The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1877-08-23
Women Among the Rioters.

THERE are perhaps few people who
have not been taught by general observa-
ton to look upon femininity and timidity
as almost synonymous terms, or at least as
inseparable. When the artless, not to cay
harmless, rodent by dint of foolish mean
dering happens to find his way into the
drawing room, and, being frightened al.
most out of his wits at the strange and
gaudy coiOrs on every side, seeks escape
by rushing from corner to corner, it is
never the great brute of q man who
mounts the piano with skirts drawn tight
ly around his dainty feet, and then when
the varmint" has been kicked into a
lifeless mass slides off into a fit of hyste-
RIGS; it is not this hOrrid male specimen
who arOuses the household from their
sweet s!umbers at the dead hour of night
to catch the suppositiOus burglar who has
secreted himself under the bed; neither is
il this ungainly wretch who becomes help
less when the SCOT in the chimney vanishes
in flame and smoke, or the fractions horse
becomes unmanagcable and brushes the
phaetOn. But it is woman. lovely, timid
woman, who is guilty of all these very
annoying and often exceedingly distress
ing little eccentricities during everyday
life. But during the past few troublous
days feature in the feminine compost
ton has been developed which is mex
pllcable and must prove poser to men
of science of this day and previous CEN
turtles. 1t is one of those things which
will occur without any other explanation
than that they occur. 1t has been a
noticeable fact to all who have taken more
than casual view of crowd of
strikers, ".that at least one-dfth of the
gathering were women; not distributed
abost among the male agitators at regular
intervals, out in such position on the
borders that rush of police. or squab-
BILE Of any sort, would involve one or two
of them either to the extent of a damaged
physlognomy or seriously disarranged
crinOline. Those who assembled at the
crossings of streets traversed by the mob
seemed so entirely absorbed in the
scene passing before them, that they
took no notice of what might be
coming behind or at the side. In this po-
sition a mounted policeman would dash
up at furious gait or squad of the
blue coats would scramble over half a
dozen females to reach the mob. And
the children, that it would seem maternal
instinct would have tucked away in their
little beds safe from the harm threatened
by such furious gatherings, were either
dragged by an arm, to the great danger
Of having their little limbs wrenched
from the shoulder, or in the mother arms
jOstled from side to side, the life half
scared out of them. The terror which
the sight of blood, war and rapine usual
ly strike to the souls of women seemed
to have given place in these to the Wild
est sort of enthusiasm, or, perhaps, more
properly termed mental alteration. They
seemed totally ignorant of the danger i'm
pending, being wholly intent on getting
better view of the conflict. That there
were no more women hurt seems even
tions. On every side they were exposed
to dangers which crushed men to the
earth and filled the streets with bruised
instances are reported where women
joined the riot and aided in the resis-
lance of the authorities. But the cases
are isolated, and their sex saved them
from many intentional blows. But the
majority seemed to be present for the
sole purpose of satisfying an Unsuitable
curiosity and becoming involved in :any
whirlwind of excitement which swept by.
On the North Side, the principal portion
of the gathering on North avenue were
women. For what purpose they were
present can only be guessed, but that they
openly 6efied the police until deserted by
the men is a fact. They threw no
stones or missiles of any sort, but spoke
to the officers in the most defiant manner.
The feminine curiosity was at its height on
the West Side. In the neighborhood of
Sixteenth street bevies of women were to
be seen peering in and around cars, over
fences, and many even venturing so far as
to approach within few feet of the strik-
ers. Feminine curiosity is proverbial, but
what strange power possessed the women
who Joined the mob on the North and
West sides is left to others to solve
Chicago Times.