Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-08-06
The Anti-NegrO Riot in Brooklyn.

The northern secesSionistS who are busy in
exciting anti-negro riots throughout the coun-
try tried their hand at Brooklyn, last Monday
The first overt act, however, was committed
Saturday night, when some colored women
and children employed in the Sedgwick street
tobacco factories were hooted and stoned by
a party of Irishmen, but without serious dam
age. Yesterday afternoon, a systematic at
tack was made by party of between four
and five hundred Irishmen upon Watson's
tobacco factory, at the foot of Sedgwick street,
and with splendid success. The factory is a
large three story brick building, and devoted
exclusively to the manufacture of tobacco.
At the time all the employees present were
colored personal---very. in number-fve
men and the balance women and children.
The mob approached the place screaming
like Infatuated demons, and crying out, ''Kill
the id naygurs, "Burn the naygurs," and
other elegant parts of speech. The factory
was surrounded, and bombarded with stones
aud brickbats, and almost every pane of glass
in the building was broken, when the inmates
retreated to the upper story. The negroes
kept the excited mob at bay for nearly an hour
on the stairway, and fought with desperation,
until finally one of them was seized and drag
ged outside, where the mob went at him in
bloodhound fashion, and would have carried
out their threat to kill him, had not the crowd
been so great that only few of their blows
reached the victim. AT this juncture police
force arrived, and the negro who had been so
badly beaten was forced back into the building
for protection. But this was not accomplish
ed until the police used their clubs freely.
The mob had filled the whole lower part of
the factory, and seeing the police interfere for
the protection of the inmates, their leader a
man namq1 Patriplr Kannon tba &C.
low GROCERY in Columbia street and candidate
for alderman in the sixth ward, gave directions
to fire the building. A pot of tar was upset
IN the lower story, quantity of wood was
placed over 1t, and fire was applied 1t COM
menced to burn briskly, and but for the al
most superhuman eXertions of the police, the
building would have been burned and the
lives of the employees, who had crowded into
the upper story, must have been sacrificed.
While the police were engaged in extinguish-
ing the fire, the stones and bricks thrown by
the mob, to use the words of one of the Off
GERS, Grained upon them in Showers" and
several of the force were severely injured.
The police finally extinguished the fire, and
after awhile dispersed the crowd, which, at
one time, numbered several thousand per-
| sons.
The fight between the police and the mob
for awhile ragged furious, and several on both
sides were seriously injured. Officer Burns
was injured by a brick striking on the side of
his head. Officer Donnelly was struck on the
head with brick. Officer Cakes and others
of the forty-third precinct were injured The
following named rioters were arrested and
committed for trial Patrick Keenan,, the
leader, Michael Meagher, William Morris,
John Long, Richard Baylis, Thomas Clark,
Joseph Flood, Elias p. Weider. Charles
Baker, (colored) while defending the stair
way, accidentally hit officer Donnelly, and
subsequently was arrested. A number of
other participants in the riot arc well known.
and will be arrested to-day.
When the excitement had subsidized deputy
inspector ofpolice Folk told the employees Of
the factory that they could go to work and be
| protected, but the women and children were
badly frightened and were very anxious TO
get home, where they went under protection
of the police. The negroes in Loriard's fac
tory, on the same street, to the number of fiji
| ty, took the advice of citizen, and went
home before the disturbance had ceased at
Watsons factory. The police authorities had
been notified that an attempt would be made
by lrishmen to drive the negroes from all
work in this city, and they knew that portion
OF the New York and local press had been in
directly urging such an onslaught.