New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-03-30

ton which he occupied near the Judges stand
and to cease challenging voters. Smith, HAVING
been threatened, drew his pistol, and defed the
crowd to remove him. He was maintaining his
position, when, about three o'clock, two detach-
ments of stout and furious men rushed into the
ballroom, by two doors, brandishing heavy
loaded sticks, and shouting, Down with the
Know -nothiBgsn'
One of these parties wes led by William Moch-
Ter, a policeman, brother OF the policeman who
was killed on Sunday morning in an ARRAY of
| MS own provocation Afachler was q powerful
man, and appeared to BE- bent ON some desperate
purpose. He rushed into the crowd with his
club, there was general mefse, and Moehler
and his party were observed to be rctrestjug.
Mochler himself falling near the door. and an.
other man named Martin Towsley falling within
the house. They were both stabbed mortslly
through the shoulder. LamentabIe as such an
occurrence as this must appear to al good citi.
zens, it would be vain to pretend that these
men were engaged in any other bnt an unlaw.
ful and violent interference with the rights Of
other citizens. They were evidently provoking
an affray.
For the remainder of the day there was COM
parative quiet at the polls The polls were
closed at the usual time, and it was given ont
that the number of votes registered vas 935
This proclamation gave general satisfaction.
and the crowd dispersed The Inspectors took
the ballot boxes into possession. and retiring
into an interior room, began to count the votes
in the presence of gentlemen Of both parties.
AS they were about to commence the count, to
the surprise of some persons, it wss stated that
instead Of 935 there 1400 votes in the box. The
misrepresentation as to the number was CON
fessed by some to be ruse, to prevent the polls
being mobbed. By others, it was charged or
suspected that votes had been placed in the box
after the polls were closed This fact soon got
abroad, and drew a crowd around the house
police force was sent around, and stationed
in the street near the polls.
Meantime, some gentlemen were deputed by
the crowd to proceed into the house and see
that the votes were honestly counted They
did so, and reported the fact that there were
over fourteen hundred votes in the bog, The
excitement of the crowd was growing quite
warm and threatening, when Capt Tenbrink,
who. with the Chief of the Police, was present.
seeing that the presence of the police added to
the excitement, appealed to the crowd to pre-
serve peace and order and having, as he
thought, calmed the tumult, deemed it prudent
to order the police off Shortly after this was
done, there was rush by the crowd at the
doors, several pistols were fired both from With
IN and without the house, the doors were broken
open and furious body of men rushed into the
interior where the count was going on The
ballot boxes were seized and thrown into the
street and trampled upon, and the inspectors
we're driven off.
Such, we believe, are at least the leading
facts, as far as we could gather them from con
trariant and conflicting accounts, of the deplo-
rable incidents of Mondays election The seiz-
ure and destruction of ballot. boz is q very
grave offence; one which can hardly be justified
on any grounds. Every good citizen, certainly
every good reformer, must unite in condemning
an act of this character. The ballot box ought
to be sacred from violence as well as fraud.
Better be cheated in the election than set such
an example of violence. But as this act may
come up for future examination, we forbear
further remark upon it,
We fervently trust that our city will never
again be dishonored by such scenes 1t behoyes
every good citizen to remove all causes and pro-
vocatives of such occurrences. Let citizens of
all nationalities, of all classes and parties com
bine to put down the bullies and blaekguards
whom the indifference and neglect Of our people
have elevated into positions Of influence put
them down, not by force and violence, but by
stern contempt; by calm, settled and emphatic
determination to take into their own hands and
| control the administration of their own govern
melI,