Santa Fe Daily New Mexican

RIOTING AT NEW ORLEANS.
Levee in Hands of an Armed Mob--
Police Powerless--Number of
Negroes Killed.
New Orleans, Mch. 12.--The levee
front from Louisiana avenue to Made-
ville street is in the hands of an armed
mob. The police are powerless. The
white men are completely in control and
have declared that no negro shall appear
on the levee front. All work on the le-
vee is at a standstill. Rioting and blood-
shed began this morning at 7 o'clock and
resulted in the killing of two men and the
wholesale discharge of fire arms in two
sections of the city.
Port-warden McCunnen said that the
rioters were from down town and did not
belong to the screwmen. At 8:30 o'clock
everything down town was comparatively
quiet, with few weapons in sight. All
negroes had left the levee. The mob de-
posited all shot guns and rifles in the bar
room. While this was going on four
negroes were shot and one Carribean was
killed at the French market.
The trouble occurred at the landing of
the Harrison line of steamships opposite
Jackson square. In the fog 100 armed
men got through the guards of police
and opened fire on the negroes at work.
They fled in terror, some jumping into
the river. Those who ran across the levee
in the direction of the square were the
object of the deadly volley. The shots
seemed to come from the doorways, win-
dows, galleries and street. Look where
they would the negroes saw pistols and
heard reports as the revolvers were dis-
charged. Each ran in a different direc-
tion and the poor creatures seemed panic
stricken. Those of the whites who were
not armed with revolvers picked up
stones, clubs and other improvised wea-
pens and attacked the negroes. For
many minutes the firing continued on the
river front and the police made no move
against the murderers. Not until every
negro had fled from the river front did
the white men desist. John Collins, Thos.
Collins and an unknown negro were
killed. Two unknown negroes
were
wounded.
The entire police force has been called to
the levee. Gov. Fowler has been advised
of the situation by wire and it is reported
that the military has been ordered to
keep themselves in readiness. At this
writing the members of the mob are
drinking. The police fear more trouble.
Another riot is expected at any moment.
The time of the shooting seemed to
have been fixed for the hour just pre-
ceding the beginning of the working
day. Usually the stevedores and long-
shoremen begin work at 7 and it was just
before this hour that the firing began.
Negroes were upon the levee in large
numbers. They evidently believed that
there was sufficient police force to pro-
tect them.
It is positively known that four
negroes are dead. Of these three are un-
known. The fourth is a Carribean. At
the hospital are eight wounded. Of this
number two are dying. They are Henry
Brown, shot five times in the breast, and
Joseph Ballard, shot through the fore-
head with a Winchester rifle. Mr. Bain,
purser of the British steamship Engineer,
who was shot, is being cared for on board
the vessel. His wounds are pronounced
dangerous. The captain of the Engineer
threatens to make the shooting an inter-
national affair.
Later reports are that the two negroes
reported shot jumped into the river and
are still missing.