Star of the Kanawha Valley. [volume] (Buffalo, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1856, 1855-08-15
From Abe Louisville Uoui'etI
q'ht,LouisylIle Riots.

Il oil an tleeIlVH. iAs PtU'ANS,. $50 -, i.
4 ute, the polls were opened, and priyileges
granted to such as were Fright on the
goose" with a few exceptions, 70 exercise
i their elective franchise. Never, perhaps,
was d greater farce, or . wc should term
liz, tragedy enacted. Hundreds and thou
santls'were deferred from voting by direct
acts Of intimidation, others through fear
/ Of consequences, and Q multitude from the
4 lack Of proper facilities. The city, in
I deed, was during the day, in possession
of m armed mob, the base passions of
i which wore inflriated to the highest pitch
4 by thdinccndary appeals Of the newspa-
!, per organ aud the popular leaders of the
Know Nothing party,
! On Sunday night large detachments q
d men we're sent to the First and Second
Wards 10 see tliat the polls were properly
opened. These men, the american Ex-
Nnsdl;re Commute" supplied with the rc-
,tauisite refreshments, and rs may be I'M
4 ayinedIthey were in q very ~ condition On
Yesterday morning to see that the rights
4 Of frecmen were respected. Indeed they
discharged the important trusts commit
ted 10 thcm in such II manner as 70 con-
mend them forever to the admiration Of
Eout- laws! They opened thc polls; they
provided ways and means for their own
party ID vote; they blutied and bullied all
who could notshow the sign; they in faes
converted thc.election into aperfect farce,
withoudone rcdcemins or q,alifyingphase
I We do not Know when Or how thch
plan ofpperasidns were devised. Indeed
I've do not care to know when such q sys-
ITEM Of optasc--such periidy--such das--
tarly-was conceived. We only blush
hfor Kentucky that her soil was thesscene Of
such outlnges, and that soma Of her sons
were participants in the infamous swindle
Il Itwpul4 be impossible to State when or
! how thisliot commenced. ply day. break
! the polls were takth possession Of by the.
NAmericah party. apd in pursuance Of then.
prespncefted game, they used every STRAIT
agcm> Vt device TO hinder the vote ofeve-
ry han who could not manifest. to the
-'gualdiahs Of the polls" his soundness OH
the X. NJ quesiou We were personally
witness % the PROCEDURE ofIthc party ii
= ttTEllu Nftihay anu "a NleSc VIC IIci hutIlpI-
lied to spfak. At the Ssycp:h Ward we
discovered that for three hours iii the. out
set in the morning it was impossible for
those not f'posted" to vote, wifhout tho
greatest difficulty. In the Sixth Ward a
party Of blllcs were mlstcrsfof the polls.
We saw TWO fofeigncrs beat lnmcrcifully,
stoned and. stabbed. In tho ease Of one
fellow, the Hon. VIM, ThomaSson, former
Isl Il member of Congresses from this dis
trict, intcrhrrcl, and while appealing to
tllc mad lcbcd crowd to cease their acts Of
disorder AID violence, Mr.. Thomasson
was struck from behind and beat. His
gray hairs his lpng public service, his
manly prtSfacc, and his thorough Amer
icanism. nv4ilcd nothing With tie crazed
mob. Othfraud seiionS fights occurred
: in the Sixth Ward, ofwhich We Lave no
time TO make mention now. =. ...
- The most serious and lis.racoful dis
tur Dances Occurred id the uppea Wards,
Thh vote ca II was but II pattitl oiic, and
j.. nearly altogether oil ono side. Up slow
wa$ given ID tie fri@nds Of Preston, who
were largolyIin The minority, but whot in
the face Of ca nnon, muskels and IrcNokcrs,
cou id not, b9ins aH unarmcd ind quiet
pop ulacc, confront tile mad mob. 81 thc
le%f WIS caStIonc way and there ult stands
before the public. T..
In the morning, as we state elsewhere,
George Beret n carpenter living on the
corner Of Oil and Market, was killcd ndar
Hailcock stFCrt. "A german harmed Fritz,
form crly u partner at|the Gait louise, was
severely, ifnb fatally beaten. |@.-i
! III the afternoon n seEeralroW Occurred
on Shelby sheet, extending rr4m Main
to Broadway We are unable to as.
, certain the facts concerning tho distur-
bande. Some fourteen or fifteen inch were,
shot, including officer Williams, joe Sd
wage, and Others. Two or three were
killed, and y number Of houses, chiefly
German coffee houses. broken into and
pillaged About O'Clock, wheh the vast
crowd argumented by accession from
every part Of The city, and armed with
shot guns, m,kkets and rifles. were pro-
cecdihg to attack the Catholic church on
Shelby street. mayor Barbee arrested them
with speech, and the mob returned 10
the Fl rst Ward polls. Presently n large
party assembled with apiece of brass ord.
nance, followed by a number Of men and
boys with m,lskets. In an hour after
wards The larsdbrcwery on Jefferson street,
near t rc junction Of Green, was set fire to.
In I DE lower part Of the city, the dis
turba4 ces We're characterized by agreatel
degree Of bloody work, Late in Ithe az
ternoon three Irishmen going down Maiif
street, near eleventh, were attacked, and
knockf I'd down. Then ensued terrible
scene, the Irish firing from the windows
! Of their houses. ION Main street repeated
yolleyS. Mr.. Rhodes, river nah, was
snot Al ID killed BY one in the upper story,
and u Mr.. Graham met with similar fate.
An lrishman who discharged pistol at
| the back Of a mnn's Head was shot ana
then hung He, however, survived both
punish ments. John Hudson, a carpenter,
was shot dead during the fracas. + II
After dusk, a row Of frame Houses: on
Main street between Tenth and Ed zenith
the pro erty Of Mr. Quinn, well known
lrishman, were set on fire. The flames
extended across the street, and twelve
buildings were destroyed. These houses
! were Chiefly tendptad by II rish and ,lnon