Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1877-08-04

UehtrOvcd-Phtludelph Militia Bcslegc,
. All Night and Driven Out Of tho City b!
an Inturiatcd Crowd Numbering Thou
. sands.
a The following description is given o
a he terrible scenes enacted in Pittsburgh
a Pa, during the great riot: The FRS
, brigade of Philadelphia militia was in
trenched in the round house of the depo
ut Twenty-eighth street, where they hai
taken refuge after firing and killing {
number of the rioters. The riot in the
vicinity of Twenty-eighth street was al
its height, and the whole city was
Illuminated by the great sea of fire that
. was surging in the outer yards of the
Pennsylvania road. The First brigade
was closely besieged by motley crowd
of several thousand men, while fully
10000 spectators crowded the streets
and swarmed over the heights overlook
ing the railroad. A constant fire OF
musketry was kept up, and every few
minutes some one fell, either killed OF
wounded.
At three o'clock A. NJ. a twelve-pound
gun was taken by the mob and turned
on the round house, and firing began,
but without doing any damage. In the
meantime persistent efforts were being
made to fire the round house by running
burning trains against it, but these efforts
failed. BY daybreak some ten persons
had been killed or wounded, in addition
to those killed and wounded in the after
noon fight. But few people went to bed
during the night and but few slept.
Terror seized all peaceably disposed citi-
zens in the lower portion of the city and
in Allegheny. A general pillage and
confagration were feared. The scene
among the rioters was indescribable.
At three o'clock cars of merchandise of
every description were broken open and
their contents carried away by men,
women and children or given to the
flames. Barrels of oil would explode,
and long lines of flame like serpents
would rush along the tracks licking up
everything combustible in their path,
firing valuable cargoes and adding to
the general terror and destruction. Out
of the roar of the hungry flames came
the rattle of musketry and the sharp re-
ports Of revolvers and Springfield rifles,
and over all was heard the hoarse roar of
awful imprecation from the ten thousand
throats of men maddened by blood and
drink and revenge, the burden of which
was "Death to the Philadelphia SOL
diers "-the devoted nine hundred
hemmed in Oh three sides by roaring
torrents of fire and pelted with cannon
shot and small arms. There was danger
everywhere. Women with children in
4heir arms were shot down; the gunners
of the attacking party were picked off
by the sharpshooters Of Brinton's COM
mand, and fell about their piece of
artillery, to be carried off to the hospi.
tails OF the undertaking offices. Shouts,
yells, ieers and cheers mingled with the
groans of the dying and the sharp cries
of the wounded, while the flames surged
and leaped high in air or swept down to
the ground in long lines like osiers be-
fore the blast, until it seemed as if the
Internal region itself had yawnel and
turned loose it's hosts in the heart of the
city.
At last the sun rose, blood-red, through
vast canopy of smoke that overhung
the city, and found the mob at white
heat Of fury. Word was passed along
the ragged lines of the besiegers that
the round house must be fred. Com
bustibles were arranged on cars and
burning train at last sent toward the
building. At twenty minutes past eight
the fire from the burning wreck of freight
cars communicated with the upper round
house, in which seventy freight engines
were stalled, and the building and it's
contents were speedily destroyed. The
value of this property is estimated at
81, 100000. The roofs fell in in twenty
minutes, and the building is mass of
ruins. At half-past eight the Union line
Office caught fire, and in fifteen minutes
it was destroyed. The houses on the
south side of Liberty street also took
fire, and then, at last, the engines were
allowed to play on the flames and extin-
guish them.
When the round hous took fire, either
to burn or retreat were the only alterna-
tives left for General Brinton's COM
mand. One attempt to escape met with
a repulse, but after little, arrangements
were made for second sally. Forming
in close column, the brigade sailed out
of the main entrance, with guns loaded
and bayonets fixed, and moved at double
quick down Liberty to Twenty-ffth
street, where they turned toward Penn.
Here running fight began. There was
a scattering volley of small arms, when
Brinton's command opened a
murderous fire with Gatling gun, now
ing great gaps through the dense crowd,
killing ten or twelve and wonnding twice
IS many. The soldiers, too, were being
stricken down. At Penn street they
turned toward the United States arsenal
md retreated rapidly, but in tolerable
order, pursued by the mob. Reaching
;he arsenal, they attempted to enter, but
he Federal commandant refused to per-
nit them, and they continued their re-
reat to and beyond Sharpsburg, six ,
niles from the city. Twelve soldiers
we're reported killed and twenty or thirty
the casualties being nearly
,qual on both sides.
In the meantime the city was in state ,
If anarchy, and thousands who had not
oined in the pursuit of the fleeing J
roops gathered about the burning build ,
ngs and trains and assisted in spreading t
he flames wherever they had not there /
ofore been applied. By seven o'clock,
he fire had extended from Millville G
tation to Twentieth street and enveloped l
Of cars, the extensive machine t