Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-09

y
SPIRIT OF TIE CROWD.
The mob was composed, TO large e1-
tent, Of young fellows brought up IN the
street school i-rowdies and vagabonds'
iqnorant unreasoning, and crazy with !
whisky and prejudice. Their spirit and |
their shouts were full Of bitter and violent |
hatred for the negro. xiii the niger
iD-n the niggerl Butcher all the |
niggers 'Stone that nigger house p
Tear down that niger dive Every
d-d niger ought TO be hungl These,
and other expressions Of sentiment, show
ed unmistaksbly the spirit and character
of heEob. We will do the mob the jus
tice TO suppose that but few Of them eouid
read, and that they despised, above all
things, the free school and the church
They are exactly the httest material for
political demagogues to work with.
"Nearly every respectable person IN the
crowd, and there were many present, from
that pardonable motive, curiosity-eon-
demned the rioters, and endesyored to
quiet them. But argument with the rioters
was useless. 1t was hardly safe for white
citizens to urge the maintenance OF the
law. The mob had caught the political
slang and hercely demanded the lyneh-
ing of some id Abolitionists,' seeing
the negroes had mostly hidden themselves.
We saw fellows plunge across the muddy
streets and dash sleng the sidewalks, IN
their insane fury 20 kill a niger, at
rate of speed that no loafer Of their style
was ever known to practice except in run
ming from an officer. They would do first
ratein the rebel army, and If they desire
TO shoot the eussed Abolitionists, now is
the time for them to skeddsdle from the
Free States, and serve under their real
master, and the Free Press dearest friend
jeff Davis"
In the evening, large number of houses
occupied BY negroes, we're fred and con-
sumed with, their contents. In one of the
tenenents, the inmates we're locked in, and
threatened s0itH death if they attempted to e'-
cape, and then the house lOas fred But even
the mob spirit relented when the wretched
inmates begged for mercy, and burst the
doors open to escape being burnt to death.
Robert Bennett a mulatto, was badly
cut, and rushed to the Biddle House.
DR.. Steward, respectable cOlored phys
ician, residing on Clinton street, opposite
the Jail, an old grey headed negro, was
fearfully beaten.
The report says:
awhile the main body of the rioters
were engaged in the destruction Of the
houses on Lafayette street, a large crowd
Of boys and men, probably forty in num-
Der. discovered an inoffensive cOlored man
in an alley in the rear, and Immediately
assailed him with bricks, stones and clubs,
knocking him down in the ditch Boys
from eight to ten years Of age, seized
bricks and stones, snd with the most fear
full imprecations, such as "pray, you id
niger, we will kill youW rushed upon
him. A citizen stepped in and attempted
to shield the negro, who in piteous tones
appealed to the excited mob to spare his
life, when a dirk knife was plunged into
his side passing through the vest, several
layers of papers, and lodged in his watch
case. II was indeed a narrow escape, but
determined to save the life Of the negro, he
remained on the ground until surrounded
by the mob when ne drew a revolver and
forced his way out. The negro was beaten
very badly and has probably since died.
We have not learned his name.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF THE FIRES.
The casualties we have recorded show
that some twenty-five buildings have been
burned, besides barns and out-houses.
Between thirty and forty families have
been deprived of homes, and not far from
two hundred destitute men, women and
children are thrown upon the charities of
our citizens in consequence Of these in
cendiary attempts Of an ungovernable
mob.
At six o'clock in the evening, three com
panies Of soldiers arrived from Ypsilanti,
having been telegraphed for. They pa
trolled the streets all night and, with the
Lyon Guards, prevented further outbreaks.
The fullest entent of the laws penalties
should be given the leaders of the mob.
They deserve no mercy.
The Advertiser makes the following edi-
torial comments:
GAS the narrative of our reporters
shows, the riot has assumed frightful di-
mensions, eliminating in murder and ar
son-the sack Of houses, and assaults upon
women. and children. Some Of the most
internal outrages that ever characterized
a civilized community have been commit
ted upon an inefensive people, who in all
this community, until military aid was
called in from abroad, found no protection
from brutal ferocity that would have dis
graeed sayages. The authorities, who set
out so WELL either from fear or sympathy
with the purposes of the mob, did nothing.
Men were knocked down and murdered
houses set on fire with women and children
in them-men publicly going from place to
place to apply the torch, and not hand
raised to arrest them or an arrest made.
The disgrace brought upon our city is be-
yond description. We saw stout men weep
over it. But there was no organization.
Armed roWdies ravsged certain portions
Of the city and no person interfered. The
innocent have everywhere suffered with
the guilty. This is what the taxpayers
get for committing their great interests to
such 8 worthless city government con-
siderable portion of which sympathized
with mob which for months past has been
stimulated by their newspaper organ in
this city, until in its issue Of yesterday it
encouraged the vulgar and degraded TO q
riot which it knew would be uncontrolla-
ble."
The Outbreak at Columbus.
A Columbus dispafeb of Friday NIGHT