and the objective point of radical effort. To aid the movement,
surviving accomplices of the Banks fraud were instigated to call a
"State Convention" in Louisiana, though with no more authority so to do
than they had to call the British Parliament. The people of New Orleans
regarded the enterprise as those of London did the proposed meeting of
tailors in Tooley street; and just before this debating society was to
assemble, the Federal commander, General Sheridan, selected especially
to restrain the alleged turbulent population of the city, started on an
excursion to Texas, proving that he attached no importance to the matter
and anticipated no disturbance.

Living in close retirement, I had forgotten all about the "Convention."
Happening to go to the center of the town, from my residence in the
upper suburb, the day on which it met, on descending from the carriage
of the tramway I heard pistol shots and saw a crowd of roughs, Arabs,
and negroes running across Canal Street. I walked in the direction of
the noise to inquire the cause of excitement, as there was nothing
visible to justify it. The crowd seemed largely composed of boys of from
twelve to fifteen, and negroes. I met no acquaintance, and could obtain
no information, when a negro came flying past, pursued by a white boy,
certainly not above fifteen years of age, with a pistol in hand. I
stopped the boy without difficulty, and made him tell what he was up to.
He said the niggers were having a meeting at Mechanics' Institute to
take away his vote. When asked how long he had enjoyed that inestimable
right of a freeman, the boy gave it up, pocketed his "Derringer," and
walked off.

By this time the row appeared to be over, so I went on my way without
seeing the building called Mechanics' Institute, as it was around the
corner near which the boy was stopped. Speedily the town was filled with
excitement, and Baird, the Federal commander in the absence of Sheridan,
occupied the streets with troops and arrested the movements of citizens.
Many poor negroes had been killed most wantonly, indignation ran high
among decent people, and the perpetrators of the bloody deeds deserved
and would have received swift, stern punishment had civil law been
permitted to act. But this did not suit the purposes of the radicals,
who rejoiced as Torquemada might have done when the discovery of a score
of heretics furnished him an excuse to torment and destroy a province.
Applying the theo