Viewing page 191 of 280

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Before me personally appeared the undersigned Matilda Howley who upon being duly sworn deposes as follows

My name is Matilda Howley I live in the city of Memphis Tenn on Causey Street near South on the 1st day of May 1866 I saw a Col'd soldier named Charley walking quietly along when a policeman walked up to and struck him on the head with his revolver, breaking the weapon - then a white man shot the soldier- this occurred in front of my house after that I saw a col'd man named George Howard with four white men, they next broke into the house of a colored man named Uncle Dick and fired into it twice- The next morning I went into the house and say the dead body of Uncle Dick it had a bullet hole through the breast, After they fired into Uncle Dick's house they passed around the corner and I heard one of them say let us go and burn up these "dam nigger shanties" another said "No we promised the widow (A white woman) that we would not disturb her, and her house might burn, then "George Howard said "let's go and kill them while they are asleep"