A. No, sir; it was not by order of the Governor; it was a telegraphic communication, ordering me to order out one regiment.
Q. Was it official?
A. I think so. I have not got it, because they were destroyed at the Union depot. I think the Adjutant General's report shows all those telegrams. I think that gives all the telegrams that passed.
Q. Did you, at any time, give an order to the troops to fire?
A. I am sorry to say that I did not. I am sorry to say I was not there when the occasion required such an order. If I had been there, I would have given the order, and in such a manner that the active rioters would receive their reward of merit. They deserved it, and they ought to have had it. I am only sorry to say I was not there.
By Mr. Larrabee:
Q. You said the people expostulated with you about calling out the troops. What people were they that came to you and expostulated?
A. Oh, very early in the morning. Of course, the Friday morning papers had the order, and people came to me, at the Union Depot hotel, and say, "You ought not to do this thing; these men are workingmen; they have their rights."
Q. Were there many of them—more than two or three?
A. I was stopped on the street by women—respectable women. I was stopped in the streets by business men of the place.