Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-09-04
NO. "a.
Seymour and his Friends-Reoord
of the New York Rioters.


No person who ever read the history
of the New York anti-draft riot of 1868
can forget the sickening details of its
terrible story, 4n that year, in the
month of July, during the height of the
Southern Democratic Rebellion, the
Copperheads of New York undertook to
oppose the enforcement of the draft bv
attacking the draft officers. Not salts
fed with letting it end there, the mob
went from shop to shop and compelled
employees to stop and join them in their
work of hell. They attacked the houses
of prominent Republicans, drove out
their inmates and burned them. They
gutted the 1SIbt9ae Office and burned
gun factories. Solitary policemen were
murdered by being stoned to death.
She devils in the shape of .Copperh cad
women carried stones to the top of their
houses, and stoned the policemen as
they marched by. Negroes were taken
by the dozens and hung UP to the, lamp
posts; and in one instance WhiIea poor
mulatto was being strangled to death
on lan1p-pOst for no other fault than
that of being black, these internal can
didates for hell saturated his clothes
with tuFpentine and then set FIRE TO him
and thus literally roasted him.
A gallant officer of the Union service.
Colonel O'Brien, mortified at the con-
duct of his countrymen, made a speech
70 the mob ia which he denounced their |
conduct bitterly, and thus endeaVored
to stop the devilish work going on. The
mob turned on him and stoned him
senseless. Being endowed with wonder 4
tul human endurance, he was n dt killed |
for several hours, although Re was be-. |
ing constantly stoned by Copperhead |
women and men, and tafsst only ceased |
when a priest appeaFRd and admfnis- /
tered the last rites OF religion to the
PROSTATE man. ATter the service was |
completed these ferocl0us rioters re- |
sumed the work of stoning their Door
victim TIL a5e finally died The mob
marched On and attached the CoIored |
Orphan Asylum, driving out the help |
less 1Bmates under the cry of " Burn up /
the Aeretics Z" " Kill the ID little |
hagger heretics I - and suiting the action |
TO the cry, the building was set on fire I
and burned to the ground. The mob 1
continued their diabolical work of muir i
dering policemen, negroes and peaeea-
bic cltlzens by hundreds for three daYs
and during all this time the city was /
helpless and completely at the mercy Of !
the Copperhead hell-hounds, owing to
the absence of the city militia at the
battle Of Gettysburg.
Horatio Seymour, who was then Gov
ernor of the State of New York, was
telegraphed the condition of things
Not wishing to call oJiE The State militia 1
and shoot down tire rioters, for fear of
decreasing the Democratic vote at the
next election, he undertook to suppress
the riot by making a speech, in which
be called these murdereTs, police-kill-
ers, Orphan Asylum burners, men red |
with the blood of poor O'Brien, men
who would burn inoffensiVe negroes at
the lamp posts, HIS FRIENDs,'' and
promised them that the draft should not /
be enforced in New York. In other
words, he caved in to the mob and
promised that although the rest of the
country should have to submit TO the
roft TtOr1r0ornnaH raFF vr,Fn
should be specifically exempt. The fol-
lowing is the speech by which Governor
Seymour damned himself to everIast-
ing infamy:
MY FRIENDS 81 have come down /
here from the quiet of the country, to
see what was the difficulty, to find out
what all this trouble was concerning
the draft. Let me assure you that I am
your friend. UprOarfOus cheering. +
You have been "nay friends, !" Tcries of
'F Yes, yes, y g That's so, I" 90 We are, and
will be again,''l and now I assure YOU. |
my felloW-citizens, that AM HERE TO
SHOW YOU A TEST OF MY FRIENDSHIP.
Cheers. I wish to inform you that I
have sent my Adjutant General to Wash
ington to confer with the authorities
there, AND TO HAVE THIS DRAFT sUs-
PENDED AND STOPPED. [ VOciferOus
cheers. I now ask you as good citi-
Zens to wait for his return, and I assure
you that I will do all that can to see
that there is no inequality and no wrong
done any one. I wish you to take good
care of all property as good citizens,
and see that every person is safe. The
safekeeping ofproperty and persons rests
with you, and / charge you to disturb
neither. 1t is your duty to sustain theH
good order of the city, and know you
will do it. I wish yoU Is1F7 to separate
as good citizens, and YOU CAI ASSEMBLE
AGAIN WHENEVER YOU WIsL TO DO so.
I ask you to leave all with me, and
will see to your rights. Wait until my
Adjutant returns from Washington and
YOU WILL BE SATISFIED. Listen to me- !
and see that no harm is done either to
persons or property, and retire peacea-
bly," [Cheers.l
Such is the damnable record Of the
man whom the Democracy have nomin-
ated for President. The speech availed
and until not Sec'y Stanton
ordered troops from the battlefield of
Gettysburg to put down the worse rebels
OF New York, was the riot quelled, and
then not until two thousand Of Cover
nor SeymOur's " friends " had paid the
Just penalty of their crime, But they
were good Democrats, and Mr.. Seymour
had it not in his heart to shoot his
friends and supporters. So the riot
went on, and the rioters had their way
while Seymour delayed and doubted
and at last went down on his knees be-
fore them and prayed where he should
have communicated Cleveland Leader.