Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-09

r. IFrom the st. Louis Republican, Jr'
A Free Fight ON the Fourth Among
Negroes - A Picnic Excursion
Broken Up-Deadly Weapons
Used and One of the Combatants
Used Dp-The Beauties of Afri-,
can Freedom Illustrated. -...--,
Tue beauties of unrestrained freedom,
enjoyed by the African, were fully illustra-
ted on the GLORIOUS Fourth" by party of
colored exeursionists, number of whom,
in disregard of the proprieties Of the .Occa-
sion, the benevolent objects of the trip, and
the sanetity of the ever. memorable day,
gave vent TO the darkest passions that
would have disgraced a gang of pirates,
and with fiendish hate endeayored to
butcher each other with knives and revoly-
ers. 80 -1-
About eleven o'clock on the Fourth the
ferry boat Mulligan, with about one hun
dred and fifty colored people on board,
steamed out from the foot of Carr street,
bound for Cabrolett, or Garobie Island. III Z
The excursion was gotten up for the
benefit of, the st. Louis Colored Benevolent
Society, and iollara head was charged.
The boat and every thing moved on quite
smoothly, for q time. FroWzy maidens,-
with monstrous boqnets, took a seat on the
benches Of the upper deck, while sable
swains paid especial attention to the fair
weilches, and brought up for their especial
delectation many glasses of Lemonade, etc.
The boat by this time was steaming up the
main channel, when several rowdies
crowded around the bar on the lower deck,
and one of them aclandestinely3 took, three
cigars without paying for them, while the
barkeeper's back was turned. The opera
ton was, watched by an outside party
named Louis Thompson, who Immediately
informed the bartender, remarking to the
latter: - You'd better collect for dem ci--
gars from dat ar chap, for seed him take
'em. Upon this gratuitous information,
the cigar party took umbrage, and one
of them hit Thompson a blow on
the mouth. Thompson, who bad been
school teacher and a porter on the river,
and is considered a bully among his ae-
uuaintances, offered some resistance, when
he was attacked by shower of stone coal.
frezpokers,, and every sort of missile that
could be found. He retreated to the re-
freshment table, and seiZing butcher
knife, commenced defending himself cut
ting right and left, and slashing away at
his assailants. He then ran up the stair
way to the upper deck, follow by dozen
of the attacking party, who fired pistol
shots at him without regard to the safety
of the peaceable portion of the party. He
was wounded in several-places. By this
time the boat had landed, and Thompson
leaped to the shore, followed by the mur-
derous gang, who continued to fire upon
him. he doubled on his, pursuers and re-
turned to the boat, where he got in a few
cuts on his pursuers with the butcher
knife. He was again fired upon, and be-
ing much weakened by the loss of blood,
again flew tor refuge to the shore, pursued
by the same gang. On gaining the shore
he was overpowered and fell down ex-
hausted, when his assailants began beating
and kicking him. By this time some of the
people, not engaged in the fight, interfered
and prevented him from being murdered
outright. Thompson was brought on
board. Thebeat was besmeared with blood
like the deck of pirate ship. David Es-
sex, one ofthe attacking parties, who is re-
ported to have served term in the ;Peni-
tentiary, had a deep cut on the elbow
Joint. He says he lost about two buckets
of blood from his "arteas."
Another of the wounded, named Thomas
johnson, had two fingers nearly cut off.
General CONSERVATION prevailed, and the
objects of the excursion were broken up.
Elder Wells, of the Second Baptist (col-
ored) Church. from whom we obtained
most of the above particulars, prevailed on
the Captain to return to St. Louis. When
off the landing at the foot of Carr, four
whistles were given as signal to the po'
lice. well understood by them, when an ar
rest of parties for offences committed in II
Ilnols is desired. Sergeants Cook and Hop
kins, and privates kaufman, PilkiDgton,
Eprich, Roe and Gates boarded The Multi
gan, and the parties were handcuffed and
brought to the Third District Police Sta
tion. Eight negroes were arrested, whose
names were Archie Irwin, VIM. Ferrell,
Wash Shelton, Thomas johnson, Alex.
BARLEY, Fred Galloway, Henry Bridge
water and Joseph Clark, who are held to
await the result. of Louis Thompson's
wounds. Should the latter die, the above
parties necessarily have to stand
trial in. Illinois, where the offence was COM
The prisoners were taken to the Central
Station, where the wounds of those cut
were dressed by DR.. O'Brien, of the Health
Thompson, who was so badly peppered,
was taken to the house of his step-father,
Primus Box, near the Pacific railroad and
the Collier White Lead Factory, and at four
o'clock last evening was still alive.
One of the bullets entered the arm near
the shoulder and was embedded in the flesh.
The physician prebed the wound to the
depth of six inches, but was unable to find
the bail. His injuries, although severe, at
last accounts were not considered mortal.
THROWING bricks Is a theatrical amuse-
ment highly relished by the actors and
actresses in the silver mining regions.
Flowers being rare, bricks are thrown upon
the stage, not as missiles, but as Scompli-
meits, and the bricks are not clay bricks,
bus are "made without straw,n-in fact,
are silver bricks An actress received two