The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1877-08-02
THE PITTSBURGH RIOT.
IerfibIe Scenes OF Carnage and Rapine-
An Eyewitness Graphic Picture of
the Affair
From the Cincinnati Commercially


the Affair.
From the Cincinnati Commercially
A gentleman who happened in Pitts
burgh at the time Of the riot sends us
the following description of the scene he
witnessed
A stranger sight than that at the
Union depot and vicinity at 5 p. m. on
Sunday night cannot be imagined-not
stranger than the terrible scenes of car
mage and rapine than from the general
demeanor of the thousands and thou
sands OF spectators crowding around the
scenes. The Union depot smolders,
a mass OF ruins. A long line of blazing
tlmbers and iron columns at white heat
marked the site of the Adams Express
Company's Transfer depot and the Pan
Handle shops the elevator and it's thou
sands OF bushels of grain still blazing
merely; r1otous crowds of drunken men
ana women reeled here and there, under
loads OF stolen merchandise of all sorts {:
kegs OF beer and whisky were rolled or
carried IN every direction, the heads
knocked out aud the contents swilled
down the Threats of the mob, carelessly
kicked over, or else set under some car
or truck and torch thrown into them.
Here, some drunken brute, tired of his
load, would dash key of liquor down
into the crowd he was passing through ::
there, a haf-crazed woman, with hair
tangled and matted, and clothing half
gone, would push through the masses of
people. carrying in her arms or trailing
after her hundreds of yards of dry goods
torn Unfortunately from a plundered
freight car.
Boys, aye, and girls, too, of IL and Is
years of age, would dodge into car and
out again to the crowd of spectators Of
fering a silk umbrella, set of silver
plated harness, bundle of whips, a
box of cutlery anything their hands
scramble-for Is cents. I noticed boy
Of probably Ii years dash into passen-
ger car on the siding, near the east end
OF the tunnel, rip open the cushion of a
seat, strike match, and touch off the
padding. A gentleman beside me cried
ont, " Hold! there, you young scoundrel,"
and the boy leered up into his face and
yelled out, "Go to hi, you
80; this is our day." and policeman
behind us muttered, "It's better to let
'em alone; they'll go any lengths now. "
All of this time, through every phase
of. desperate, reckless crime, the vast
concourse of people looked calmly on,
with an apathetic Indifference that was
simply astounding. Hundreds of young
and middle-aged men, with ladies on
their arms, some Of them leading little
children, grouped around, standing on
anything that would enable them to look
over the heads of the crowd in front,
gazing calmly but curiously on the
scenes, and laughing as heartily at any
funny or ludcrous incident in the terri
BILE scene as if the whole thing was a gi-
gantlc farce or pantomime, provided for
their special amusement.
A fne-looking, middle-aged man. with
iron-gray beard, and martial look gen.
orally, mounted a goods box, calmly
looked over the scene, got down, lighted
his cigar, and coolly remarked, "Well,
as the parrot said to the monkey, we're
having hell Of time p DR.. Slattery
showed me an ounce mimic ball, remark
ing, 81 cut that from the shattered
thigh-bones of Charles White, and came
near having to cut one from myself.
See," holding up the lapel Of his
Prince Albert, through which a musket
ball had torn an ugly rent. A dead man
was carried through the crowd on Lib
erty street, and blear-eyed woman bru-
tally remarked, "He's got enough of it,
anyhow" All sensibility and human
feeling seemed dead, and not till the
mob had carried their atrocities to their
extreme length, and burned everything
from Thirty-third street to the east end
of the Panhandle tunnel, and threat
ened to go on and destroy the railroad
bridge, did the alarm of the people take
shape in any definite action toward OPP
posing the sway of the mob. With
cooler thought came general revulsion
of feeling, and men who yesterday rather
sided with the rioters to-day bitterly
deHounce their work. But the feeling
comes too late, and not to the disappro-
baton or opposition of the people gen
orally can be accredited the final cessa-
ton OF plumber and arson. The mob
only ceased when their atrocities palled
upon them, and their utter abandon had
tired them out.
A dirty, ragged rufian, that last week
begged or stole his way through the
country, yesterday would raise the sensa-
tional yell, "Bread or blood; we cannot
starve!'' and at the same instant apply
the torch to thousand pounds of -four
or meat.
The people generally place credence
in the statement of the strikers that not
they, but the roughs and tramps of the
two cities, are responsible for the fear
full havoc