Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-03-12

CRIMINAL CouRr-TriaI of the Wtgtcdr Riot
rs.-Whe our report closed Yesterday, Mr.. Da-
vidge was proceeding with the cross examination
Of John TOlson, witness for the Prosecution
who went on TO say In conclusion, that at the
time tue order was given to fall In volunteers,
they were all quiet Witness left the demo-
cratic headquarters behind the crowd. Witness
knows Willett and Cleary when he sees them
Is not on bad terms with them that be knows Of;
never spoke to either Of them. and has nothing
against either CT them. Never told any one that
he would give them 'hell.o
JGrcb SShs sworn-On the night in uuesti on
was at the Breckenridge headquarters. A party
Of twenty-five men came down out Of the room
and said they were going to gut out or cut out
VIE wigwam- Witness and Donaldson went up
and told NcHenTy, and they went out and witness
went OF after more police, and then went with
them 10 the wigwam. drunken man was there,
very drunk, Johnson was his name; and witness
and another officer were directed 20 take him to
the watch house which they did. While there
heard a good deal Of noise, and stones were
thrown against the building. johnson was very
drunk. While there heard no one attempt to
dissuade the crowd from violence.
VIM. Fsrnon, sworn Was at the Wigwam
that night, and after the meeting adjourned start
ed 10 90 home, and on his way met crowd hal
LONG and shooting pistols. Saw constables going
over there and followed them. Saw DR.. Cleary
there Heard some say after they got there, Let's
The wigwam they fired pistols guns and threw
stones at the building. Saw Cleary, and heard
him say something about fall in National Volun-
tecrs Saw James Wise there, who lives on the
lsand-he was doing nothing. The crowd were
bearing up the banners and pitching them out Of
the windows. Witness saw some of them come
out Of the building with the banners wrapped
about their shoulders. Heard them say ''Burn
SEe place down"
Cross-examined. Went there that night at
about 8 O'Clock, and stayed till the meeting was
Knew nothing Of the disturbance I'LL lie
WAS coming home, when he met the crowd at the
corner Of FoUr-and-a- half street and g, and fol-
lowed them back to the corner of Third and In
diana avenue, (Birth's cOrner) where he stopped
till the consta bles came along, and then went
over To the building, but did not go in. While
there heard DR.. Cleary tell the crowd to fall in.
after the thing was over. Heard them say ''burn
the building" Witness stayed there till they
left, and Yves going home when he met them
marching down the avenue in front Of Browns
or the National Hotel; don't know which. Wit
Ress went TO the wSwam that night 10 hear the
news The room was crowded during the even
Ing. Don't remember about the lights being put
out when witness first left When he got back
u was dark In the wigwam, and the crowd lit up
tne wigwam after they got there. AS witness
was leaving first they were putting out the lights.
Martin Buell., sworn Was at the Wigwam.
There was a meeting Of the republicans on the
night Of the day of the election. After the news
was received which led the republicans to believe
that Lincoln was elected, II was decided tn ad-
jGurn, for fear OF an attack Witness saw TO the
putting out Of the lights. Witness went ont and
saw 4 large crowd in Indiana avenue in front Of
The Xigwam line was formed In front, and a
mob vas In the rear-some two hundred and fifty
of violent EXPLANATIONS, saying, ''burn down the
Wigwam, gut it, kill the damned black repub-
ncan sons of - After the crowd approached
nearer and began to throw stones witness retreated
into the building and locked the Second street
door. Went up stairs to the third story, and
opened the third story room door, and heard ps-
toll balls coming through the windows. There
was no llg bit up stairs. Witness locked the TIL
story room door, and at that time heard the lower
door burst open. Soon after the door Of the Wig
wan room was burst open. Witness retreated
before the noise to the roof, and as he got there
heard the room door of the third story burst open
and forms overturned, types thrown on the floor,
etc AS soon as the noise had somewhat sub
sided, witness went down and saw that the build
sug was in pretty bad condition. In tie Wig
wan benches Were broken mp and thrown from
the windows; doors OF bookcases were torn from
the bookcases and thrown from the windows;
busts and nansparencts were taken away. and
DESTROYED. Other damage was done Witness
had five companions on the roof, and ali came
down together. In the Wigwam room several
lights had been lighted. When they got down
stairs the police were just taking away those they
had arrested The crowd had nearly all dis
persed- The damage to the windows was upwards
Of 500 The windows and sash of the lower story
and tue wire screens were badly DESTROYED DAM
aye was done to every story Of the building.
Cross-eXamlned MIR. Downey was the glazer
who repaired the windows. All the screens on
the Second street side were destroyed, and on the
other front only three were DESTROYED. W illness
Is the proprietor OF that building, and has a civil
suit in the Circuit Court OF this District against
printers cases thrown into pi. Handles OF doors
were broken; the panel of the door of the school
loom In the lower story was broken In. On the
roof with witness was Mr.: l.; Clephane, MIR OK
stad, Mr. Focss, and Mr. Hendley. Witness dCn't
know who in the crowd made of the violent
expressions referred to In the beginning Of bis
testimony. Witness thinks twas a cloudy night,
but that the moon was shining under the clouds.
The lights had been put out sOIns minutes before
witness left the building to come out. While on
the roof witness heard the exclamatons, 90 Burn
Al Ts
five or ten minutes after the officers came that wit
ness came down from the roof. Witness had sup
posed there were officers there all the time. There
had been during the evening a. many about the
building as witne,s thought were sufficient to
protect the building. The room had been open
all the evening to all who chose to come to hear
the returns read out. When witness first went
out he saw effort on the part Of anybody to re-
strain the mob Should have been very likely to
have noticed Ii had any strenuous efforts been
made to keep them of. Everybody was acting in
concert, and all appeared to be approaching the
building. The clouds wer- thin, aaa witness
thinks the moon shone out occasionally.
Jacob r. King, (Policeman,) sworn.-W ent TO
the wigwam that night in advance a little Of the
other officers. When near them saw a crowd
standing there, and went over and told them they
would have to dsperse; they did so. Jus. then
heard a noise at the wigwam door, and proceed
ing over there found Mr.. McHenry with Mr.
Johnson, and witness with Others took him to the
watch-h house. The pistol firing and stone throw
ing was over when he got there Saw man with
q stone In bis hand, and witness told him TO drop
the s.one and go away. Saw none OF the defend
ants there save johnson. Witness did not go
back after taking johnson to the watch-house
Witness has known Johnson several years, and
didn't know IL was him witness was taking to
the watch house till he got to the street lamps
street. II was too dark for witness TO recognize
him When witness told the crowd to disperse
they did So Had no difficulty In recognizing the
Young man with the stone In his hand.
Wm L. Clever sworn w illness the crowd
opposite the Telegraph ofice and went over there,
and heard that they were going over TO the Wig
wan. Followed them over, and beard DR.. Cleary
say "Come on boys, at the corner Of Third street
and Indiana avenue, where they had halted-at
his word they proceeded TO the Wigwam. At
tue corner Of Second and C streets witness saw
Ben Lloyd. At the corner OF Second street and
Indiana avenue pistol was fred, and the crowd
Were yelling and crying out Don't remember
what they kaid exactly. At the corner Of Third
and streets the party separated, part going
down to second street, and part down to In
diana avenue. Witness followed the party that
went down Third street to Indians avenue.
When the pistol was fred witness stopped
Knew Or Cleary bv u cloak he wore; was within
ten or nfteen feet Of him. About Eve shots were
fred in all Should think there was $50 in the
crowd altogether In the crowd where Cleary
was witness heard no one counseling peace-not
one. Witness remained till the thing was over