Written by:
Maria Hernandez
About:
Anthony Paul Dostie
Charles Gibbons
On July 30, 1866, Charles Gibbons, a veteran of Louisiana's Native Guards, was in a corner grocery when he overheard two policemen. They were talking about plans to hang A.P. Dostie and Michael Hahn. two of the leaders of Louisiana's Constitutional Convention that was being held later that day.
After hearing of this plan, Gibbons went to warn Dostie. When he got to Dostie's house on 244 Camp Street, Dostie was not home. So Gibbons left a note telling of what he had heard. Later when he went back and found Dostie at home, Gibbons repeated his warning, but Dostie refused to carry his revolver.
Having given his message Gibbons left to join the procession of black army veterans who were going to march to the Mechanics Institute (site of the convention) to demonstrate their support for the meeting. Later that day the convention was cut short, because a large crowd of whites were rioting and killing every and anyone associated with the convention.
The crowd followed Gibbons and his friend. They decided to turn around and run backwards so they could see the pellets as they were fired. They succeeded in avoiding being shot a few times, but then Gibbons heard his friend scream, "I am shot, I am dead." Gibbons turned back around and started running. When he reached the corner of Common and Barrone, he saw police from Lafayette Square on their way to the convention.
Gibbons was lucky to escape with his life, because almost every other colored person who was caught between the police and the mob was brutally killed.
When I first read this story, something didn't fit. If the mob was mostly made up of policemen following orders, why would other policemen come to stop them? Unless the only reason no one got out alive was that the policemen who were coming from Common were really coming to make sure that A.P. Dostie and the others were killed. I connected the pieces, and that's just what they looked like to me. Maybe if you connect the pieces too they might look different to you. So why don't you just give it a try?