River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-08-22
AN OLD-rIME NEW YORK RIOT.

| AN 0LD-rIME NEW YORK RIOT.
How ody-snstenins and a Medical
| students Joke Led 10 an Attack Upon
| HosP.sai-Tne Tragic Result.
| A correspondent in New York paper
writes as follows
About the middle of April, 17sS, there
was climax of feeling in Now York
against MEDICAL 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 ouuoges. 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 Column
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 with walks, Strawberries and trees,and
at the back there was an open space that
the boys of the period would play in. A
Young Bob Sawyer or Ben Allen while
dissecting one April atternoon-I think
the 13th-had opened a window for the
sake of the river breeze, and from thence
out of mere joke held up an amputated arm
TO the boys. One of them and observe the
curious and appalling condolences fate
sometimes prepares, even as in the case
the two Hafrisons, father and son--more
inquisitive than the rest, pulled light
ladder which was lying near and erected
it against the hospital wall, SO as to
climb up for better view The saw
bones,' still jocular, said Sonny, don't
that look like mothers armp 1t was
thoughtlessly 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 'resurrections' the boy dropped
from the ladder and went off to find his
faith er, who was then engaged in laying
brick on house in Fulton street. The
fatsser dropped his tools and went up to
the graveyard that [ believe, was some
where near tine Lispenard meadows, and,
oddly, upon digging, the body was not
to be found.
it took but brief time in the little
city to bruit about the whole affair. The
workmen engaged with the father and
Infatuated widower soon raised a small
mob. The story vas passed about as son
and father told it, and in an hour hospital
grounds and hospital itself were filled
with unthip gand enraged rioters, who
| rot content ID driving out the alright
| "a studen' d keepers, practically rat
| Ted the | and Quilted the museums
and labt IS. Intelligence was in
| stantly Mayor James Duane. Re-
co der Ri ID Varick and Sheriff Rob
ert Boy /, AID between 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
WIFE Whether in his excitement he did
| or not could never be verified; but there
was no doubt that his wife had been
dissected.
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 his 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 authorities there were naturally
excited also, and that some of the medi-
oI, 10 III oo1yaI Cor IN
keeping In the Jail that stood in the park.
It was the general impression that more
bother must come of it; therefore, think
ing discretion the better part of valor,
my father goes to the foot of Liberty
street--where boats were kept, and was
soon taken across TO Jersey, where every
day he got word as to what went on.
The evening of the riot was fine
spring one, and there was no need of any
extra newspapers in those days. By tea
time, backwards, east, west, north and
outwards were full of the outrage. 1t
was Down with the hospital Death to
the grave-stealers,' 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, as was John Jay. There was
in the evening consultation of citizens
| and authorities at the house of the mayor,
who, believe, then lived somewhere at
| the foot of Chambers street To use the
medical phrase, they prognosed the affair
| quite accurately, for in the morning not
a sudden but preconcerted riot began
around the hospital Off went the rioters
| to Columbia college to search for the
bodies, and to the houses of all the
| physicians after mutilated remains, but of
course, found nothing except affrighted in
mates. The few students and debtors
| who were inside were seriously fright
| ened, as at last became the authorities.
| Not even the eloquence of Hamilton
| nor the beloved face OF Jay could accom-
| p.ish anything. Then Sheriff Boyd called
| out a companv--of uniformed militia,
| who marched up the park fields and
marched down again under shower OF
stone, sticks and dirt, for as yet they only
| had blank cartridges served out. Next,
a few more being added, the militia
marched on the mob again, only this
| time to lose their muskets. All day long
| the crowd assaulted the doors of the old
| Jail; but it was strong old place, as rev.
dictionary prisoners had found, and well
barricaded inside. Not until nine o'clock
at night was an effective force of militia
convened, but this time the soldiers all
bad ball cartridges. Even now there was
hesitation John Jay being struck with
stone and knocked down, the mayor
was about to order fusilade, when Baron
| Steuben, who hated mobs but detested
the continental disregard of lite by au-
thorities, begged him TO desist. But /
remember my father would laugh when
be repeated the tradition, no doubt true,
that while thus expostulating Baron Steu-
ben was himself hit, when he immedi-
sicily himself cried ont: sFIrer and the
volley camel
The militia must have stood alb ut
where the city hall now does Several
were killed. but / dare say the number
was quoted at hundreds, and few
more were wounded, then the rest ran
away, and the riot was over excepting in