Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-13
THE ABOLITION MOB SPIRIT
A Disgraceful Attempt to Mob a Demo
cratic Meeting.
(prom the. Hartford, Conn. Times )

FrOm tne. dhrt1Ord, COnn., l1mesD.
A Democratic meeting was called at Will
lemantic, on last Friday evening, April lst,
where the Hon. W. W. Eaton was announced
to attend. Other arrangements prevented
him, and MunrOe e. Merrill, ESQ.,, of this
city, took his place. mif--.....
The hall was well filed. Gen. L. E.
Baldwin presided. AS soon as the meeting
was opened, several returned soldiers, evf-
IDENTIFY urged on by abolitionists, COM
menced q disturbance. One Of them sprang
upon the platform, and said, "By Cd, /
am here to meet w. w. Eaton, and l am
going to stay here" b., I,-..-, .......
The chairman told him this was a Demo-
cratic meeting, the Democrats had hired
the Hall, and had right to the peaceable
possession of 1t.
"No, by Cd, don't go,,, said the SOL
dier-'I win stay here through this meet
Ing, and say what / please-put me off il
you dare"
The chairman then put him of, thrust
him from the stage upon the floor. The
soldier got up, sprang upon the stage,
caught hold of the chairman, but was Ia
ken of by the bystanders.
Mr.. Merrill then came upon the platform
and had not uttered three words when the
rioters cried out, "You lie-it's Cd id
llC-lJ . u SODpCIutdul CCCs DdCk Ill IIlt
audience stood the Rev. L. b. Bradford
talking loudly, and by his presence and
bearing evidently increasing the disturb.
ance. -
Fol an hour and quarter this outrage.
GUS and disgraceful scene continued Mr.
Merrill could not be heard to articulate Q
full sentence. But he was not the man tC
be bluffed, or frightened, or put down. HI
stood there to address the meeting, and In
the end was bound to do so--thanks to hii
courage and zeal in the cause of constitu.
tional rights.
At this time, now past o'clock, soldier
called a Democrat Cd id liar, and II
an instant the soldier lay sprawling upor
the fioor-we wish it could have been the
wicked professor of call the piety, all the
order, and all the intelligence" who hat
urged him on, that had been smashed upon
the floor in his stead. Another soldier flew
at the Democrat, and in second was knock.
ed fiat upon the floor. Then the abolition.
lists generally sailed in, and for few min.
utes there was severe fight and 1t was nc
child's play. In five minutes the abolition
rioters, and the poor soldiers whom they
had basely led into this disgraceful affair
were severely punished, and pitched head.
long down the stairs. r TE tr
for the sake of peace and order-for the
credit of their town, the good name of the
neighborhood in which they lived-tried tc
prevent any fight. They bore the grossest
insults-saw their meeting practically
broken up for an entire evening-submitted
to every thing, till patience ceased to be Q
virtue, and then they made short work o.
the job on hand.
Mr.. Merrill, who is a handsome speaker
and Gn able debater then addressed the
audience, though the hour was so late that
he cut short his remarks to great extent
We present the facts Of this case to the
public. Let them Judge of the spirit of Alb
Olitionism. The soldiers- are not so much
to blame as the bad men who use them fol
base purposes. TttEf NT
The Constitution guarantees that the peo-
pie may peacefully assemble and enjoy the
freedom of speech.-Hartford Times.