Weekly American. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1858-1858, 1858-03-06

~hsslar thss haa az moi, bnt possibly some o.
lhesn hal, ard give them al the advantage Of
ibe adaaissian. Tho asay an che ono side, then.
wss tbs half dosen boys With ths Old swivel and
thelr pocket plsiols: apon the other side. not as
my fini said, ~iih banners hying. hfs blow
Ins. and drums beating. hnt without sound Of
trumpet o. drum. without fha hutisr u flag In
che breese, With deadly masket. "a their hands
I wlll excuse tho officers " the Marine corps Il
as By order Of their snpcricrs--with ball car
tIidges, cnntalning bullet and three bnck-shot
Zach, hundred and fourteen men IN military ar
ray--f DO not think the exacf number was proved
on the trial. hat the wounded Marine told me that
that was The number--wlrh complement Of OIL
GERS, each with masket and csrtridgo.hox. I do
not know how many cartridges we're served out |;
ten Al one time and ten AZ anofher. The boys
with their pistols aud their swivel the Captain Of
the Marines. with bic one hundred and fourteen
armed soldiers en- interval of short space scpa.
rated thems each on the same highway Seventh
sucek A message came. a. was supposed, from
the boys. hgt. ss thiak u has been proved, from
q very different quarter. But q message came, as
was supposed al that time. from The party In
charge "a the cannon. telling the officer IN com
maud that unless the Marines were taken from the
groand. the cannon would be AIRED. The half dor.
and fourteen Marinesi The boss, with the swivel
aud their pocket pistols, sent thai defiance 10 the
Marines. with mnskeis and ball cartridges. consist
Ing Of bullet and three backshosi Six 70 one
hundred and fourtecn The gallant officer tells us
that Ne replied 90 tho message, instead cs taking
away the Marines, hs would take the cannon; and
immediately, upon his o@n I" hook" he marched
his Marines from his position before the polls and
drew them up before the cannon and that he gave
,be order 10 march with tho purpose OF Of once
firing upon the party as soon as he Got into posl-
IA. .xIn f.al.
ings we're when that testimony came out con.
fess my human sympatl,ies we're shocked, that
upon defiance OF that nature, from parcel Of
headsirong youths and boys that they would fire
a miserable swivel upon one hundred and fourteen
armed Marines, the idea could have entered into
any mans head, upon that provocaiion, 20 fre
upon them. Gentlemen, does u not prove how
cautious magistrates should be IN calling TO their
aid military powery Does ID not prove upon what
a dangerous arm the civil authority 10 made TO
resty
That gentleman of military education, inte
gent, experienced, ms was the Commander Of that
corps, could have been 80 transported by warlike
feelings AZ, 10 think OF dealing with those rash
boys as he would with public and an equal
enemyl Why he should have taken the match
from that cannon, " they were rash enough 10
shoot, aud not let a man FIRE a musket What
prevented him from marching up and outianking
the party, and charging with the whole line 20 as
to make their escape impracticable; aud what II
they had fired II they had shot through his ranks
in revenge for that; was the military thus armed.
SO superior, TO be let loose upon this petty band
Of boys to commit murder, lit would be nothing
else,) in vengeance. As soon as the swivel was
discharged the danger was over; kill what num-
Der Of Marines II might, the danger was over. /
am no military man; | am not accustomed TO
arms; ] am not a man Of a military education
| am a civilian but God forbid that any education
should ever make me estimate the course which
the officer said il was his intention 10 execnte as
proper on such an occasion. He, however alter
wards abandoned that determination, and for what
rcasony Why, that II he had fred he would
have killed everybody about the cannon, not only
the boys but everybody else who might be about
it. My blood almost IAN cold when heard hifa
30 picture to himself the scene about the market
house; when heard him say that he marched up
with the design to order the firing. lie changed
his intention, but he did not come up so as 10 out
flank them and charge upon and capture the whole
party. IL is great pity that he did not do 30, for
then you would have had the guilty parties; and
then there would have been none OF this shooting.
Though he said he did not consider il his business
TO after the fugitives he left that 10 the police
and the magistrates, and 10 the lawyers; lawyer
am, maintain that IL was more bis duty to cap
ture than TO shoot those In charge of the sdver-
sary gun; and il would have brought no disgrace
on his military prowess II he had outfianked and
captured them. | think il would rather have added
a plume, than plucked n feather from bis cap.
But perhaps his military ardor was excited. II
Is not always agreeable in military affairs 10 take
prisoners; sometimes they shoot them TO get rid
Of them, and, perhaps, on this occasion, IL would
have been less trouble TO shoot them than 10 take
them. However, do not attribute such feelings
10 the worthy gentleman; but think the worthy
commander bad an idea that an achievement was
accidentally thrown In his way, and required the
swivel in the hands Of those boys a. n trophy Of
the occasion. He had one hundred aud fourteen
Marines armed with muskets and bayonets,
charged with cartridges containing bullet and
three buckshot each, on the first day Of June, In
the year OF our Lord, 1887, on Seventh street,
in the city of Washington, and he charged, gal
lantly charged, and VIGOROUSLY conquered some
half dozen boys with n swivel that could not be
fired! That Is an achievement They charged
In gallant style, In a manner which has been
described as running at the top Of their speed
across the street; no doubt each man We'd with
the other for the honor Of being first TO cross a
bayonet over that cannon. There was no attempt
made TO catch the boys. The Marines came
across at charge, and the moment the boys saw
the CLEAN Of the bayonets, they ran. OF course
they might be expected TO run. They could not
be expected TO Withstand a platoon Of Marines
And as they ran some OF them pitched stones at
the Marines. think one witness saw a stone
strike bayonet OF one OF the Marines; some shot
pistols at the Marines; according 10 a great many
one pistol; according 70 tthers, sew
eral; and according TO Major Tyler, there were
fifty or sixty. BE that Ms IL may, when the
Marines charged bayonets and drove the boys
away, in the true spirit that belongs 10 our race,
they determined to show some little spunk on
the occasion, and some pitched stones and some
took out their little pocket pistols aud popped
away The Marines, according TO my comprehen-
sion OF the word, did not stand FIRE. Gallant
men, soldiers would never have shot promiscu-
ously at flying boys or into a crowd Well
trained veterans stand the crack OF pistol undis-
turbed, but here they fred their deadly muskets
into the party Of spectators The gallant sol
ders stood, in battle array, armed with muskcts,
and performed the glorious achievement Of firing
their deadly weapons upon flying boys, killing,
not the boys, or the parties engaged In the mus,
but a poor innocent negro, who was passing
quietly far away from the scene Of this disturb
ance; yes, they shoot kill, main, and wound,
God knows how many others Aye, gentlemen,
IL was gallant action. There was such equality
between the partie But now The swivel was
taken; the terrible conflict was over; the one
hund ed and fourteen Marines, well ofliccrcd and
armed, had beaten half dozen flying boys, who
popped their pistols in their retreat. u was
great achievement TO capture their cannon 10