The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-05
The Mississippi Steamboat RiOt---The
Steamer Dubuque N Scene OF Sio-
Iencc---R n I IN Oyerpowcr the
Deck Hands---Five Of the latter
Beaten, Cut and Drowned.

an account of the terrible riot which occur
red July 29th on the steamboat Dubuque
while near Hampton, Illinois, and to which
reference has been already made in the
Sun. The following extracts give the main
facts:
The steamer left Davenport at about
o'clock in the morning. She is known as
one Of the finest packets in her line. Her
deck crew was composed of some thirty
hands, some of whom were white, but the
majority we're colored. When she left here
| {the mate informs us) she had over 200
| deck passengers on board, third of whom
were raftsmen, 1.-The remainder being harvest
hands. She also had over 100 cabin pas
sengers.
THE DEADLY RIOT COMMENCED
little after o'clock, az the steamer was
nearing Hampton. Mr.. Jones, second clerk,
went on deck to examine tickets and receive
fares, and stationed colorcd deck hand
named Moses Dawson at the stairway to
prevent deckers from going above while he
was thus employed. Soon a raftsman we'll
known as " PockMarked Lynch" " attempted
to ascend the stairs. Dawson stopped him,
and, after q brief quarrel, blows were
passed. The mate, John F. Sweet, inter
posed and stopped the fight. Then, save
loud talking among many Of the raftsmcn
| and by Lynch himself, there was no trouble
for ten minutes or so. Dawson stood one
| side and bore their insults without return
ing word. BY this time the boat was at
the levec. At last the raftsmcn formed o
kind of ring on the forecastle, with Lynch
in their centre, and Dawson was hustled
alongside of him and commanded to fight it
out. Lynch didn't like the looks Of Davi-
son, and, calling him ID nigger, went
| for him with chunk of coal. In an in
stant, as if the matter had been agreed
upon, as many as twenty-fv of the rats
men Joined in the assault.
Some of the raftsmcn ran to the shore and
armed themselves with chunks of coal,
with which they stormed the colorcd men.
But Lynch and one Ted Butler, with q
dozen followers, commenced hunting the
negroes On the boat. In the melee David
son escaped, and ran up the hurricane deck
and sccrcted himself under the life-boat
aft of the Texas. The Lynch gang went
sweeping through the deck passages. The
negroes scattered, some leaping to the shore
and some rushing for upstairs. Two Of
them were caught aft Of the engines, ter
ribly pounded and cut, and hurried to the
stern and made leap into the water The
passengers saw them sink Immediately, and
that was the last of them.
One negro was pursued along the star
board guards, across the rear of the boilers,
to the larboard guards, where he was hit on
the head with piece of coal, caught and
beaten till he was nearly senseless. Then
half-dozcn villains seized, ran him t. the
stern, and jumped him into the water. 1t
was said BY two lady passengers who saw
him rs he sunk, from the windows Of the
passage in the rear Of the ladies' cabin,
! that his throat was cut from car to ear.
The fourth negro who was murdered was
pursued up stairs, along the cabin-guards,
across the hurricane deck to the other side,
down to the guards and the stairs to the
deck again. He fled toward the stern, was
caught, and plunged into the river. As he
struck the water great piece Of coal struck
him on the head, and he went to the bot
tom.
DAWSON KILLED AT LAST.
After the murder of the negroes men
toned above, the raft fends wandered all
through the place and by-ways on deck, and
along the guards of the cabin, and on the
hurricane deck. At last Lynch sped Da
yison as the latter lay curled up under the
life-boat. He cried out . Here's d."
Dawson heard him, and, turning the boat
up, sprang out and ran, with knife in
hand toward the cabin stairs. Lynch cried
"That's the one VIC want" and, with three
others, pursued him. Down on the deck
went Dawson. There Ted Butler tried to
stop him, and Dawson slashed his bowels
with knife. The negro then fed to the
place where four of his fellows had met
their death, and on his way was hit. He
jumped into the river and padded with his
hands for awhile, and kept his head out Of
water. Two men set out from shore with
skiff to rescue him, but before they could
get near him he ceased his efforts and sank.
PASSENGERS EFFORTS
for the saving of the negroes were numer-
Gus and successful. Several negroes were
locked up in staterooms in the ladies' cabin.
One instance is mentioned particularly
Rev. D. c. Mccoy, of Macomb, H., was in
his statcroom with his wife. A negro nearly
covered with blood from q cut in his throat
fairly bounded through the open outside
door and cried, "Saye me; do save me,
misss." The lady, perfectly ignorant of
the terrible work going on outside, imme-
diately closed the doors. In an instant al
most she heard the tramp Of the men out
side and the cry "Wherc is the hellion p
Then there was u rush back for the bow,
and her protGge was safe. lie remained in
| the room more than an hour. Mr.. Mccoy
sponged his wounds and bound them, and
made the poor fellow as comfortable us pos
sible. Several of the hunted hands we're
sccreted in the Texas's rooms by the officers.
THE OFFICERS WERE PowERLESs.
Not one of them was in possession of q
shooting-iron of any kind, and to have in
terfered with the negrokilling scoundrels
unarmed would have been foolish indeed.
All they could do in opposition to scores of
raftsmcn was to secretc the negroes when
possible.
| THREATS TO BURN THE STEAMER.
The boat swung out from Hampton, and
had proceeded but few rods when she
went into shore again. The idea was to
await the arrival of q force from Rock
Island. Captain R. secretly telegraphcd
the sheriff of that county for help, but
the murdcrers saw through the stratagem,
and threatened to join together and fire the
steamer if she was not quickly moved up
stream. So the steamer was soon swung
out again, and continued on her way. 1T
Damascus, Ted Butler went ashore, as did
also Pock- Marked Lynch. Butler was cap
tured.
The last attack was made on a porter,
who, after the boat left Hampton, and when
all was comparatively quiet, went to empty
| some water on the guards. He stepped out
cautiously, but was discovered, and severely
beaten by three raftsmen.
ROCK ISLAND TO THE RESCUE.
AS before stated, the sheriff of Rock