Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-08-14
:The Louisville RiotS!!
BL0ODY WORKII
MURDER AND ARSON
TWENTY MEN KILLED.
From tho Louisville Courier


by statute, the polls were opened, am
privileges granted to such as were "righ
on the GOOSE" with few exceptions, te
exercise their elective franchise. Never
perhaps, was greuter farce, or as We
should term it, tragedy, enacted. Hun
dreds and thousands were deferred from
voting by direct acts OF intimidation
others through fear Of consequences, and
q multitude from the lack Of proper IA
cilities. The city, indeed, was, during
the day, in possession Of an armed mob
thd base passions Of which were infura.
ted 10 the highest pitch by the incendiary
appeals OF the newspaper organ and the
popular leaders Of the Know Nothing
party.
On Sunday night. large detachmcnts
Of men we're sent to the First and Sec.
ond Wards 10 see that the polls were
properly opened. These mon, the "Amer.
lean Executive Committee" supplied
with the requisite refreshments, and as
may be imagined they were in very fit
condition on yesterday morning to see
that the rights Of ffeemen were respected.
Indeed they discharged the important
trusts committed 10 them in such man.
ner as 10 commend them forever to the
admiration of outlaws They opened
The polls; they provided ways and means
for their own party 10 vote; they bluAcd
and bullied al who could not show tho
sign; they in fact converted the election
into perfect farce, without one redeem.
ing or qualifying phase.
We do not know when or how their
plan Of operations we're devised. In.
deed we do not care to know when such
system Of outrage-such perfdy-such
dastardy-was conceived. We only
blush for Kentucky, that her soil was the
scene Of such outrages, and that some OF
her sous were participants in the infa.
nous swindle.
1t would be impossible 10 state when
or how this riot commenced. By day.
break the polls were taken possession n
Of by the American party, and in pur.
suance OF their prec concerled same, they
used every strataSem or device to hinder
the vote Of every man who could not
manifest to the "guarlians Of the polls"
his soundness on the X. N. question:
We were personally witness 10 the pro.
cedure Of the party in certain wards,
and Of these we feel authorized to speak
At the Seventh Ward we discovered that
for three hours in the outset in the
morning, it was impossible for those not
"posled' to vote, without the greatest
difficulty. In the Sixth Ward a party
OF bullies were masters of the polls
We saw two foreigners driven from the
polls, forced to run gauntlet, beat un.
mercifully, stoned and stabbed. In The
case Of one fellow, The Hon. VIM. Thom.
asson, formerly member OF Congress
from this district, lnlerfered, and while
appealing TO the maddened crowd to
cease their acts Of disorder and violence,
Mr.. Thomasson was struck from behind
and beat. His gray hairs, his long pub.
lie service, his manly presence, and his
thorough Americanism, availed nothing
with the crazed mob. Other and seri.
Gus fights occurred in the Sixth Ward,
Of which we have no time time to make
mention now.
The more serious and disgraceful dis.
graceful disturbances occurred in the
upper wards. The vote cas-! was but a
partial one, and nearly altogether on one
side. No show was given 10 the friends
Of Preston, who were largely in the ma ..
jofity, but who in the face OF cannon,
muskets and revolvers, could not, being
on unarmed and quiet populace, con.
front the mad mob. So the vote was ast
one way, and The result stands before the
public.
In the morning, as we state elsewhere,
George Berg, a carpenter living on the
corner Of 9th and Market, was killed
near Hancock street. A German named
Fritz, formerly partner at the Gait
House, was very severely, if not fatally
beaten.
In The afternoon general row occur.
rcd on Shelby street, extending from
Main 10 Broadway. We are unable to
ascertain The facts concerning the dis.
turbonce. Some fourteen or fifteen men
were shot, including officer Williams,
Joe Selvase, and others. Two or three
were killed, and number of houses,
chiefly German coffee houses, broken in.
to and pillased. About o'clock, when
the vast crowd, augmented by accessions
from every part Of the city, and armed
with shot.guns, muskets and rifles, we're
proceeding 10 attack the Catholic church
on Shelby street, Mayor Barbee arrested
them with a speech, and the mob return.
ed to the First Ward polls. Presently
large party assembled with a piece of
brass ordnance, followed by number
OF men and boys with muskets. In an
hour afterwards the large brewery on
Jefferson street., near tie junction OF
Green, was set FIRE to.
In the lower part OF The city, the dis.
turbances were chara cterized by great.
er degree Of bloody work. Late in the
afternoon. three Irishmen going down
Main street, neat Eleventh, were attack. .
ed, and one knocked down. Then en-.
sued terrible scene, the Irish firing from
The windows Of their houses, on Main
street. Mr.. Rhodes, a river man, was
shot and killed by one in the upper sto .
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