I.oriSlANA. 



457 



ThM men had about one pistol to every ten mm, 



in inliliiiiin. \Vhilo crossing 



Street n row There were muny 



i iliu streets, ami their manner and tone 



unfriendly. A shot was lired, 



i'lim not able to state, but believe it to 



v u poliecmun, or some colored man in 



I'u-exion. This led to other shots and u rti-Oi 



: .n. On nrriviil at the front, of Mm 



In-;. tin there was some throwing of brickbats by 



The police, who had been held well in 



h.md, were vigorously marched to the scene of dig. 



procession entered the Institute with the 



flag, about six (6) or eight (8) remaining outside. A 



nned between a policeman ana one of those 



I men, and a shot was again fired by one of 



the p.-irties, which led to an indiscriminate fire on the 



building through the windows by the policemen. 



This ! -"ing n for a short time, when :i 



;>laved from the windows of the In- 



. whereupon tlic firing ceased, and the police 

 ru-hed into the building. 



From, the testimony of wounded men and others 

 who were inside the building, the policemen opened an 

 indiscriminate fire upon the audience until they had 

 emptied their revolvers, when they retired, and those 

 inside barricaded the doors. The door was broken 

 in, and the firing again commenced; when many of the 

 colored and white people either escaped through the 

 door or were passed out by the policemen inside ; 

 but as they came out, the policemen who formed the 

 circle nearest the building fired upon them, and they 

 were again fired upon by the citizens that formed the 

 outer circle. Many of those wounded and taken 

 prisoners, and others who were prisoners and not 

 wounded, were fired upon by their captors and by 

 citizens. The wounded were stabbed while lying on 

 the ground, and their heads beaten with brickbats in 



rd of the building, whither some of the colored 

 men had escaped, and partially secreted themselves. 

 They were fired upon and killed or wounded by po- 

 licemen. Some men were killed or wounded several 

 squares from the scene. Members of the convention 

 were wounded by the policemen while in their hands 

 as prisoners some of them mortally. 



The immediate cause of this terrible affair was the 

 assemblage of this convention. The remote cause 

 was the bitter and antagonistic feeling that has been 

 growing in this community since the advent of the 

 present Mayor, who, in the organization of his police 

 force selected many desperate men, and some of them 

 known murderers. People of clear views were over- 

 awed by want of confidence in the Mayor, and fear 

 of the thugs, many of whom he had selected for his 

 police force. I have frequently been spoken to by 

 prominent citizens upon this subject, and have heard 

 them express fear and want of confidence in Mayor 

 Monroe. Ever since the intimation of this last con- 

 vention I must condemn the course of several of the 

 city papers for supporting, by their articles, the bit- 

 ter feeling of bad men. As to the merciless manner 

 in which the convention was broken up, I feel ob- 

 liged to confess strong repugnance. 



it is useless to attempt to disguise the hostility 

 that exists on the part of a great many here toward 

 Northern men, and this unfortunate affair bus so 

 precipitated matters that there is now a te>t of what 

 shall bo the status of Northern men whether they 

 can live here without being in constant dread or not; 

 whether they_ can be protected in life and property, 

 ami have justice in the courts. If this matter is per- 

 mitted to puss over without a thorough and deter- 

 mined prosecution of those engaged in it, wo may look 

 out for frequent scenes of the same kind, not only 

 here but in other places. No steps have yet been 



l>y the civil authorities to arrest citizens who 



engaged in this massacre, or policemen who 

 perpetuated such cruelties. The members of the 

 convention have been indicted by the grand jury, 

 and many of them arrested and held to bail. As to 



whether the civil authorities can mete out ample 

 to the guilty parties on both Biden, I muni My 

 v oiiinioii unequivocally that they cannot. 

 Judge A bell, whose course I have closely watci 

 nearly a year, 1 now consider one of the most dan- 

 gerous men we have here to the peace and quiet of 

 the eity. The leading men of the convention King, 

 Cutler, Halm, and others have been political agu 

 tutors, and arc bad men. I regret to say that the 

 course of Governor Wells has been vacillating, and 

 that (luring the late trouble he has shown verv little 

 of the man. P. II. SHKKIDAN, 



Major-General Commanding. 



In answer to General Sheridan the following 

 further dispatch was sent: 



WAS DEPARTMENT, I 

 WASHINGTON CITY, August 7, 166. ) 

 To Maj.-Gen. P. II. Sheridan, Commanding, etc., New 



Orleans, La. : 



The President directs me to acknowledge yonr 

 telegram of the sixth (6th), in answer to his inqui- 

 ries of the fourth (4tb) instant. On the third (3d) 

 instant instructions were sent you, by General Grant, 

 in conformity with the President's directions, author- 

 izing you to " continue to enforce martial law so far as 

 might be necessary to preserve the public peace, and 

 ordering you not to allow any of the civil authorities 

 to act if you deem such action dangerous to the pub- 

 lic safety, and also that no time be lost in investiga- 

 ting the causes that led to the riot and the facts 

 which occurred." By these instructions the Presi- 

 dent designed to invest in you, as the chief military 

 commander, full authority for the maintenance of 

 the public peace and safety, as he does not see that 

 anything more is needed pending the investigation 

 with which you are intrusted. But if, in your judg- 

 ment, your powers are inadequate to preserve the 

 peace until the facts connected with the riot are 

 ascertained, you will please report to this department 

 for the information of the President. 



EDWIN M. STANTOX, 

 Secretary of War. 



The Lieutenant-Governor, the Attorney- 

 General of the State, and the Mayor of New 

 Orleans made a report to the President on 

 August 7th that the civil authorities took all 

 the precautions possible to prevent the out- 

 break ; that they applied during three d:iys 

 previous to the military to preserve order at 

 the place where the convention was to meet ; 

 that the authorities, State and municipal, came 

 to an understanding to act in concert with the 

 military for that purpose ; that the citizens no 

 more than the police contemplated preventing 

 the convention from holding their meeting in 

 peace and adjourning and dispersing unmolest- 

 ed; and that the warrant for their arrest 

 would have been submitted to the- military as 

 ! upon, although the President's dispatch 

 to the Lieutenant-Goveruor, and the subsequent 

 one to the Attorney-General,was imperative that 

 the military must not thwart the convention. 

 The military authorities had been for three 

 days previous to the riot in constant communi- 

 cation with tho Attorney-General and the 

 Licutenant-Governor, with a view to prevent 

 tho im pending riot. The efforts were unsuc- 

 cessful and could not counteract the incendiary 

 counsels and appeals of those who, for s'misu-r 

 purposes had in view this very result in order 

 to reap a political harvest. With regard to the 

 proclamation of martial law. they say: "Th* 



