Smyrna times., 1880-10-20

A SERIOUS PoLITICAL Riot IN WHINING
TON, DEL.-Saturday night while demo.
cratic parade was passing the hall of the
Higgins Republican Colored Club fight
broke out between the latter and the para.
ders. Pistols, guns, battle-axes, clubs and
bricks were freely used, and for nearly an
hour terrible fight waged, the cracking
OF pistol shots being incessant. All efforts
OF the police TO stop the row were for the
time In vain. The colored men were finally
repnlsed and their hall was Quilted, and
only by the most strenuous efforts Of the
leaders was it saved from the torches of
the frenzied crowd. The houses of several
people in the vicinity of the fight were
raided, and would have been fired but for
the police. Many of the windows of Ezion
M. E. Colored Church were broken by
stones.
number of people on both sides were
wounded, and one, at least, is SO seriously
wounded that he will probably die. The
origin OF the tight is attributed by republi-
cans to policeman, who, they say, fred
the first shot, and the democrats claim that
it was premeditated by the colored men,
and that they began the assault by throw.
ing brick through a transparency, and
| followed 1t up with Il rain of gun and pistol
bullets from the roof and windows of their
hall. The city was greatly excited and
number of special policemen sworn in.
The following is list of wounded in the
line OF parade, as far as known VIM. Nc
Kinney, seriously shot in the left cheek
Thomas A. Kane, of the Young Mems Club,
struck in the breast with a brick; c.. c..
Montgomery, Young Mems Club, shot
twice in the breast, slight wounds; VIM.
Wier, Williams Club, wounded in the
thigh by revolver bullet; VIM. Long,
Young mems Club, shot in the neck,
slight; Frank McGinnis. Williams Club,
shot in the neck, slight; Isaac Pearce, shot
in the shoulder by a revolver bullet; Norry
Pike, knocked down by brick and slightly
injured; Thomas Jones, five buckshot
wounds, none serious; Elias Criley, buck
shot wound in the arm; John ODonnell
acting reporter for Sunday Mirror, struck in
the abdomen by spent bullet.
Only two colored men were shot, and
neither seriously. Temple, another negro,
was brought in by the police after the riot
with his face badly bruised by some missile.
a colored woman was struck in the side by
q brick and young colored girl struck on
the head by a brick. A colored woman
was badly hurt by jumping from the
second-story window of the hall. Three
colored men were struck by bricks and
slightly injured George Pike, white, was
attacked by several negroes after the row
and badly cut in several places.
The riot broke out again on Sunday
morning, but was quelled after the firing of
a few shots, but the city was all day in a
restless state. The republicans have ar.
ranged for parade on the 9th, and unless
it is abandoned fears are entertained that a
bloody riot will ensue.
On Sunday night Jack O'Hara and sew
eral other wellknown roughs broke into
the saloon of one Cassidy and after break
ing up the contents, "blaokj lacked" Michael
Connell, ledger, and fractured his skull
e The Every Evening in reviewing the testi
mony says: ave have not a shadow o.
e doubt that the immediate origin of the
trouble was an assault made on the Demo
cratic procession by one or more negroes
! near the National Hall at Ninth and Wal
9 nut streets. This first assault does not ap
D pear to have proceeded from the Hail, o.
S from the group of negroes standing imme
diately in front of it, but from one or more
i negroes in or near an alley or gate way a
the south end of the hall"
4 The Republican says: "As a general thin;
), during the present campaign there ha
: been less rancor and intense feeling thai
,s has marked the campaigns since the wa
- closed, and yet it is seldom that the Re
e publicans are not attacked in Il cowardl
- manner whenever they turn out in parad
. while the Democrats in their parades hav
escaped mOlestation, unless it is made t
=. appear that they were attacked last Satur
n day night without provocation, which
IL something that will be hard to believe wit
10 the present light upon the subject. A fe,
evenings ago when the Bird Guards an
! some other Republican clubs went in tn
N train up TO Rockland they were fred upo
N by some cowardly miscreant as they passe
out through Hedgeville, and pistol ba
that came crashing through car windo'
~ pane came within few inches Of hitting
r, gentleman in the head. Then again a fe
ar evenings ago when the Republicans had
or parade in honor of flag presentation I
~ the Hastings Guards, the rear end of th
:. line composed of colored voters, ON turf
70 ing the corner of Fourth and Madiso
al streets was attacked with clubs, stone
pistols and even shot guns, several of tn
colored men were more or less hurt, one
ed them being stuck in the back with
C. sprinkling of shot from shot gun"
tn The inference to be drawn from the
or statements is that the attack was made
it, the colored men in retaliation for repeate
N, attacks made upon them. During IL
no melee it is charged that Martin Farrell,
.es candidate for the Levy Court, volunteers
tie to lead company of men to Ninth ar
Walnut streets, to set fire to the Nation
Hall at that place. Six negroes were a
ne restee Monday for participating in the ric
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