the beginning of the riot, Dr. Dostie, a leading Radical, shortly afterwards killed, remarked: "There is not a negro in New Orleans who is not organized and prepared."--Mr. Cutler, another Radical, on seeing a negro fall dead, remarked: "That fixes us and ends the power of the d--d rebels."

The New Orleans Times says:

"We have the best reasons for supposing that for several days vile attempts have been made to excite the negroes into rebellion, and to organize them into bands for that specific purpose. This view of the matter is strengthened by the disclosure made last night by R. F. Daunoy, relative to the expected rise of the negroes in the Third District at 12 o'clock last night, under a man named Bertin, but whether white or black, we could not learn."

The Times gives the following account of the origin of the riot:

A procession of freedmen, some 100 to 150 in number, with a flag and band of music at their head, came marching up from the lower part of town towards Mechanics' Institute.

A white man, who was standing on the neutral ground looking on, was shoved aside by one of the freedmen, and tripping against the curbstone, fell.

The policemen in the neighborhood on seeing this supposed that the white man had been struck, and advanced to arrest the supposed assailant.

The policemen were met by a volley of pistol shots, bricks, etc., which at once induced a general alarm.

The procession marched on to the State House. The New Orleans Crescent says:

"In the vicinity of the State House, as we have heard, some white and colored boys got into a quarrel. White men standing on the steps of the House, exhorted the negroes to kill every white person -- man, woman or child -- who interferred with them.

About this moment the police, apprised by Mr. Crevon of the dangerous state of affairs, came on the spot. The doors of the State House were immediately closed. Shots were fired on the police. Some five or six hundred persons, blacks and whites, made a fortress of the State House. Twice or thrice they made offers of surrender, and, when the police advanced to receive the surrender, they were met with pistol shots.

A terrible excitement spread abroad. It seemed as if a war of races was precipitated upon the people with all its horrors. It was a day of anguish to every citizen of New Orleans.--But in the midst of all that excitement we witnessed some beautiful instances of charity. A negro who had but one arm, and who, it may be supposed lost his other arm in the Federal army, was pursued by some boys, and the poor darkie was protected by a gentlemen, who had been a so-called "rebel" in the Virginia army.

The conflict in front of the house might be called a battle. The people inside were in a desperate situation. Occasionally a rally was made, with desperate resolution, but no sally could drive these men from their place. It was a field of capture or of slaughter, where resistance was offered.

The contest was carried on for about two hours. A number of policemen, whose names we have not learned, were wounded in the struggle. But they never gave an inch.

We saw a gentlemen wearing the uniform of the United States, conspicuous among the gallant men who assailed the State House. Dr. Dostie was severely wounded, and his worst wound was from this soldier, a Massachusetts gentleman, who proclaimed that the white should be the ruling race of this continent.

Some 20 or 30 negroes were killed in the encounter.

The universal expression of sentiment was that of regret that the poor negro, who was incited to demonstrations of violence, was the victim of the contest, while the white man, who had inflamed him, escaped. Nevertheless, a few of those, who seemed to love incendiarism, met their fate."

The policemen, whilst receiving the fire from the negroes in front, labored to keep back the mass of enraged citizens who pressed to take part in the bloody conflict. The accounts of the number of killed and wounded differ very much. We suppose that the number of killed is about 30 and the number of wounded probably 70 or 80, including blacks and whites. In a despatch to Gen. Grant, two days after the riot. Gen. Sheridan reports 40 killed, and about 160 wounded, including whites and blacks.--More blacks than whites were killed.

Marriages
(Column 03)

Summary: John Bickle and Bettie Lockridge were married on July 25 by Rev. Preston.
(Names in announcement: John A. Bickle, Bettie N. Lockridge, Rev. Preston)

Local News--Soldiers' Cemetery Fund
(Column 01)

Summary: The ladies of the Cemetery Committee acknowledge recent contributions and solicit additional ones.

[No Title]
(Column 02)

Summary: "M. D." disagrees with the use of lemon juice as a treatment for rheumatism, a prescription recommended in last week's Spectator in a letter by J. M. McCue.
(Names in announcement: J. M. McCue)

Trailer: M. D.