The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-08-14
A Pen Picture of the New.York Mob.

N. r. Willis, who Witnessed fhe burn.
ing. by the mob. Of the gun Factory in I'd
Avenue. describes The appearance OF the
mob there asse embled in his usual novel
and graphic style. He writes:
"Tipsey women and boys (of whom the
crowd waa more than halt composed )were
rude and wholly regardless Of the com
mon way (arer's rights. impudent II spo.
ken to, and crowding or running agains,
US. uulees we escaped them BY very p.ins.
taking, winding our way. The whole air
and behavior o: this wicked and dirty plu.
rsli,y expressed an exul,iug lawlessnes
and defiance.
The high brick blocks and closely pack.
e1 houses in this neighborhood seemed TO
be literally hives OF sickness and vice..
Curiosity 10 look on at tie fire raging so
near them. brought every inhabi,ant 10
the porch or window. or assembled them
in ragged dirty groups on the sidewalk in
front. Probably not creature who could
move, was left indoors at that hour.
And it is wonderful 70 see, and Gfiicult to
believe, that so much misery. disease and
utter wreichedness. can be kuddled to-
gelher and hidden by high walls. unviset-
ed and unshougbt oi, SO near our own
abodes The LEVIED, but pale and sickiy
young women, scarce decent in their rag.
ged attire. were impudent. and scattered
everywhere in the crowd. Bu, what
numbers OF these poor classes are de!orm.
ed, what numbers are made hideous by
self neslec, and iu6rmily. and what mum.
bers are paraly,ics. drunkards. imbecie
or idioiic, Iorlorn in their poverty stricken
abandonment for this world Alas hu-
man iaces look SO bideous with hope and
vanity all gone And female forms and
features made so frightful by sin, squalor,
and debasemenl! TO walk the streets as
we walked them, for those hours Of confa.
grafton and riot, was like fearful witness
ing of The day Of judgment, with every
wicked thing revealed. every sin and sor.
row blazingiy glared upon. every hidden
horror and abomination laid bare, before
helrs expectant fire. .....
We have not made the character Of
tie mob par, of our descrip,ion...it has
been done so fully by the daily journals.
But we must add our confrmatory re.
mark upon ore peculiarly Of the confess.
ed rioters. There were no decent Irish
amoug them. Irish they all were, every
soul of them, but they were the dirty
half.drunken rowdies who are the eprosy
Of that !air-skinned race. They were the
filthy pustules Of an eruption on the Irish.
Skin; not 10 be accounted part Of the nat.
nial complexion Of the blood, but starved
down and purged away like diseased
excess. In ordinary life. such fellows
sneak about, and hide from daylight, in
places where they can drink and debauch
ami con.rive wickedness but here, whers
this grand FIRE made them feel masters
and gave them impudepce for the hour,
they were the picture Of saucy beggars.
half.drunken brutes and robbers. longing
to put clutch upon your throat and emp.
~ your pockets. One OF our daily papers
estimates this class OF the New York pop
ulsl'on at twenty thousand. How shall
we sufficiently damn. for ell history. the
politician or cows,dly Office holder who.
Tor make weight 10 his party, will base.
ly strive 10 propi,iatc such scum Of a
grsa: CITY," 80.