Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1871-01-11
a Heroine.

We published on "Wednesday morning last
full account Of the bloody affair which occurred
Christmas Eve at Holland village, in this coun-
~, growing out of: riotous proceedings Oh the
part of mob of drunken aborers employed on
the Buffalo and Washington railway. The
story rs we gave it was one .Of remarkable trag-
iotl interest, but it failed to do justice to the
extraordinary heroism exhibited by Mrs. Paul,
the landlady of the house assailed. who was the
chief actor in the appalling tragedy. The con-
duct Of this woman upon the OCCASION according
10 all the accounts that have reached lis, will
bear comparison with any recorded Instance OF
feminine nerve, resolution and courage The
mob which ,,ssailel the tavern of MIR. Paul was
composed of from eighteen to twenty-five (the
statements differ of the Irish laborers who are
working on the Buffalo and Washington rail
way, near Holland village.
They had visited other drinking places and
intoxicated themselves before arriving at Pauls
tavern and it appears that they came to the lat
Ter with predetermined intentions OF malice to
satisfy revenge1ul grudge against its proprle-
Irs, Their disposition to do mischief was soon
manifested and Mr.. Paul was speedily driven
from the scene. his two young SONS. one Is and
the mher ~ years of age, coming tnr@ard
10 deal with the riotous visitors. Up to
1hi. time Mrs Paul had not appeared
Ii WAS not until one nt her SONS. covered with
idum ind bruises. retreatad to her. in the rear
.,,nsrtments Of the house. that she felt herself
summoned To action Her first instincts were
sltogethcr womany. She thought that she
could persuade the rutfianS, by an appeal to
the ordinary respect Of man Tor woman, to de
Sist from their violence. and she boldly went
into their midst: drunken and armed with clubs
;s they were.
Her appearance and her appeals had no eff.
tee; upon them They threatened her own
uerson with violence. and, swore that they
would burn the house and kill its inmates.
Then the soul of this strong hearted woman
rose to arms and declared for battle with the
.;,yaye mob which would not be conciated by
up,csful persuasions Escaping from u side
door she attempted to rally the neighbors. of
whom there was enough near at hand, to the
defence of her threatened house and family,
But the neighbors would not rally the mob,
looked too formidable to them Nothing daun-
ted. she borrowed two revolvers, dispatched
messenger to the store to purchase Il hundred
rounds of cartridges and returned to her be-
leaguered home. The rioters were in tull pos
~ession of it's front rooms, and engaged in an
;ndiscriminate smashing of windows and furni-
ure, helping themselves to liquor and appro-
priatng property. =,
! She loaded the revolverS that she had bor-
rowed placed them in the hands OF her two
sons, stationed them at the two doors leading
into the bar-room, where the mob was mostly;
congregated, and directed them to fire several
shots first into the ceiling Of the room, above
the heads of the crowd, in the hope that that
might suffice to alarm the marauders and drive
them off They had no effect, the rioters. were
too mad with liquor and with their passion to
be sobered by the warning. Some of them, on
the contrary made rush toward one OF the
bows. and then his brother fired shot which
struck the foremost of his assailants in the ab,
domen and then, too under the direction OF
the courageous mother, who reloaded the re-
yolvers as they were emptied the firing was
kept up straight into the mob until it broke IN
panic and fled. One man was killed outright
or dropped dead a few PAGES from the door, and
was found lying as he fell, with bottle OF whls-
XIV under one arm md piece of clothing plum
aered from the tavern under the other. Two
others are likely to die from, the wounds that
they received The affair was one of sickenlng
horror but it is impossible, while one Shudders
ut it. not to admire, as well as marvel, at the
cool womanly courage-not masculine, nor un-
womanly- which the mother displ played. She
appesrs from all that is told us, to have retain
ed her presence of mind and her delberateness
of Judgment perfectly throughout, exhaustlmg
pacific efforts before resorting. to the deadly
measures from which she did not shrink ut last
when they became necessary.