New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-07-29
THE RIOTERS THREATEN TO KILL.

I1GHTs-TO-DAY's MEETING.
10y TELEGRAPH 10 THE TRIBuSE.I
W,surxGvoy. July 2S.-The demonstration of
tramps aud loafcrs against the worl0lngmen which
was BEGUN on Friday. continues still to occupy the
attention of the police, and to some extent that of
The public Nothing like public excitement or fear
has been manifested however. except at the points
where the w,uld-be rioters assembled and yester-
aay had il not been for the racket made by the
slroping of small squad of mounted police from
mace 10 place. one might walked about town
II div without discovering that any demonstration
was IN progress
Very early in the morning yesterday a crowd of
oilers numbering several hundred, mostly colOred
men, collected near the ground upon which the
builGn. for the Bureau OF Engraving and Printing
Is 70 be erected. About 6 o'clock squads of police
reserves from thc several precincts heganto come in
and within an hour about hundred, including
dozen mounted men. on the ground. The
command of this force was taken by Police Captain
Brock At o'clock two or three carts driven
on fhe ground and were followed by half dozen
eolored laborers. The crowd became somewhat
demOnstrative and by pushing in among the work.
men DISTRACTED them in their labors. The contract
Ors called upon Captain Brock to clear the place.
so that the worken should not be impeded. TO this
Captain Brock replied that he would make room for
the men employed, and at once gave orders for
SQUAD Of police to advance. He ordered the crowd
TO spersc and the police followed up the order by
advancing and clearing wide space before them.
The crowd retreated to the sidewalk, and several
who were taken unawares by the mounted men
were knocked down and got trampled upon.
The excitement getting pretty high, the space
cleared was almost Immediately filed by Others
pressing in. signal was then given 10 the mounted
men, who had been standing drawn up Ia line
along the fence dividing these grounds from the
monument lot, and charge upon the whole crowd
followed The cry was 4" Look out!" and general
scattering followed, the crowd going pell-mell In
oil directions, but the larger portion making for
B-st., part of it going down that street and
another part down FOurteenth-st, toward the city.
The crowd was pursued for short distance, and
general yell was given. During this charge several
men were knocked over by the horses, and some
who were not inclined to move were raped over
the heads by the mounted men. Two or three who
had been talking pretty freely scampered across
Fourteenth-sr and ran through the small tenement
houses on the east side of the street. and quite an
exciting scene ensued as the mounted police pur-
sued them even to the doors and windows and
some of the footmen followed into the private alleys
in pursuit. The fugitives had, however, escaped
through the rear into the alleys.
The grounds were now clear, and the six labor
ers set to work. unmolested filing the carts, which
guard Two arrests were made at this time, both of
colored men one being sent under guard
to the First Precinct and the other to the Fifth Pre-
cinct Station. These arrests were for disorderly
conduct and profanity.
Things after this were comparatively quiet,
but the crowd was all the time swelling
IN numbers. Several times during the morn
ing, as the circle of loungers became too
dense about the carts and worlmen, the
police would back them of. 1t was plainly
to be seen that unless the police were con-
stantly on the ground the men would not be per-
mtted to 20 on with the work; and orders were
given by Captain Brock to let the police of from
time to time in small detaehmeDts to go TO their
homes for breakfast, none of the policemen had
been fortunate enough to get this meal before com
ing out. The purpose was to keep force enough on
the ground TO protect those who desired to labor
from harm.
On being driven from the work at Fourteenth and
B-sts by the police the crowd went up Fourteenth
st. and gathered about the sewer between New-fOrk-
ave- and HIST for which work Messrs. b. j. COyle d
Co are the contractors. Here there were
about twenty men at work. bricklayers and
laborers; the latter at 81 per DAY,
and the former at special rates, according to skill
and amount Of work done. Here the rioters posted
on fence a circular setting forth that no man Is
allowed to work at less than II 80 day, and here
after ans one doing so shall be shot or stoned to
death.1 They also demanded that the men should
stop work. and one or two stones were thrown
Tac workmen were finally obliged to retire for
time at least. The police soon arrived however,
and work was resumed under their protection, and
continued during the day undisturbed
After this two or three hundred men armed with
picks ana shovels marched down Seyenth-st. ana
furaed into B-st., on their way back again to the
point from which they were driven earlier in the
iaoning. When between Eighth and Ninth-sts
they were met by squad of fifteen policemen on
their way to breakfast The mob charged the po-
cc but the latter promptly seized their pistols ana
hred vOlley the intention being to fnghten the
rioters of. The crowd broke, and as usual no one
Of the guilty ones was hurt. A colored man pass
ing through the Smithsonian grounds from market
received shot in the back which inflicted quite
serious though it's believed not dangerous wound
AGITAToRs AT WORK IN TUE CITY.
This city ia now the home Of about $4,000 colOred
people, the majority of whom are quite orderly and
prosperous. forming an element which will not sur
fer IN comparison for worth and intelligence with
the working and middle classes Of any community
10 the world But as is to be expected, considering
tie low estate from which they have 80 lately been
Fascd rather larger number OF the c0Ored tnah VI
the white element are improvident and worthless
These are not properly to be ranked among tne
dangerous classes for unless inspired by tho
harangGes Of some leader having more energy than
they themselves possess they contented to IDLE
away the time in sauntering about in the sunshine
ready Cor any kind OF fun, from prayer-meetlns 10
afaid on some unguarded clothes-line or chicken
fpost The white Yagabond element is not wanting
either but is probably less numerous than In other
large cities
For several years self-appOinted laboring mems
advocate has from time 10 time. organized what he