Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-08-16
From the Louisville courier.l
Who is Responsible for the Riot?
The .Lolirnnl saws.

NilclC anu ehc piOptI ledtlCS, let Jneln DC /
who they may, must bear it. One thing at
least Is now known. The foreigners in this
city, more especially the Catholic Irish, from |
some cause and at some instigation, were
armed to the teeth, and used their arms, from |
houses, behind barriers and from their skulk- |
ing places have shot down remorselessly, I'M !
citizens as they passed in the streets.
OF the terrible, the horrible consequences, of
these assaults we have not the heart to
speak. There is 10 language too strong
there is no language strong enough, for its
condemnation. 1t will be the duty, and the
duty must be sternly performed, of the Coro-
ner to thoroughly investigate the facts and
when the inquest is made we shall have more
to say.
We fully agree with the Journal that there
is a terrible responsibility somewhere, and
that no language is too strong for its condem-
nation. And the Journal knows full we'll
where this responsibility belongs. To its
incendiary articles continued day after day
before the election, and its violent appeals on
the morning of the election, articles and APP
peals calculated to bring into active exercise
all the bad passions of the human heart
more than to another cause, is the deplora-
bic outbreak of Monday attributed.
But this was only one of the many causes
at work. Every action of the KnOw-Noth-
ing Councils tended to produce the damnable
outrage. They prevented the Common COun-
Gil from appointing additional voting places,
or giving additional poll books. They de-
termined that the full vote should not be
polled. They compelled their Judge to APP
point as officers of election Known othings
almost exclusively, in order that they might
more successfully carry out their neiariOus
designs. They then took possession OF the
polls, and while keeping those opposed to
them waiting in the streets for hours for an
opportunity to vote, while their own MEM
bers were being passed in through back and
side doors. Not satisfied with this, foreigners
were beaten and driven from the polls and
ntimidated, and the fact that in the first
Ward, only Ill votes were given out of ,OOO;
in the second Ward. only 81 out of 600, and
in the eighth Ward, only lis, out of 600
demonstrates conclusively that not only
foreigners but native born citizens opposed to
Know othingism were prevented from ex-
ercising the right of suffrage. At an early
hour in the morning, Col. Preston saw how
things were going. and not wishing his friends
to be sacrificed left the polls and advised them
to do the same. No effort whatever was
made to get up the anti KnowN othing vote,
and it was agreed TO let the election go by
default rather than provoke difficulty which
the actions of the X Ms showed was
inevitable if any attempt was made to per-
NIT citizens TO exercise their sacred rights of
suffrage.
But the fendish mObocrats were determn-
ed not to be disappointed. They painted for
blood and were determined to have it. AS
the foreigners did not come to the polls to be
whipped and abused, they in gangs of tens
and twenties, soon after dinner, sought them
at their homes and on their own hearths, and
in the midst of their terrified wives and chill
dren, brutality outraged them. Flying rumors
were circulated through the city that the
Germans had with guns and muskets taken
possession of the First Ward polls, and soon
thousands of men and boys were running to
that portion of the city. Long previously, the
Germans had in their fright, closed all theil
doors and shops, and when they saw Infatuated
crowds rushing on them, they made feeble
effort to defend themselves. The result is
well known. Thus much for the upper end
of the city.
In the presence Of heaven, before this COM
munity, we deny, utterly deny, that the ag-
gressions in the lower part of the city, Of
Monday afternoon, came from the foreigners
Reason revolts at the very idea of such a
senseleSs charge. The foreigners knew well
that they were a small body in the midst Of
a multitude of persons ready at a moments
warning to commit any deed of Violence
They had long been threatened; throughout
! the day, IN every effort to enjoy the right of
suffrage guaranteed to them by the constitu-
ton and laws Of this commonwealth, they
had been pursued by mobs of half-growr
boys. Their houses were threatened, and
warned by the experience of the day, they
prepared to defend their lives and property.
| AS we have already shown by the testimo-
ny of respectable gentlemen, the difficulties
| in the Eighth Ward late Monday evening
were commenced by an attack on three peace
able lriShmen while they were quietly walk
ing along the streets. They were knocked
/ down and brutality beaten, and after succeed
ing in getting into their houses or houses oil
their friends, they were still pursued and fired
at. Every mans house is his castle, and
forced as they were to the wall, they defend
/ ed themselves as they best could. Mr.. Rhode:
was then killed, probably by random shot
This was the offence committed by the
Irish, and for which numbers of innocent mer
and children were murdered, and helples:
/ children were murdered, and helpless women
turned out of their homes. For defending
their property against malicious and unpro-
voked violence, the Irish were hunted like
beasts of prey and were shot down as remose-
lessly as though they had been vermin.-
Hours after the flesh had been burned from
their bones amidst the smouldering ruins OF
their homes, the reckless youths who had
been actors in these things, spoke of theiI
deeds in terms of levity that were shocking
They said they did not know how many they
killed, but that they popped down every Irish
man they saw.
| Ore of the worst features of the riots oil
Monday was in the youthfulness of the gen.
erality of the persons engaged in them
Multitudes of hali-grown boys, rendered per-
fectly devilish with ungoverned passions and
whiskey, filled the streets with yells and vio-
lencc They were armed with clubs, pistols
or shot guns, and in almost every in
stance these precocous sprigs of wickednes:
commenced the work that brought on VIC
lence. And men calling themselves Chris
tians, protesting to belong to a system Of
avoid even the appearance of evil, yea, a
least ono who saws he has been called t.
preach the gospel, were seen busily engaged
in urging on the young and thoughtlcss t.
deeds of violence and murder We forbea
TO give the names now, but we shall do j
hereafter. They have courted notoriety anC
they shall have enough and to spare. On
elder of church addressed mob that wa
threatening violence, and what does The
reader suppose this officer of church USED
in the way of argument2 The only reason
he urged was that ''the office of ONE OF
US Is next door to the house you are gOin.
: to attack, and you might iniure a brothe
knOw-Nothing." Even women, members o
churches, under the fell influence of Know
Nothingism, shrieked out during Monday
riots, the very sentiments of demons. The,
said they wished every German, every Irish
man aud all fhair 1accoDdaptS ,,,ora LilIa