Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-26

TIE DoCToRs' MoB.-0ne of the most re-
markable as well as absurd riots this city has
| ever seen was that known as "The Doctors
Mob" and which occurred in 1888. In the rear
of the New York hospital, which recently was
Obliterated from Broadway, stood a building in
which the medical students connected with the
hospital used to dissect their Subjects" Al
though the public knew that bodies were OBJ
tanned for this purpose from Potter's Field and
the negro burying-ground, yet it was shrewdly
suspected that they did not confine themselves
to these sources, and that in the dead of night
with dark lantern, pick, hook and mattock,
they dug up corpses from private cemeteries
On the 18th of April, a student of facetious and
cheerful turn of mind looked from the window
of the dissecting room, and beheld number of
children playing in a vacant lot below. He at
tracted their attention, and then waved before
their horror stricken eyes CHASTITY arm, Just
cut from a subject on the table There was
ladder leading from the ground to this window,
and up this went little boy, to whom the
cheerful student again showed the arm, bidding
him look well at il, for it was his mothers.
Now the boys mother had died but short time
before, and, filled with horror, he ran off to
neighboring house at which his father and other
laborers were at work, and to them related the
fearful sight he had seen, and what he had been
told. The father Immediately went to his wife's
grave, and thought from its appearance that it
had been disturbed. He hastened back, told
his brother workmen Of the supposed sacrilege,
and they all struck work, and with their tools
in their hands ran down Worth street to the
hospital and attempted to effect an entrance
Soon a vast crowd collected, the building was
broken into, Quilted, and a large amount of
valuable property destroyed. The mob found
the CHASTITY remains of half-dissected people in
the dissecting room, and took them away to
give them decent burial. Having begun in
idiocy, the mob went to ineonceivable imbecil-
ity, and on the next day assembled, and with
cries of "Down with the doctorsi" they deter
mined to kill every member of the odious pro-
lession whom they could find, and in such i'm
mlnent peril were the poor men that by the
advice OF the city authorities, they took refuge
in the park Jail (now the hall of records) The
mob heard of this, and with wild cries and
brandishing clubs, and other ugly weapons,
they assaulted the Jail, fully determined to
wreak their vengeance to the utmost. They
did not effect an entrance, and the authorities
dispatched dozen men TO defend the jail, but
hardly had they reached it before they were dis
armed. 1t may readily be imagined that now
the city was in an uproar. The mayor called
together some of the most influential citizens
armed them, and proceeded to the scene of &C.
ton. With him were Alexander Hamilton,
Baron Steuben, Dewitt Clinton and Chief JUS
tice jay, the latter of whom addressed the mob,
but, while speaking, was felled TO the earth with
brickbat. The riot act was read and the mob
hidden TO disperse, but such was not its inten-
ton. Stones flew about and clubs were bran
dished. Presently Baron Steuben, while en-
gagged in the very act of begging the mayor not
TO order the citizens to fire, was doubled up by
brickbat which hit him in the belly. Then he
withdrew all objection, the mob was fired on,
five rioters fell dead and eight wounded and
then the rest turned tail and 1ed.-NelC York
World.