The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1877-08-16
MOB PIOLENCE.
The american Riots Of History.
From the Chics oo Jon,.ral

Chicago knows little of riots, there
having been none of any extensive pro-
portions in her boundaries, except the
one just passed. About seven years
ago there was little bread riot down on
one of the river streets, where crowd
broke into provision store or two and
some twenty-three years ago there was a
demonstration which was then known as
the beer riot" Scarcely any other
efforts to establish mobocracy have
ever been made.
The metropolis of New York has not
been as free from the spirit of outlawry
and Communism as other American
municipalities. New York has suffered
from the depredations of not less than
dozen marked disturbances of the riot
order. In 1712 there was a negro riot,
the result of race prejudice, in which
ten white men were killed, with as many
negroes, and which resulted in the exc
cution of nineteen more blacks and the
transportation of numerous others. 1t
was great riot for the number of the
inhabitants, the main part OF the present
New York being then a swamp. 1t was
put down by British bayonets. In 1741
another trouble with the blacks led to
white riot against them, and the she'd
ding of considerable blood. In 1865 the
Stamp act riot, which was the first indi-
cation OF revolution against British au-
thority, came off. In 1888 there was
hospital riot, in which the militia killed
number in n mob that had arisen to pan
ish medical students who We're supposed
to be i'll the business of body-snatclling
for purposes of dissection. In 1884
there was an election riot, in which the
Jackson bnllies attempted to intimidate
the Wings from voting, bat were driven
off bya squadron of Government cavalry.
In 1887 New York had her first
and last bread riot. Food was
high and labor scarce, and, led by one
Moses Jacques, a rampant Communist, the
mob element charged on stores and de-
stroyed property until they saw bayonets
coming, when they fled precipitately. In
1884 6 there occurred what was known
as the Abolition riot, growing out of the
slavery question, in which much blood
was stirred and but little spilled. The
Astor place riot was in 1849, and arose
by reason of the rivalry existing between
the actors Forrest and Macready. In
this strange uprising of jealous theatri-
cal forces, which was interfered with by
the militia, twenty persons were killed
and many wounded. In 1857 a riot arose
between the Dead Rabbits and the Roach
Guards, rival factions in the Sixth Ward
of New York, resulting in pitched battle,
which was fought all one day, causing
the death of nine persons and the serious
wounding of scores. In 1868 came the
memorable draft-resistance riot, when a
mob attacked the enrolling officers, over
ran the city, killed negroes, burned an
orphan asylum, attempted to burn the
Tribune, and committed numberless de-
predations until the regular soldiers put
a stop to the proceeding by killing so
many of the mobbers that no one ever
took the pains to count up the number.
The last riot in New York was in 1871,
when forty persons were killed and many
wounded, as the result of the Orange
men and Catholic difficulties. At the
present time in New York there is little
demonstration of sympathy with the
strikers of the country, though the pres
ence of troops is considered needful
against contingencies.
In other cities of the United States be-
sides New York, as in Chicago, expert
ence in rioting is almost exclusively
confined to the uprisings of the past
few days. One notable exception, how
ever, was the terrible anti Catholic riot,
some thirty years ago, in Philadelphia,
when many were killed, several churches
burned, and other horrers were wit
nessed-all the result of bigotry and
fanaticism That was one of the bloodiest
and most terrible riots that ever occurred
in this country.