Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-07-28

ately responsible for the presence in our CITY az
| these desperadoes. The evidence discloses THE
names OF only two Of our citizens who came on
| the cars with fhsm. One Of these was Mr. VIII
liam j. Martini one of the American candidates
! for the Board Of Common Council in the Fourth
Ward, who, it appears, interested himself in pro-
curing entertainment for them AFTER their arrival
here. The other was Mr. John Evans, also a
member of the American party, who il stated to
have accompanied Mr.. Martin some distance from
the railroad depot. but II is not shown that he
gave the strangers any substantial comfort after
they reached the city He was unable to appear
before your committee, but has xolemnly affirmed
that his arrival with the party merely acct
dental and that he had no knowledge whatever
OF their employers at Baltimore, or Of their bust
ness here. From Nr. Martin the committee Oh
| talned no evidence. The chairman called once
at MS ofhce to learn whether he would answer
| call again.
That the visit of these men was preconcerted,
ana that IT was not designed to be Of an orderly
| ana peaceful character, is clearly evidenced by
the earlness OF the hour at which they left Balti-
more, (four O'Clock I'm the morning. and from the
| offensive nature Of their equipments
| soon after breakfasting they seem to have con-
gregated al and about the polls OF the first or
| northern precinct of the Fourth Ward. where
being reinforced by portion OF the most disso-
lutte OF our own population, the combination
proved to be much too formidable to be restrained
| from acts of violence by our limited police force
which-if all its members, including the night
| watch-coud have been embodied at a single
precinct, instead of being distributed, as they
| were, amongst the fourteen precincts embraced
within the extensive area of our city, would not
| have amounted to one half, and probably not TO
| one-third Of the number of the rioters who Were
| thus arrayed against the public peace and whom
| IL was rendered the more difficult either to OBJ
| serve or to arrest, because Of their intermnplinp
with the crowds Of spectators assembled in the
vicinity of the polls, and whose presence had the
effect Of enabling the rioters with the greater i'm
punity to accomplish in the early part of the day
1 nefariOuS Of In bod,
OF our citizens from their rghtfu exercise Of the
| elective franchise.
The northern precinct of the Fourth Ward,
whose polls became the site Of this violence con-
tans larger number of naturalized citizens than
any other precinct the city; and, unfortunately
the olfhculty OF preserving order at these polls
! even under ordinary circumstances, had been
greatly increased by the act of the commissioners
Of election, all Of them supporters of the candi-
dates of the "American party in placing the
polls al an inappropriate locality. Rejecting other
| and more eligible positions, the commissioners
established these polls the east side of Seventh
street, at the northwest corner of the precinct
almost within stones throw Of the polls Of the
northern precinct of the Third Ward, which
Were located on the same side of Seventh street
with the Northern Liberties market house rum
ming in transverse position, its eastern end Ie-
ing nearly equidistant between the two polls
circumstances with the commissioners against
placing the polls Of the Fourth Ward precinct in
TINS objectionable position proved Of no avail.
In vain was urged the Inconvenience Of the To-
calty to the voters generally, some Of whom re-
sided more than mile distant in vain was urged
the interruption which must ensue TO business
on that portion Of one of our narrowest streets
which, at all times principal thoroughfare was
on that morning the busiest part of the city, on
account of its being regular market day. and in
vain was II urged that the placing together of
these two polls. at both Of which lerCe numbers
of naturalized citizens were entitled to vote |
would inevitably increase the hazard to the pub
persons to disturb the QUIET Of both precincts
The commissioners were immovabe in adherinQ
to the place of their choice.
1t appears that the rioters took possession of
these polls at about half past nine o'clock I'm the 4
morning. Up to near that time the voting had |
been proceeding regularly, though there was oc- |
casional excitement caused by efforts of the riot
ers TO get up row, which seems to have been /
felt to greater degree amongst the spectators
than at the window where the ballots were de-
posted. But at the hour just mentioned vio-
lent and unprovoked attack was made upon the /
line of voters, with pistols, stones, and other 1
weapons, by which the entire BODY of voters were |
dispersed; many having TO escape fom their as
sallants through the tenement occupied by the /
commissioners Of election, who, leaving their
room open, also fled from the scene Of this muir
derous assault, which was continued by the hurl-
ing of stones and the discharge Of pistols toward
the window where the votes were received until
two well-known and active members of the Anne
rican party Zone of them being its candidate for
the office of assessor and the other one of its cha
lengers at those polls) called upoi the aggressors
to desist from their ferocious work, in language
implying that their political opponents had been
lives Of their own friends. The firing then ceas-
ed; but the wrath Of the rioters not having vet
been appedsed, they proceeded to demolish the
fence or barricade which, TO protect voters from
the outside pressure when in the act of depoStiny
their ballots. had been erected immed lately in
front of the polls
The rioters were thus in complete possession of
the place. Ii does not appear that their assault
was met by any resistance. except such as was
interposed by the police officers, who proving
unable To protect themselves, shared the fate OF |
the voters in being driven from the ground !
During the onslaught, four five persons were
Shot-fortunately none Of them mortally-and |
some others were cruelty beaten or otherwise in
jured
The voting was Of course suspended, and the
election Tor the time being completely broken up
The length of time the commissioners Of election |
absented themselves from the polls, appears to
have been about half an hour. Upon this and
other points there is some discrepancy in their |
own testimony. But, when the polls were re-
opened they still remained under the surveillance
and control OF the mob whose continued threats
against naturaliZed citizens, in connection with
their antecedent ourages, deferred from the exer-
else OF their elective privilege not only citizens
OF the denounced class, but also intimidated many
native citizens who were opposed to the candi-
dates of the sO-called American party This
clearly appears from the list of voters returned by
the commissioners of election, your committee
will presently demonstrate.
But, after these polls had been opened a second |
time, they Were destined again to be closed in the
brief space of two or three hours; for, by one |
O'Clock, what previously might have been re-
garded as merely riot though one of most des-
perate character, had assumed the more serious
aspect OF an actual Instruction from the course
which was deliberately taken by the mob TO resist |
the public authorities in their efforts to restore and
maintain the peace of the city.
Upon hearing of the outbreak in the morning. |
the Mayor had, with commendable alacrity. in
voked the aid of the President of the United /
states az the civil governor of the District of Co
lumbia, to protect from further threatened vio-
lence the lives and property of our citizens The
emergency was pressing. The freedom of the cleo
tive franchise had been audacious invaded: one
portion OF the voters had been driven by violence
from the polls the police force found to be ut
terly insufficient to preserve the peace some Of its
members had been wounded in the discharge of |
their duty and even the commissioners Of election
themselves had deemed it necessary to abandon |
the polls. In this emergency the marines at the |
Navy Yard composed the only effective force that |
could with proInptitude be brought into service, |
and they were at ordered to the assistance of
the civil authority, and directed TO report the
Mayor, at the City Hall, distant about half mile
from the scene Of these disturbances. |