A. Yes; they were going out to see. The troops were stopped—the sheriff was—and I saw him talking, but could not state what he said, be cause there was a very loud clamor and talk from the hillside then, about that time. There was quite a crowd accumulated on the hill, immediately in my rear and right and left. The crowd ran that way to see what was going on—men, women, and children—and it became very noisy; they were crying to the mob, as I call it, to hold the fort.
Q. Men, women, and children, that were spectators, crying to the mob to hold the fort?
A. Yes; "Stand to your post, &c.," and they appeared to obey the command, for they stood pretty solidly, and the sheriff appeared to become so mixed up with the crowd that I could not tell where he was. The only front I saw was these Black Hussars, I think they call them, came right up and told them to go back and came to an arms port, and finally to a charge bayonet, and in the meantime Colonel Benson got his regiment to a front about faced his rear rank, and marched out across the railroad with the rear facing my company, and they formed, what some have termed, a hollow square. It was simply the front facing one way and the rank about facing and marching across the railroad, and that cleared the tracks, and the rear was protected by another battalion, and these troops in front tried to come on through—that was their order as I understood it—they were to forward, and it was hard work for them to go forward very fast. Just about that time, demonstrations became very lively, clubs were flying, stones, coal, and pieces of iron ore. There was a difficulty about this time over some soldier, that some man had got the bayonet, or something, and at least one pistol shot was fired from the mob into the troops, and somebody there—some soldier—he was carried away—I do not know whether he was shot or not, but just then there was firing commenced on the right of the third rank of the First regiment.
Q. How far distant from you was that first firing by the troops?
A. It was not very far—I suppose twenty yards.
Q. What order did you hear given by any of the commanding officers there?
A. I heard no order, except this captain commanding the front company to forward.
Q. That is all the orders you heard given?
A. That is all I heard given.
Q. Heard no order to fire?