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Page 3
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HOW THE RIOT WAS QUELLED.
The precise manner in which the riot
was quelled seemed to be at present a matter of doubt, or at
least of dispute.
FIRST – Deputy Carpenter says
that hearing that the assailants were making fearful havoc from
the tops of the houses, he issued an order for the force
to retire, leaving the belligerent parties to settle the matter
for themselves. He had no design to leave his men in such
an indefensible situation to be struck down. He did not
seem to have any very distinct idea
what was done.
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SECOND – Officer Shangle states
that he, in company with another Metropolitan officer, named
Ellis, went down to Baxter street while the fight was at its
height, and within passing through Baxter street, near Anthony
or Worth street, saw a man in a window pelting the crowd below
with brickbats and stones. He tried to get to him,
but could not at first, but finally succeeded in battering down
the door, when he found that the mass, together with two women,
had nearly a bushel of stones and brickbats, with which they
were firing away in good earnest. They took the man and
one of the women prisoners and carried them off to the Tombs.
They then returned and found that the police had left,
and the rioters were still at work. They then disguised
themselves and went among the Bowery boys, representing
themselves as deputy sheriffs, and that unless the riot stopped
they would have to call out the military. The Bowery
boys said they would stop if the others would, and the officers
assured them that they would, and were thereupon allowed to
tear down the barricade. The officers then proceeded to
the other side, where they made similar representations, and
were also allowed to tear down their barricade, which was
composed of wagons, carts, &c., in Bayard street, near
Mulberry. The Bowery boys’ barricade was in Bayard
street, near Elizabeth, composed of similar materials.
This is officer Shangle’s account of the manner in
which the riot was terminated. He says that as they were
going to the wards the party in Mulberry street, the latter
fired and shot a man but a short distance from him, but
desisted on the supposition that they were deputy sheriffs.
The THIRD statement is by Alderman
Clancy, that he went to the parties to persuaed them to desist
of their own accord, which they did. He says that the
metropolitans were driven off every time, and that they did not
quell the riot. Himself, Captain Dowling and Judge
Brennan were parading the ward, using their personal influence
in procuring peace.
Whichever may be the true statement,
it is certain that about 7 ¼ o’clock, after the
muskets had been freely used, and the list of killed, wounded
and arrested became rather large, the riot died out, doubtless
more from lack of strength to continue it than anything else.
The following requisition upon General Sandford was made
by Mr. Draper: -
OFFICE OF THE METROPOLITAN POLICE
COMMISSIONERS,}
NEW YORK, JULY 4, 1857. }
NEW YORK, JULY 4, 1857. }
TO MAJOR GENERAL SANDFORD: -
There has been several assaults upon
our force; our man are attacked from various quarters.
Already fatal wounds, it is feared, have been inflicted.
Our forces have been striving against companies of men
seeming to be under the orders of experienced policemen and
others of this character from point to point. You will,
therefore, call for the requisite force to restore order, and
assist the civil force in preventing further havoc among our
citizens. Your obedient servant,
SIMEON DRAPER,
President Board of Metropolitan Police
Commissioners,
In accordance with this requisition
Gen. Sandford ordered out the Seventh Regiment, Col. Duryea;
Eight Regiment, Col. Lyons; Seventy-first Regiment, Col.
Vosburg, who were held in reserve at their respective quarters
all last night and yesterday, but were not ordered to the scene
of the riot.
THE CAUSE OF THE RIOT.
The accounts as to the origin of the
riot are of course various. At the Metropolitan
Commissioner’s office they state that on Friday night
Alderman Clancy came there and requested the Commissioners to
authorize Captain Dowling and the old police force to remain on
duty in the Sixth ward for a few days, he being fearful that a
breach of peace would occur there; that Mr. Draper said that
they could not give them any permission to act as officers;
that they would take charge of the ward and endeavor to keep
the peace; and it would be degrading to the commission to
recognize the old force; that the other parties called and
reported seemingly in concert; that unless the old force were
allowed to retain their position the peace would not be
preserved.
Alderman Clancy states that he did
make the tender of the service of the old police, not expecting
any special disturbance, but knowing that as usual there would
very probably be an ordinary Sixth ward Fourth of July muss,
(sic) that the old police were acquainted with the ward and
citizens and would be more likely to preserve the peace; had he
knew nothing or any particular anticipated outbreak, but acted
only with reference to the general interest of the ward.
The most authentic statement of the
cause of this difficulty is, that the belligerent parties had
an old grudge growing out of the last election, that they then
had a rather rough encounter, and took this occasion to renew
it; that the appearance of the metropolitan police was alone
the occasion of their being attacked; that there was no
preconcerted design of drawing them out and sacrificing them;
but that the whole thing was an ordinary, or rather
extraordinary Sixth ward muss, (sic)rendered more disastrous
from the appearance of the police force, against which the
residents of that locality have an undoubtedly strong
prejudice.
* * *
* * *
_________________________
HOW THE ROW COMMENCED
We gather the following particulars as
to the final commencement of the row from a reliable source: -
About half past one o’clock on
the morning of Saturday some men attached to a party of Sixth
ward thieves and rowdies, calling themselves the Dead Rabbit
party, while passing through the Bowery in the vicinity of the
Bowery theatre attacked two of the metropolitan policemen
– one of whom, named Abraham Florentine, of the Sixth
precinct, fled for safety to the bar room at No. 40 Bowery, the
headquarters of the Bowery boys. The door of the place
was immediately closed, when the Dead Rabbits commenced stoning
the windows, and forcing open the door. Finding that they
could not get in at the policeman in the house, they turned on
Officer Lord, of the Sixth ward, who happened to be passing at
the time, whom they chased into the coffee and cake saloon to
the basement of No. 36 Bowery. They then commenced an
attack on the place also smashing the door, windows and
everything they could get at from the sidewalk, until forcibly
driven off by the party from the saloon, as stated in Alderman
Francis’ statement.
_________________________
STATEMENT OF TWO GENTLEMEN WHO SAW THE
WHOLE AFFAIR FROM THE PLAZA OF MOSS’ HOTEL.
About five o’clock we first saw
a number of men running from the Bowery down Bayard street.
We immediately closed up the place and proceeded to the
plaza on Bayard street, where we saw two parties to conflict in
Bayard street. The Bowery boys were between Elizabeth
street and the Bowery in Bayard street, in the Dead Rabbit
party were between Elizabeth and Mott streets in Bayard.
At times the Dead Rabbits would drive the Bowery boys a short
distance up and then the Bowery boys would rally and drive the
Dead Rabbits back to the corner of Mulberry street. The
firing of stones, brickbats, &c., from the Dead Rabbits was
kept up with briskness, a number of women and children being
busily engaged in gathering and breaking up stones, brickbats,
&c., in their aprons and handkerchiefs in the streets and
carrying them to those on the housetops to fire down on the
crowd. We saw a great many persons on the Dead Rabbit
side shot down by the Bowery boys, while the Bowery boys did
not seem to be at all injured by the firing of the Dead
Rabbits. The Bowery boys first took up their position at
a pile of bricks in Bayard, between Mott and Elizabeth streets,
from which they were driven up Bayard beyond Elizabeth street,
after a very hard fought battle, by the Dead Rabbits. At
this position they hastily erected a barricade, behind which
they took shelter during the remainder of the fight.
_____________________________
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