The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-10-16

The RIOT AT WEsTFlELD, MAss.-A spe-
cial Springfield dispatch to the Boston Adver-
tiser gives particulars of the Westfield riot in
addition TO those which appeared in our tele-
graphic columns OF Monday. The gambl-
ing establishment of Charles Foster, the in
mates OF which were engaged in playing at a
faro bank, was taken possession of by Deputy
Gonstables Chaplin, Billings, Flaeg and Well
man without occasioning any disturbance
What subsequently occurred is thus described
Deputy Chaplin had sent for Samuel Fowler,
the trialjustice Of the village, in order that
the prisoners might either be committed on
admitted to bail for trial on Monday; but dur
ing the half hours interval which elapsed
some OF the spectators OF, and participants in,
the gambling, who had escaped iiOm the room
when the officers entered had given the alarm
and raised a party for the rescue of the prs-
oners. The bells of the engine house were
rung and the mob gathered quickly around
the building in which the officers were, evil
dently with the intention OF making an as
sault. They soon commenced hurting brick
bats and stones through the windows, cut the
gas pipes, and left the whole party in darkness.
Several of the officers were injured by the
missiles, though not severely. The crowd by
this time had drawn back towards the rear OF
the building, and Deputy Chaplin resolved to
improve the. opportunity to escape with
his prisoners by the front way. 4
As his party made their appearance, man
who was on the watch cried out, "Here they
come" and the rioters Immediately renewed
their attack. The constables scattered alittle,
seeking some way by which they might reach
place OF safety with their prisoners, but Cha
pin judged the open street to be the best
place, and was moving towards it when a
large and powerful man came within few
yards of him., and with an oath was i'm the
act OF hurting stone at him, wnen Chaplin
fred his revolver. The shot apparently took
no effect, aud Chaplin followed it Immediately
with three more at random on the crowd, who
were closing in on him on all sides firing pis-
tols and yelling and screaming like so many
demons. After the discharge into the mob
they tell back, and the officers retreated to q
safe place with their prisoners where, having
no justice to commit them or bind them over,
they were released. Only one OF the shots SO
far as is known, took effect. John L. Brooks,
one Of the foremost of the rioters, received a
ball in the feshy part Of his thigh, which,
severing the femoIal artery, inflicted a wound
from which he bled to death in few min
utes. Alt@ @a "'e y" Ni4''f' a
The deputies were not further molested,
aiio W Wills Ciey OOiiECu,
however, to walk all the way (ten mles), as
some OF their Westteld enemies had driven
off and concealed their horses. ss8tr b
The deputies arrived at Springfield about
O'Clock next morning, and wereisoon Oyertaken
by a Westheld sheriff, with warrant for their
arrest on the charge of murder. Messrs. Cha
pin, Billings and Welman were accordingly
taken to the Jail, where they have remained
all day. Flagg, who lives in Wilbraham, was
arrested later in the day, and all four will be
examined Monday morning. gl. lnd1 no
Popular opinion in this city is altogether
and very strongly in favor of the officers, and
in support ot Deputy Chaplin, who is vel
known as one OF the most capable and efficient
Deputies in the Commonwealth. He was ap
pointed under Chief Constable KING, in 1861
and has served ever since with great credit
The victim OF the assault, John p. Brooks
was one OF the most hardened and desperai.
characters in Westtield, and had served {
sentence OF five years in the State prison io
bank robbery. 1t is not positively known
which OF the officers shots had the fatal ct
feet, although it is possible that it might have
been from one fired by the rioters themselves