Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-08-18
rxx rev1syrlrI x1ers.

graceful TO the CITY anu 10 humanity. We
bad intended saying nothing further in re-
lation to this unpleasant occurrence, nor to
attach the blame to either party, until a ju.
dicial Investigation Of the subject had pro-
ven to whom the blame properly belonged,
but inssmuch as our neighbor Of the Banner
very injudiciously has given gareled, one-
sided political account ofthe transaction, aud
charged the Gascfse with an an unworthy
silence upon the subject, We will give the
facts in the case, So far as they have been
elected aud as we presume they will be
brought out on the legal Investigation II
10 altogether useless for mendaoious prinis
Of foreign proclivi,ies pablishei in the An
elo-Saxon language, to reiierats the asset
lion that this digraceful rio, was the Of
spring Of Know No,hingism. |, was pure
" and iegi,imatey the fruit of that pander-
ing TO foreign prejudices, Of extolling and
Aatsering foreigners with the view Of OBJ
taining their votes, which has ever charac-
terized the loves, order of the "Democrs-
ticn press, and that edi,ors who will persist
in disparaging his own countrymen and ea.
tollins foreigners, should express no SUI
prise il the former refuse 10 sustain him in
his unholy efforts. We give an ex,rac,
from the Louisville Journal. the most candid
and reliable pape- Of that city. in resPec. to
the recea. riots and their instiyators:
.Ths riots were occasioned by indiscrim-
mate and marderous assaults somm!tted
by foreigners, chiefly Irish, upon inofen-
sive citizens, peaceabiy attending to their
own business, Ct some distance from any
Of the voting places. All the circumstan-
ces connected with these assaults, strongly
indicate that they were premeditated and
ins,igatei by othe. parties than those by
whom they were actually committed. We
are no, now prepared TO say that they were
the consequences only OF the incendiary ap-
psals, for some time past, publicly made TO
our foreign population By some OF the lead
ers OF the Anii-American party, or tina, they
were instigated by eirec Instructions Of men
with fendish hearts, who control in great
measure the passions, and are able 70 dictate
the notions OF the Germins and Irish who
made these attacks. Allth facts will proba-
bly be asceriained judiciaily, and then the re-
sconsibiiity will rest where it properly be-
longs. The circumstances as detailed TO us,
aud the confessions Of some ofthe miserable
wretches who were made the victims of their
insane folly and murdsrous violence, show
tha, these assaults upon unofending and IN
nocent native-born citizens were premedi-
tsted, and that the blame attaches 10 others
who are a. yet unnsmed.
We have not time 10 give details. We
assert, how ever, and are sure That il will be
proved BY respectable witnesses, that every
act Of bloodshed was begun by fore igners.
That in every instance where mortal yio-
lence ensued, the beginning Of the riots
was an unproyoked slaughter by foreigners
of peaceable Americans while quietly pass
ing 10 the street at distance from the polls.
THIS Infatuated the populace, and prompt
and terrible resort to mob violence by which
many foreigners were killed and much prop
eriy destroyed was the consequence. In
the fret ward about 9 o'clock in the morn
ing while the election was proceeding quiet
" at the polls, Mr.. Geo. Burge, respect
able and quiet American citizen, was b-u-
tally assaulted by party Of Irishmcn on
Jackson street, between Jefferson and
Greene, without having given any provo
cation, he was knocked down and horribly
beaten with stones and clubs. He attempt
ed to escape from the fiends by whom he
was attacked, and ran into the alley of an
adjoining house, where he was followed BY
his blood thirsty assailants, and cut, stabbed,
and beaten until he was supposed TO be
dead, then one ofthese inhuman brutes de-
hberately opened his knife and proceeded
TO cut the throat of the murdered man. When
this act Of violence was made known par
ty OF Americans started in pursuit of the
murderers, who were subsequently arrested
and lodged in Jail by the Mayor and City
Marshal.
In the afternoon between three and four
O'Clock, several Americans we're fred upon
and severely wounded while quietly riding
or walking by the German brew very on IeF-
fe-son street, near the Bss-grass bridge
Among these were gentlemen from Jeffer
son county, and several espectabl- citizens
One gentleman who was fred at was riding
in buggy with HE wife seated by his side.
About the same time perfect shower OF
shot and bullets was rained upon every
American passerby from the windows OF
some houses occupied By Germans upon
Shelby street, in the neigh5orhood o! Madi-
son street
As soon as these occurrences were made
known il was ascertained that large bodies
of foreigners, armed with sho, guns and
rides bad assembled in the neighborhood or
the brewery and also on Shelby street An
indiscriminate slaughter of American citi
zens WIS spprehended. An INN ense crowd
Of excited, maddened, infuriated America Ms
assembled; they were fred at from the win
dows Of the brewery and the houses on
Shelby street, and IN seeking to arrest these
offenders several men were badly wounded,
and the incensed and infusiated mob burned
the brewery and sacked the houses from
which the shots were fired.
In the sth ward, the most serious disturb
ances occurred about o'clock In the after
nooE. A DIR. Rhodes, in company with two
friends, sil American citizens, was quietly
passing up Main street, near Chapel, when
they were set upon by party OF ten Irish
men, who with horrible oaths swore they
would clean the streets Of every American.
Fifteen shots were fred upon them Rhodes
was killed and both his companions badly
wounded, one of them seriously The IRISH
men then ran up Chapel street, and on be-
ing pursued took refuge in house at the
corner of Chapel and Market streets,
whence raVarnl rhafs +;~.I -. al.