Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-22


The orioie flashes by; and look
Into the mirror Of the brook,
Where the vain blue bird trims his coat,
Two tiny feathers fall and float.
As silently, as tenderly.
The dawn of peace descends on me.
O, this is peace! have no need
or friend to talk, or book to read;
A dear companion hear abides;
Close to my thrilling heart He bides;
The holy silence ia His voice,
I lie, and listen, and rejoice.
AN OAB.rlME NEW YORK RIOT.
How Bcdy;snate"inx ana = Medical
: S:srs,.:-Tas tragic R<.sit: ~
A correspondent in New York paper
writes as follows:
About the middle of April, l7S8. there
was climax Of Keeling in: Now York
against me 1ical students who for year
past had been rather reckless in body
| snatching. So long as they dissected the
remains of slaves, or the unfortunates; that
| came from Potter's field, no one much
cared. Bnt grave under the protection of
Trinity parish even, and several in the
Greenwich street burial. ground, much
used by the Methodists, had been de-
spoiled. There was much talk and indig~
| nation about the outroges. Of course
you. remember the New York
hospital that fronted Yves Pearl on
Broadway. In my fathers time it occu-
pied the block to Duane street and from
its rear windows was to be had an almost
uninterrupted view of green fields and
the river. The medical school of Coluln-
bia'--not long before called Kings COL
lege-was attached to that hospital
The college buildings remained until
about twenty years ago fronting on
Park place, and of course college and
hospital were contiguous. The front of
the hospital was said to be quite fine in
appearance; its grounds were finely laid
out witt, walks, strawberries and trees .and
the boys of the period would play in. A
young Bob Saw.er OF Ben Allen while
lissecting one April atternoon-I think
the 13th-had opened window for the
sake of the river breeze, and from thence
out OF mere joke held up an amputated arm
10 the boys. One Of them--and observe the
curious and appalling condolences fate
sometimes prepares, even as in the case
tie two Harrisons, father and son--more
inquisitive than the resi-, pulled light
ladder which was lying near and erected
it against the hospital wall, so as to
climb up for better view. The saw
boncs,' still jocular, said Sonny, don't
that look like mothers arm2' 1t was
thouehtlessly said, but. curious enough,
within few months the boys mother
had died. Full of this remark and
thinking upon what no doubt he had
heard OF sre>urrections' the boy dropped
from the ladder and went off to find his
father, who was then engaged in laying
brick on house in Fulton street. The
fat~er dropped his tools and went up to
the graveyard that I believe, was some
where near the Lispenard meadows, and,
Oddly, upon digging, the body was not
to be found. ~ -. . =,
1t took but a brief time in the little
city to bruit about the whole affair. The
workmen engaged with the father and
Infatuated widoWer soon raised small
mob. The story vas passed about:as son
and ia her told it, and in an hour hospital
grounds and the hospital itself we're filled
with minimizing and enraged rioters. who
not content with driving out the alright
Cd students and keepers, practically rat
Ted the bones and Quilted the museums
and Laboratories. Intelligence was in
stantly sent to Mayor James Duane. Re-
co der Richard Varick and Sheriff Rob-
,cit Boyd, and betweeny.. them they raised
a posse comitatus and went to the scene
Of riot. The poor. mason declared that
he recognized parts of the remains Of his
IsWiCe.. Whether in his excitement he did
e@ not could never be verified; but there
was no doubt that his wife had been
dissected. -. +: T., ...,..:
The presence of the authorities for a
time allayed the disorder, but two of the
students had been roughly handled and
were in danger of being killed. My father
was then living with bis own father
III Dey street, and was engaged in home
study when the news came. He immedi.:
ately repaired to the college and found
that the authorizes there were naturally
excited also, and that some Of the medi-
Gals had been already locked up for safe
keeping in the Jail that stood in the park.
Il was the general impression that more
bother must come of it; therefore, think
ing discretion the better part of valor,
mg.f father goes tt. the foot. of Liberty
street-where boats were kept, and was
soon taken across TO Jersey, where every
day no got word as to what went; on. . p
The evening of the riot was a fine
spring one, and there was no need of any
extra newspapers'in those days. By tea
time, dcckwards, east, west north and
outwards were full of the outrage. IT.
was sDown with tie. hospital, Death to
the grave-stcalers,' etc. Even women
Joined in the cry. The feeling was
rampant also with many in better classes.
George Clinton was then governor.
Alexander Hamilton was sort of general
peacemaker, az was John Jay: There was
in the evening q consultation of citize1s
and authorities at the house of the mayor,
| who, believe, then lived somewhere at
the foot of Chambers street.-.-To use the
mcdicalphrase, they proe,uosed the affair
quite accurately, for in the morning not
s sudden but : preconcefted riot began
around the hospital OF went the, riplers
to- Columbia college to search for the
bodies, and to the houses or al the
physicians after mutilated remains, but Of
course, found nothing except afpghted in
mates. The law Students, and debtors
WHO were inside were seriously fright
lened, ss It last became the authorities. vi
[,saNots even the clog eiacce oE Hamilton
nor the beloved face, Of Jay could accom-,
p.iisth; nytthing. Then Shsftn Boyffl called
toutuss eompahy-:0f uniformed militia
who, marched ri, the fields and.
tmsrchedn down Rgain under & shower OIL
pst0ne, sticks and dift, for'as yet they only
had blank cart r1d ges serysd out, Next,
~ fewH1laore beingst "a ded, slthaff militia
hleea on thu mob, AgAin onl u this