Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-01-24
REPORT OF THE BOARD OF CoMMIs-
SI0NERS.

THE SOUTHWARK RIOT OF JULY
| At the stated meeting of the Board of Commis-
sioners Of the District Of Southwark, held on
Thursday evening, the following report was read
and adopted, and ordered to be published:
The Committee appointed on the oath of July.
1914, to inquire into the origin of the tragic
! events which transpired in this district on
the 9TH of July, 1874,
| REPORT:
These witnesses all concur in representing that
| the first alarm which was created IN the district
was occasioned by the taking into the church OF
St Philip and Queen street. in open daylight ouau
| tty of firearms that the reports which were
rapidly circulated throughout the city and districts
of the arming OF the church had drawn great
CROWDS OF people into Queen street that on Friday
evening the Sheriff arrived on the ground, having
been notified by several citizens OF the prospect Of
tumut that the church was searched on that
evening, by the Sheriff and committee of twenty
appointed by himself and deputies who found ard
removed quantities of muskets, powder, balls. and
sugs; that when the Sheriff first arrived, he found
the church under the guard of civil posse, sum
moned together by the Aldermen. and also the
watchmen and police of the district; a military
company arrived on Friday night, aud was statior-
ed in the church. =
Peace and quietness had now been restored by
the peaceable exertons of this civic guard. and as
the witnesses nearly all concur whilst the guard and
peaceablc citizens were congratulating themselves
upon the restoration OF peace and order, and the
success of their labors in preventing the building
from being injured or fired, their attention was
arrested by the sudden and une xpected arrival Of
military force, under the command of General
Cadwaader.
The witnesses describe the military array "a
marching down Queen street towards the church.
with music playing, and attended by a large crowd
who had followed them from the city, through the
district into Queen street On reaching the
front of the church, the officer commanding halted
his troops; andafter congratuating the civic guard
Tor their exertions in successfully resisting the
mob, and preserving the building, he desired the
guard should leave tho church, and surrender It up
to him Tor protection; this was complied with and
before the guard had all reached Second street on
their passage from the church down Queen, dis
soPdieree sSRfe 81 Bad ffed Upon the citizens at the
corner Of Queen and Second Streets in which
fire several citizens-one of them, respectable,
quiet inhabtant of the district, Mr.. William
Crozier, in Plumb street, aged 36 years, who
was one of the civic guard who had charge of
the church, and Isaac Freed, Of Green street.
Spring Garden, aged 6l years, and named
Ellis Lewis, aged about> 20 years, stranger,
shot dead, besides several wounded. One Of the
witnesses represents himself to have been in Queen
street, going towards Front on hearing the report
%
persons lying in the street, some appeared to be
dead, and some appeared to be undergoing great
agony.
A number of these witnesses were standing in
the immediate vicinity ofQueen and Second streets
at the time of the fire, who represents that the
fusion terror, and horror of the multitude a that
awful moment, was intense and wild. They all
concur in the opinion that the fire was cruel, un-
necessary, and, as they represent it. wanton sac
riice of human life. They all represent that at
and Immediately before the arrival of the soldiers
order peace and quiet had been perfectly restored
that there existed no necessity whatever for their
assistance-and that the dreadful scenes which
were enacted in this district on that memorable
Sunday evening, all resulted in some unaccountabe,
inexplicible and trfng dispute with officer and
| a citizen standing at the corner Of Queen and
| Second. The firing of the soldiers must have
been precipitated by some sudden explosion Of an
ger on the part Of the officer in question: as all the
witnesses concur in saying that from the first ar
rival of the soldiers in front of the church until the
fire, not more than ten minutes could have elapsed
| The Committed nor submit the foiiowi,,g: !,
Resolved, That this report be entered upon tho
Minutes of this Board and that the narratives fur
| nished by the persons who were witnesses OF the
whole events, be filed among the papers of this dis
trct as forming authentic record of the dreadful
scenes and events the 7th Of July 1914, and that
the same be subject to the inspection any citizen
of the district who may desire to see and reed the
same.
j. FEINOUR, d. II. BOWEN,
ISAAC DUTT0N, L. PAYNTER,
I. d. GROVER.
the excuses which venal press has seized upon