St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-07-27
MOVEMENTS OF THE MOB.

crowd.
MOVEMENTS OF THE MOB.
BY 8 ill the evening mobs were NOV
ing about the city in various directions.
sacking stores to secure arms, breaking
into armories of the military companies
and preparing themselves to execute
the threats freely expressed of massa-
cring the entire Philadelphia command.
By this time the military had with
drawn from the railroad crossing at
Twenty eighth street, where the first
conflict took place, and were ordered
to one of the round houses, where they
could find better protection.
AT THE ROUND HOUSE.
About 10 in the evening a mob num-
bering several thousand had congrega-
ted about the round house. They had
previously captured the guns belonging
to HutchinsOn's Battery, local organ
ization, and planted them so as to com
mand the round house. Several solid
shots were fired at the building and
breach was made in the walls, but when
the Infatuated mob attempted to rush
into the building the military were or
dered to fire. The vOlley of musketrv
Gatling guns of the command were be-
ing brought into requsitiOn, caused
panic and the mob fled precipitately
for several squares, the military mean
while keeping up fusilade. The riot
ers were soon treasured, and, as thou
sands were tiocking to their assistance,
they returned to the attack.
A FIENDIsH PURPOSE.
Finding it difficult to dislodge the
military from the building they resolv-
ed to burn them out. Such an order
was issued and carried into execution
with tiendish alacrity by the rioters. In
consequence of the blockade which had
existed for two days the sidings in the
outer depot yards, as well as those ex-
tending eastward three or four miles,
were crowded with freight cars filled
with grain and. produce and merchan-
disc of all kinds, besides which num-
Der were loaded with oil, coke and coal.
The cars were piled up i'll mass.
THE OIL CARS FIRED.
While portion of the mob surround
ed the building in which the military
had taken refuge, large bodies proceed
ed to set fire to the oil cars, and in
moment huge volumes of black smoke
rolled upward, followed by lnrid flames
reaching out ill every direction. The
sight of the flames seemed literally to
craze the rioters some rushed wildly
about with flaming torches, applying
them indiscriminately.
An alarm was sounded and the de-
partment promptly responded, but the
rIntQrS w al of ,Nf h.,
city, refused to permit any effort to ex-
tinguish the flames. They said they
were determined to destroy the railroad
company's property, but do no injury
to that of private citizens. They kept
their word, and when a lumber pile be-
longing to citizen took fire, the rioters
themselves turned in and helped extin-
guish the flames and remove the lum-
Der to a safe place. Train after train
was fired by the infatuated crowd, but
the cars were so far distant from the
round house that the heat did not Sc
riously affect the military, although
their position was one of peril.
THE MOB DESPERATE.
Finally large party of strikers cap
tured a car filled with coke, which they
ran from the Allegheny Valley Rail
road track to siding connected with
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Then they
procured large quantities of petroleum
oil, and, pouring it over the coke, ignit-
ed the materials. In few minutes the
car was Oh fire and was then pushed
along the tracks and forced against the
round house. The building was soon
ignited and the soldiers were compelled
to prepare to fight their way out through
the frenzied mass of humanity, clamOr-
ing for their blood. The building did
not burn as rapidly as desired, and the
mob, bent on revenge, rushed out on
the road and sent burning trains tow
ard the doomed buildings. From mid