Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-29
The wounded in the New York Riot.
I'll No,,r VorIy save.
The New York Times says:

The wounds received during the late riots, as
seen in the persons brought to the hospitals,
differed very mach from those met with in the
riots of 1868. In the latter riot great variety
of firearms were used. The rioters were armed
with every kind of pistol and every species of
musket and rifle, beside clubs and other monde
script weapons, while the police employed the
club and pistol, and the military used the rifle
and cannon. As a consequence, some Of the
wounded had their heads battered with the riot
ers' or policemens' clubs, or exhibited trivial
pistol-shot injuries, while Others had their bones
or viscera penetrated by the unerring rihe-ball,
or their limbs shattered by grape-shot. Some of
the latter wounds were of the most shocking
kind. Little children had their faces horribly
mutilated by grape-shot
In the recent riot, though the police are re-
ported to have used their clubs with great force
and effect, the number Of broken heads was
very few as compared with 1868. The chief and
almost only form of injury was by the minnie
ball. This seems to have been used with re-
markable precision. The wounds closely re-
sembled those seen on the battle field when the
contending armies are at close quarters. They
went clean through everything of the con
sistency of flesh aud BONE In many instances
they passed through both thighs, fracturing the
bones with many fragments. Of the total num-
Der of wounds it is interesting to notice that so
many were wounds of the lower parts of the
body, as the thighs, hips, and legs. This shows
that the military did not fire wildly, or, as
they usually do when inexperienced, into the
air.
As usual in such riots, the wounds present
many curiosities in position and direction. One
man lying at the morgue had a wound directly
IN the center of the heart. In another there was
| no wound whatever apparent, but on eXamin-
| ing the back Of the head carefully a wound OF
| exit was found, the ball having entered the
open mouth. A man looking sideways was
| struck on the tip of the chin; the ball shattered
his lower jaw, penetrated his neck, and escaped
from his back: he lived several days A bow
was shot in the left hand and right shoulder
evidently by one iball; the explanation which
he gave was, that he had his hand on his shouI.
der at the moment. A man escaping into eel.
lar, in STOPPING posture, was wounded in front,
| Gas he supposedly, on the right side. the bali
passing downward apparently, fracturing the
bones of the hip, and lodging in the thigh; on
careful search it could not be found. After
death wound of entrance was found on the
posterior part of the hip, of which the patient
seems to have been ignorant. The ball had
passed from behind forward, while he was
STOPPING, and emerged from the abdomen.
The wounds of the late riot were very fatal
even the most trivial finally proved fatal. The
hot season was doubtless unfavorable, but there
seemed to be an inherent fatality about these
wounds. Many of the simpler kinds became
gangrenous, and Others proved mortal by the
absorption into the system of poisonous mat
| ters.