New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-18

The Mayor supiney the Fourth Ward nolls.
aniay ,be Northern Liberty Market; and then,
oeN ". calling upon the bystanders to assist
him in suppresSng tae osOsoer; as .se he presi
Snt and called upon him for the assistance OF tne
snsIipes. He made no averment that be hao - 90
Hsnsted all the Of the civil power ps'U'o
calling for the Intervention Of the military; a1
President without regard to this essential conu
ordered out two companies Of United oIes andad INV
stationed at the barracks in this cy, Go the de-
Captains Tyler and Maddox Inc coa,se o;tv or other
Iense sno".s Hse bo resorts to the military Tor
The suppression of not OF an'"HH obIe 10
6e has exhausted the civil power, - NAV
indictment for any cons, con1e are warranted in
1ohom h;@a under such circumstances. ms mas re-
aa,SIy been affirmed 10 be law IN Enga aI, %
the common awrd conceded this doctrine, notwith-
ron. ~ stropg bias the other way lie - the same
.Judre Who fined Brooks three huGaIGo a rd ho
u,hert 10 be acquitted Of the murder OF the
Srslwan Keating-both Democratic measures. lie
sev affects impartaity or II he does, the pretense
s. an bsld as to amuse by Its absurdity.
But admitting the marines to have Deen properly
.Isd ont the reckessness with which they were com
manded or permitted to fire upon unoiiendnS cl,.ens
was daboca can speak on tins point ron a5tua
obseryation as well from the testimony or oeis.
Z stood as a spectator at "Alson's Corner, pon'
destined to be long remembered as the scene Oh
bloody catastrophe. 49,.
Hearing
&,ad killed or wounded some twenty persons al the
Sscood Precinct of the Fourth Ward, which turned
ont 10 he a gross exaggeration and that they had
cannon on the ground ready to meet ana repei tne
Lii. States Marines impelled, partly oy Gu
So;tv and 10 crafty friend, to follow the Marines
20 The scene of tumult. concurred with him in con-
sfemnipg the conduct of the rioters IN the roundest
terms and felt lively satisfaction IN seeing the can
non or swivel, captured. mention these facts az
evidence of my disnteIesedness in the view take OF
the matter. But let Inc say in advance that IT has
been fully established on the trial that the swivel was
not brought out until the Marines were ordered out,
although il arrived on the field Of battle first l
will now endeavor to describe the place, and the
respective positions Of the parties. The North
ern Liberty Market is situated IN one OF those those
large open areas formed by the intersection
of three classes Of streets, peculiar feature OF
Washington. 1t is built in the middle OF
street which runs east and west ana EXTENDS IRON
Seventh TO Eighth street. But al this point owing to
fbe intersection of Massachusetts and New-fork
avenues lone from the northwest the other from the
north-east with r. the latter has width OF fully one
hundred VI ards between Seventh and Ninth streets
The polls were in Seventh street, just south OF h.
AZ psssed up Seventh street from the Patent Office
going north saw the Marines drawn up in -
street just east Of Seventh and passing on, TOOK my
station at the corner above designated as Alstons
corner Ii is at the intersection of Seventh and
streets-west side. The swivel was on the same side
Of Seventh not far from the east end of the Market
which as Ihave said, is in the middle OF n. Some
market stalls, made of wood, front on Seventh,
south of the main building, and the swivel stood Oh
the pavement by the side of these, with the muz-
zle pointing idown the street In the drectonHoi
Abe polls which were on the opposite or east side OF
Seventh street. The famous corner at which Stood
being ON the same side of the street with the swivel
was of course out of its range, and being about forty
yards from it. supposed there could be no danger
either from that formidable weapon from the
Marines when they should proceed to capture it.
The latter force, leaving their position IN street,
turned into Seventh and halted for few minutes III
front of the polls where the Mayor is said to have ad:
DIRE SEED the crowd but was unable to hear word OF
what was said In the time the swivel had been
moved further up the pavement, distance OF some
five or ten PAGES. The Marines were then marched
np the east side of Seventh street, until the right
OF the column was opposite the swivel, and the
left about ten or fifteen PAGES in advance
of our position at the opposite corner. I'm
the Marines from the right move rapidly across
the street in the drectionxof the swivel with
fixed bayonets. / saw them arrive at or about me
cu,bstone and halt if they had possession OF the
epemys gun, but the crowd by that time interfere d
40 thu could not zee 1t. VIII nrst proceed from
this stage of the affair to state what heard and saw,
and will afterward qualify 1t by tue evidence before
the Court. After momentary pause, heard vol
lev half dozen guns and could plainly see
that it proceeded from the Marines not only from the
position in which they held their muskets put from
The smoke. As saw necessity for hrnS, the
swivel being in their possession, took 1t III granted
that they were firing blank cartridges or iring Id the
air and so remarked 10 the friend who acc0mpanis cd
me In quick succession, heard pop alter pop, or
yoley after volley, and could see that the Marines
,vere firing lower and lower down the ine and as |
could see none of the havoc which was made around
the MsiketHouse and to the north ana norm
east OF the line, / still held to the opinion
that the firing was all sham, until l saw
three men fall at my feet. Even then, when l
saw them in the act of falling, for an instant thought
they had stumbled, until saw and heard their death
struggles. / was in the act OF saying to my Mend
that the rowdes, who were scamperlng In all d.
rectons, were unnecessarily frightened, when these
men were shot down by my side. Wheeling about 10
r,apdI f,up1 linn nal
from the back of the he lad and from the cheek. Upon
a thorough examination found that he had received
five sugs in different parts OF his person, TWO OF them
mere scratches, beside three Others III his hat ana
clothes Beside these four, which were within SIX
feet three four Others were killed or wounded with
In fifteen twenty feet OF me. All present, except
one man. testify that the assault upon the citizens at
this entirely unproy0hed Dy the sHShtest
demonstration OF O rlotOus spirit
According to the evidence of two three intelli-
gent witnesses, who stood near the swivel when 1t
was captured and who had been drawn there by
desire to preserve the peace but one plstosho was
fired before the marines let fly shower Of balls from
nine ten muskets Unfortunately into the crowd.
AiI Waack, the late Marshal of the District, was
one OF these witnesses, and his evidence was most
clear and pointed to this effect. lie had been en-
deavorng to persuade those in charge OF the swivel 20
leave, carry it away. They were youths from six
teen to twenty two years Of age. He twice succeeded
in turning the swivel around, by the aid of other law
abiding citizens but the rowdies Immediately turned
il back. These disiEterested witnesses, friends Of
peace and order TESTIFY positively 10 the effect above
stated and their evidence must be regarded as
elusive against that adduced by the prosecution to
show that several pistols We're fired. In truth, the
most calm and int lligent witnesses for the prose-
cuton sustain the testimony of Mt Wallack. The
Testimony of marines, who were for the most part
raw recruits, and ev IDENTITY frightened, cannot be
taken aganst that of of disnterested specta
tors In regard to the firing upon Al'tons corner the
excuse alleged for it Is that pistol was red ron inst
nont AT the Marines and that some seven or eight
men were seen to step rush into the street. and throw
brickbats or stones at the Marines This was sworn
TO by but one man, policeman; while dozen re-