The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-07-30
M,rning Star and Catholic Messenger.
nv ORLEANS. sTNDAY. JULY 80. 1s7i.
THE ORANGE RIOT.

r g:s THE ORANGE RIOT.
The Irish Citizen, of which that distin-
guiahed patriot John Mitchell is the editor,
in its issue of the 22d says of the Orange
riots = At a
This horrible subject absorbs and hides
away every other for the week. Governor
Hofman,s riot succeeded so far as to. lay
out fifty ak men stiffening in their gore,
besides many others who will die yet. For
this week we have found it absolutely i'm
possible to arrive at all the details OF the
horrible business with anything ike accu-
rdcy. Not an Orangemen was nn IT.
scarcely q policeman three soidiers OF the
Ninth Regiment, named Wyatt, Page and
PRYOR were killed, as it is believed, by the
villa firing of other stupid miiitiamen, who,
{ 81 now appears, did not know {providen-
tially) how to reload their pieces after
while the police force did its duty we'll
the only duty which was effectively per-
formed at ala part at least of the New
York State Militia exhibited the most
amazing want of discipline and disgusting
cowardice, especially when two companies
of the Eighty fourth fired volieys into the
crowd on the sidewalk without orders and
without any serious provocation, slaughter
ing ffty-six persons and wounding hun
dreii more, Governor Hoffman could not
certainly have anticipated this gross mis-
conduct on the part of those soldiers; he
could not suppose that any part OF the
public force Of his State, men in uniform,
more or less drilled, under command Of
officers with swords in their hands, could
without any occasion fall in to such sense
less panic as some of these people did who
broke and fled for shelter into storesl, or
such senseless fury as possessed others
who fred without orders into an unarmed
D.,tn Hnff m n ia
for the whole of it, and-we say 1t with
paints guilty of every drop of blood shed
chat day. inasmuch as he interfered at the
last moment with the Mayors judious pro-
visions for keeping the peace, and gave
any sanction at all (under any circumstances
or any time) to such a display as an orange
parade in New York streets.
A great many persons have been dragged
up before the police magistrates under the
, designation of 'tthe rioters" and generally
held to bail to take their trial. So far as
We have yet been able to ascertain there
New York State Militia, that is, none worth
speaking of, and none that could not have
been very easily dealt with by the Police.
The " rioters". were those miserable
wretches of militiamen who had not an
idea of how to load their muskets, but who
had got them loaded for them in the arm
DRY, and who were resolved at least to dis
charge them into somebody. AS to the
"rioters," 1t appears that when the detec-
tives found q concealed pistol upon any
mans person in that crowd, the man was
Instantly seized and given in charge as one
do carry pistols in New York, without
being "rioter." If the detectives "went
through" any crowd of men whatever, on
occasion of any public display, the would
find many revolvers. In short, on the
whole matter we persist in denying that
ill Nxayxy " OrI-
on that day, except Governor iHoffman's
noble State militia.
DISPOSITION OF THE TROOPS.
The disposition of the troops had been
decided upon the night before, and by seven
O'clock each regiment that had been de-
tailed to take charge of some particular
portion of the city was on its way fully
equipped. Each man had forty rounds of
ammunition. The Seventy first was sent
to the Boulevard districts, in Harlem; the
Eleventh to police headquarters. The
Sixth, Seventh, Ninth, Twenty-second and
Eighty-fourth were assigned to the most
dangerous task of the day-to that of es-
cortipg the Orapgemen. These five regi-
ments, however, were kept busy all the
forenoon in suppressiDg disturbances IN
various parts or The city, so by the time
they were ordered to the Orange headquar-
ters they had already done some very ardn-
GUS work. Two companies of the Seventh
about 10 o'clock, were sent to Avenue A,
where, it was reported, "the rioters" had
seized lot of arms. Two other companies
we're held in reserve at headquarters for a
time, until their places were filled by de-
tail from the Eleventh. The Fifth were as
signed to the east side, below l4th street,
and did good service in dispensing several
"riotousn gatherings near the armories
and STATEN houses. The Twelfth took
charge Of the arsenal, while two companies
of the Fifty-fifth guarded their regimental
armory. A portion of the First regiment
was held in readiness at the armory of the
Third cavalry. The Sixty ninth remained
under arms at their armory, Essex Market,
in readiness to act in any emergency that
might call for their interference. The
extraordinary circumstances under which
the men were called together caused more
men to answer the roll call than is usual
on occasions of nero parade. One COM
pany was detailed to protect the post Office
in charge of Captain Dempsey, with what
object no one could imagine.
1t would be quite impossible, however, to
give the various movements during the day
Of all the troops in detail, as nearly all the