An Absolute Massacre: The New Orleans Race Riot of July 30, 1866

8. You Better Stay Home

OHN MURRAL arrived for work before daylight on Monday morning at the main police station across from Lafayette Square. He was a porter, the man who laid fires, cleaned out the offices, and carried messages from the chief of police to wherever they were needed.1 The job was a goodone, especially for a black man in a city where so manyblack men were out of work. This morning Murral was surprised to find the night shift still at the station instead of out on their beats. Some of the men were outside sitting in the dark on the banquette, others lounged on the gallery above the street, but most were in the cap room where the sergeant called roll. They were dressed in their usual dark blue blouses with metallic buttons and blue pants of a lighter hue, standard U.S.Army issue. But these men were definitely not in the Union army. Several sported belts they had worn while in the Confederate service, the letters "C.S." still prominently displayed on the buckles. What really set these men apart from Yankee soldiers, however, was their hats—white, straw Panamas with black ribbons for hat bands. Each ribbon was stamped in front with the officer's badge number. Murral noticed that today many of the men 1. HSCR, 211-12. loui .Better Dtay Oome D J An Absolute Massacre had turned the ribbons inside out so that their badge numbers would not show.2 Murral asked one of the officers in the cap room what they were doing in the station house instead of out on their beats. "We were called in," the policeman said. "We've been here since twelve o'clock last night." "Why?" Murral asked. "The convention is going to meet today, and they expect there will be a riot," he replied. "What kind of riot?" the black man pursued, but the officer evaded the question. "There may be a fuss, and we've come here by order of the Mayor to attend to the Convention." Murral went about his duties sweeping the offices and bringing in fresh water. At eight o'clock the day shift came in. Most of them were heavily armed. Those who lacked arms were given pistols on loan from a local gun store. Murral had never seen the police so heavily armed and decided that he should warn his wife. But before he could leave, one of the men on the day shift cornered him, asking, "Are you going to the convention today?" "No," Murral said. "You better stay home," another policeman interjected. "You might get hurt." "I am not going to the convention," Murral insisted, "I have no business there."3 Murral left the station just after nine o'clock and went directly home. "Don't you go out today," he told his wife as soon as he got there. "Why?" she asked. "The policemen said we must keep very close. They've got pistols, bowie-knives, and clubs," he replied. "You'd better keep close." Murral then hurried back to the station before he was missed.4 A similar scene was being played out at the precinct houses in the city. Thomas Harris, who worked as a porter in the First District substation on the corner of Pecanier and Tapsico Streets, reported for work at half past four o'clock. The station commander, Sergeant Lucien Adams, came in shortly afterward. As usual, he was dressed all in white. Lucien Adams always wore white; the only indication that he was a policeman was a badge on his chest.5 2. HSCR, 91, 94, 167, 335; MCR, 127,181. The New Orleans police force was first authorized to wear blue frock coats in 1855 but was not outfitted becauseof the expense (Rousey,Policing the Southern City, 100). In 1866, police officers were required to purchase their own uniforms, which made surplusUnion armyattire an attractive choice (New Orleans Times, August25,1866). 3. HSCR, 94,142, 212, 286. 4. HSCR, 212. 5. MCR, 224, 259. Lucien Adams continuedthe practice of wearing snow-white linen suits until his death (Nevi Orleans Daily Picayune, March 2, 1900). 88 You Better Stay Home At half-past seven, Adams called roll Fifty-four men were present, each armed with at least one pistol. Harris helped them load. "What are you going to use these for?" he asked as he rammed a cartridge home with the...