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0616
M460

Baltimore, Md. Oct. 4", 1866.

I was at the Camp Meeting at Shipleys Woods on Thursday Aug. 30, 1866. I was standing on the seats in front of the preachers stand, near the passage which led to the colored peoples tents. The first I know of the riot was the commencement of the firing. I could not tell who commenced the firing. Then all the people left the neighborhood of the preachers stand as fast as possible, just after the people left the preachers stand, I saw three or four white persons beating a colored man with clubs in the front of the preachers stand. I did not know who the white men were, nor did I know the colored man they were beating - I believe they would have killed him if a white woman had not interceeded for him. I heard two men whom I supposed to be officers - call for men to go for arms to put down the colored people, and said they would kill every black son of a bitch they could get hold of - after this the colored people all left the ground. After the colored people left, a gang of white men went to the colored peoples tents, and commenced burning and destroying their property. I went down and tried to persuade them not to destroy the property of the colored people, and at the same time the Rev, Mr. Robinson was also trying to get them to stop. Some of the men demanded that the things should be destroyed and distinctly heard him order a trunk broken open in the name of the State - this trunk was full of good clothing; I supposed this man to be an officer from the manner in which he ordered the

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NARA number to be transcribed when present (per SI instructions)