New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-06

eirn born citizens and oust them from all political
rights. This being their leading idea, tho ignoraat
from motives of selfpreservstion and the awless, 70
preyent the execution Of the law, commenced AZ carry
as Thursday evening to make Preparations fos -
on,ns;ve and defensive demonstration. Men, women
ard boys occupied their time carrying bricks stones
0rs,,r.bells. pieces of wood, and any missiles that
ve,e available into the Easements, rooms and on the
,ooe. ~ the Mt houses in the tbickypopulaed
streets of the Sixth Ward.
n,,,;ro the whole of Friday, the main topic Of de.
cu..on IN that part of the Ward lying east OF Centre
tics, wa, the anticipated disturbance growing out
the desc Grafton, by the presence Of metropolitan Pc
ucensn Of portion of the city 70 long sacred crime
J.nrav;,v and wretchedness. Curses loud and deep
we're bestowed upon the Metropolitan Police and
,bre were made against their they should
e.say to make an arrest in their midst.
In 70 Friday last, there had been no appointments
of psrolmen made for the Sixth Ward by the Commis
s;oners. The assignment of a Sergeant rss 81 that
had as yet been done, and the disbanding Oh "ods
Police eft the ward without police force, e1cePt Taos
detailed at White street. The whole force OF the Ne
ropo an Police at that time consisted OF between wv
and GOO men. This being manifestly inadequate 70
protect the city, the Commissioners commenced on
Friday evening to swear in special patrolmen and over
90 citizens who had volunteered their services were
furnished with badges and batons. portion OF the
number, with few regulars, were at once placed Oh
duty in the Sixth Ward.
But aside from the vigilance necessary on the part
&C the Commis toner's and the Superintendent In view
of the limited force of the Metropolitan Police and the
o,ber facts we have stated, they abored under the
u,ther and material disadvantage OF having no means
Of quick communication from part Of the city to
IA had
possibility of rapid concentration at given point OF
the reserved forces in the different Wards, by giving
the order to the old police captains to retain possession
Of the "Staon- Houses and all the Corporation property
int,u.ted TO their care" The police telegraph APP
,sraus was in the StatiOn- Houses, and beyond the
reach of the Metropolitan Police. The different squads
of patrolmen In those Wards where Fernando Wood
has the most admirers, could be driven beyond the
limits, if not killed.
TIE Fourth of July was near at hand The train
was well and carefully laid it only needed spark to
produce the explosion which had been 20 frequently
ore.od and TO the consummaton of which the proph.
cts looked forward to with much anxious desire.
THE BOwERY BOYS" AND THE dead
RABBITS"
Fer wears there has existed feud between two
rv al factions of and boys in the Sixth Ward AMI
vicinity. By far the most numerous party is known
the eourings of the city who live for the most part
west of Elizabeth street, in Mott Mulberry Baxter,
Bsysrj. Walker, Centre, Worth and Park streets, and
about the Five Points. They are mostly Irish, and
are abe up of burglars river thieves, wdies, spme
freusp, and small proportion Of persons who have
regular employments. They are the terror of the
Ward and TO them can be traced ninc-tenths OF the
outrages which are perpetrated in the vicinity. La
politics they belong to the Fernando Wood school OF
Democracy 10 man.
The other party is known as the "Bowery Boys"
In the Sixth Ward they less numerous than the
Dead Rabbits but they have large accessons TO their
force on al special occasions from the east side of the
Bowery in the Tenth Ward Unlike the Dead Rab.
bits. they have the reputation Of being honest men,
and the greater part of their number are mechanics
| have some regular employment. Many of the
| Lers of Hose Company No. IA in Elizabeth street.
and some other remen in that part Of the city, belong
to the party Their political predictions various
"a few being Republicans, larger number being
Americans and full half perhaps, belonging to thu
Democratic party. Nearly all, however, are Ameri-
cans By BIRTH and whatever their political differences
may be- as one of them expressed to our reporter
| about o'clock on Sunday morning, "they il
when the neighborhood is concerned" The Ameri.
cans and Republicans were of course in favor of the
| METROPOLITAN Police bill; the Democrats were not
much exercised on the question in any way, though
they as in duty bound as Democrats, believed tho
| law "to be unconstitutional"
| The fights between these rival factions have been
| numerous, and at times severe. Pistol shots have
often been fired, though the more frequent mode Of
| conducting their fights hes been by means of fists,
biickbats and cubs. Every prominent man on either
ride is constantly the Qu rre in anticipation Of
attack and it may be concluded that the vicinity VI
Elizabeth street, which is the geographical limits Of
their respective jurisdictions is not the most harmon.
ous and quiet part Ct the Island
The Bowery Boys" and Dead Rabbits. whos'
peouarities have been thus described from nforna
tcn derived kom various sources, conspicuous in
the history of events in the Sixth Ward on the Fourth
of July, 1871
| TIE FIRST SYMPTOMS OF THE RIOT.
Late on Friday night, Sergeant Hicks, commaudsns
of the Si,th Ward Police, detailed Mr.. Florentne,
resident of Mulberry street, and special patrolman,
10 go with several of the special force and patr's
Bowery, between Canal street and Chatham square.
The officers proceeded TO the vicinity and took Their
stations, and about O'Clock, as Mr.. Florentine and
two others were in the vicinity of the Bowery Thea
ter crowd of near thirty Of the Dead Rabbits en-
cOuntered them, and at once commenced an assault
The cfters defended themselves for the moment bal
were quickly compelled to save themselves by flight
They ran into the saloon No. 40 Bowery, kept Wy
Ezra White, and said to be the headquarters Of the
BOwery Boys. The doors of the house were immedl~
saut the premises, by means of stones bricks ana
clubs, The windows were quickly smashed to Tag
ments, and the doors began to manifest signs Of giving
NJ D..