Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1855-08-25
9ouisbille 4iots,
TuE TRUE ORIGIN OF THE LOUISVILLE
RIOTs,

lt Is ceTJulnly btTOuB poiue io 'e'O.
the Know Nothings, of Louisville, that while
the papers which represent their opponents,
coufne their viexs Of the origin OF the late
riots 10 vehement denunciations and unsup-
ported assertion the Journul-the American
papcr--has industrously gathered in the
most impartial manner, an6davits which fix
beyond doubt the entire guilt OF beginning
the riots, upon the foreign party. These
affidavits occupying several columns in the
Journal are now before us, and they fully es-
tablsh the fact that the Irish, long before
the riots, made the most ample provisions for
warfare.
We lately stated that from an examination
Of many of the foreign journals in this country,
or of those devoted to their interests, we
were aware that feeling Of bitter, uncalled
for, ungratefu hatred towards everything
American, has long been encouraged among
both Germans and Irish, especially in the
West. On this subject the Journal says:
"For several weeks previous TO the election
the whole bevy Of Sag-Nicht organs in this
city wantonly and Indignantly with an mex
cusable violence, nnexampled in any previous
political canvas, devoted their columns daily
to most unwarrantable denunciation and
abuse not merely Of the principles of the
American party, but Of each and every in
dividual member of it. The men belonging
to the party were Unfortunately called
"thieves," "murderers," midnight assassins,"
"perjured scoundrels," "traitors to their God
and their country" and "opeu and avowed
enemies of all foreigners and catholics" !"
Falsehoods until then inconceivablc were
shamelessly promulgated. The basest pas
sions and most violent prejudices of the Ro-
man Catholics and foreigners in our midst
were appealed to in the most infammatory
and incendiary language. The foreigners
were taught to believe that they possessed
rights which were dearer and of higher i'm
port than any which native-born citizen
could claim that the foreigner ond Catholic
only Of oil the citizens of the country were
eminently and truly patriotic that they, from
the very fact of their being foreigners and
Catholics, had more proper appreciation
and were entitled to almost exclusive privi-
leges in the exercise o. civil and religious
freedom and that they, and not the constitu-
tion and the laws were the peculiar guardians
of our public institutions"
The editor Of the Journal then states that
the Americans were not responsible for the
riots of the 9th of August. 1t is not denied
that an occasional fst-fght may have oc-
Cured at the polls, or that in one instance
man was badly beaten.
"But we assert without fear of successful
contradiction, because we know that it is true,
that at none of the several polls was there
any unusual disturbance or any obstruction
whatever offered to voters of either party,
greater than has occurred ut almost every
election where party lines were drawn, that
has taken place in this city within the last
twenty years, nor even so great as had in
many instances existed during warmly con-
tested elections between the old Wing and
Democratic parties"
Mere unfounded assertion from friend or
foa cbOu11 ha Ettlo ,.oirbt ~ ,,oli4;oe Rut
the editor of the Journal confirms his asscr-
tions by afidavits from both parties. These
were received from responsible parties in
such numbers that the paper would not have
contained them. Among those referring
simply to the riots in the Eighth Ward alone,
we select the following:
1--WE have not room to give O complete
analysis of these affidavits, but it will be seen
that they are for the most part the sworn
statements Of respectable and reliable men,
who were eye-witnesses of the matters to
which they depose. Some of them are state
ments upon oath of foreigners and catholics,
who lived in the immediate neighborhood of
the scene Of the riot, and some actually were
great sufferers thereby.
From the testimony of Mrs. Caroline w ALL
(whose husband, an Irishman and Roman
Catholic, was in all probability among those
killed in Quinn's houses,) it appears that for
some weeks previous to the election the
Irish in the neighborhood where the riot oc-
Cured had been procuring arms and prepar-
ing for fight, and that on the Saturday night
OF the American torch-light procession she
had heard these Irishman say that "they were
led to believe that the procession would be
small, by those who opposed the Know
Nothings, that she saw many of them with
arms, and heard them say that they intended
to attack the procession.
Joseph Hucker. German and Catholic,
who lived in one of Quinn's houses, (which
wese burned says there were seventy-fve or
one hundred Irishmen living in that row, and
they had many visitors Of their countrymen,
that during two or three weeks preceding
the election he saw many of them often with
pistols and guns, and heard one of them, who
had several pistols. say, on the Saturday be-
fore the election, that he was "ready," that
he had seen Quinn carrying arms into his
house, and that Quinn had insisted upon his
lHuckers) voting, although Quinn knew that
he (Hucker) was not entitled to vote.
"Sames +. Bickham saw the Irish, eight
or ten in number, on the morning of cleo
tion, moulding large quantity of bullets,
in the cellar Of one of these houses, and on
the same morning, from 10 TO o'clock,
Thos. w. Flarel saw numbers Of these
Irishmen, armed with pistols and bowie
knives, passing in and out from the houses
Of this row. These men had begged Mrs.
Walls husband TO receive arms in his house
The women had slept in their clothes the
previous night, so as to be ready to leave
npon the shortest notice, and Mrs. Ruby
Dodd, and Elizabeth Dodd, and Margaret
Dodd, her daughters, corroborate all these
statements as to the preparations that had
been made by the Irish in the neighborhood
of Main and Eleventh streets.
"Mr. r. Nj. Lee states that there was but
little or no firing at the eighth wafd polls
during the day, and that the foreigners were
not ut any time driven from the polls" q.
Did space permit, we would gladly give
the whole Of these affidavits, us they clear,
in the most unexceptionuble manner, the
character of the native party from being the
first 10 murder Meanwhile, where are the
aiidavits OF the opposite party. What
proofs can the Louisville Courier, Democrat
and Times bring that their party were not
the agressors Never, in the entire history
of riots in this country has SO much unmer-
tied abuse been heaped en- pal ty as on the
Americans since the late riots. Let Us, by
al means, hear all the facts.