The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-03-12
A Bloody Riot at Detroit.

Il Fsendish and Unrelent;ng Mob
Bor6orous Treatment of Women
and Children.-Poltry and tCoao.
ardly Conduct of the Detroit Au
horities after the Rioters h1ut
ActuaUy Exhausted Themselves The
Military are Cdlled Out. Detroi,
Externally Disgraced
Iron the Detroit Free Press, sth.l
Yesterday was the bloodiest day
that ever dawned upon Detroit. The
feeling Of revenge and hatred which
had been engendcred by the late ont
rage on the person OF little orphan
girl eliminated in the most brutal and
bloody riot that ever disgraced any
community. Early in the morning the
SYMPTOMS of the riot began TO manifes,
themselves, growing stronger as the
day progressed, until the final eruption
aud fatal and disastrous consequences
which resulted. 1t seemed as though
the minds Of men who constituted the
vast crowd which assembled in and
around the City Hall in the forenoon
were bent on murderous mischief.
They were resolved that the negro
Faulkner should forfeit his life at their
hands, be his verdict and sentence
what it might.
AT about half:pa twelve, after the
adjournment of the court, the clouds
which portended the coming storm he.
gan To gather. The mob first inaugnr.
ated the day by petty prosecutions OF
any negroes who Glanced TO come in
the vicinity of the City Hall. Any ni
that unfortunate race who happened
along were subjected TO kicks, cnff- anil
blows, and were liable tn be butchered
upon the streets. Even women aud
children were not exempt, several OF
them being abused in most shameful
and outrageous manner.
These proceedings continued with.
ont interruption until the re- assembling
of the court, when all who could oh.
tain ingress into the hall did so, and
The street became comparatively Qniet.
But il was a quiet that uurtured rather
than diminished the fierce passions OF
the cnraged and uncomfortable men
who had set themselves up in defiance
of the law. Even in the very halls OF
justice there were grave nrprchensions
that violence would he committed.
In order 10 qucll the disturbance,
and to deliver the prisoner safe TO the
jailur, the Detroit Provost Guard had
been ordered to escort him to the Jail.
Their arrival in front of the City Hall
was greeted by threats of defiance
from the crowd, who became more ex-
cited as the prospect of gratifying the
blood thirsty vengeance upon the negro
became less favorable. The Guard
formed in line upon Monroe Avenue,
and, everything being prepared for a
vigorous defense, Faulkner was led
down by the officers into the street.
IA the mob got sigh. of their intend,
ed victim, the yells, gr"ans, and misses
were almost deafrning, and nothing
Int the fixed hayonrts of the soldiers
could have prevented them from rush
ing upon and tearing him TO pieces.
And it was with great difficulty they
were kept back. The ,hr"ng of PEG
i'ls which followed the prisoner To the
Jail was immense, and could only be-
estimated BY thousands.
Ii was not until they had neared the
Jail that the riot commenced in earnest.
withstanding the array "f flashing
bayonets, and the danger of being shot
down in The attempt, large number
IF the rioters simultaneously rushed foi
the prisoner and came very near res
cuing him. But he was got into the
prison enclosure unframed, without n
single sacrifice. After this was accom-.
plished, without orders from any rrlia.
BILE authority, n number OF random
shots were fired pr"miscuously into the
crowd lay the Provost Guard, several
of them taking effect, and one man,
Charles LANCER, being Instantly killed,
shot through the heart.
The Provost Guard, after this dis
play, hurried back To the barracks,
Iraving the crowd to disperse at their
leisure.
The cry of death and vengeance ran,
through The crowd like an electric
shock. The sight of the bleeding
corpse of the dead man; and the groans
uf half dozen who were wounded,
k;ndleh anew the flames of insubordi
nation and frenzy. The Germans. es.
pecially, were maddpned beyond de
scription, because their countryman
had been sacrificed, az they thought,
and expressed it, TO protect a negr"
who was deserving the torture and
death. The excitement among all
classes, however, was Intense. Being
haffird in their attempt To rescue the
criminal, they sought other channels 4"
give vent to their malice.
The first house where a negro fami-
~ resided, one end of which was used
as cooper shop, situated "n Braubien
street, was assaulted with bricks, paw.
lug stones and clubs. About dozen
negroes were at work in the shop Or
stopping in the house at the time.
The most of them were armed, and
fired several shots into the crowd from
the windows, taking effect i'm several
instances, but not fatally injuring any
one, as far as could be asceitained.
AS each shot from the negro hovel
reverberated through the vicinity, the
fiendishness of the mob became more
manifest, and their desperation more
dreadful. The firearms in possession
a. \. \ a.