Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-01-09
ATLANTA'S EIOT.
A LIVELY AFFAIR WHICH TOOK PLACE
JUST BEFORE THE SlEGE.
A Startling Piece of News-Piundcred BY
Mob Of Female Eiotcrs-A Pro-
prietor's Fats-A Novel
Plan Of Defense.

A Startlin: Piece OF News-Piundcred by
Mob Of Female Eiotcrs-A Pro-
prietor's Fats-A Novel
Plan Of Defense.
ATLANTA Constitutional
@At!cuta was better off than Richmon1
during the war;" said a gentleman, til,
other day. AT least she dill not have C
bread riot
TIE peaker was mistaken Atlanta ms,
bread riot several months before tins
siege. AMI It wa, lively affair while il
LASTED. 1t did not attract rs much alton.
ton a the Ricam md outbreak. but tiat
wa probably becaue We dill no, hays
PTesiient Davis here to speak To tho rioters.
Our authorities managei the bushes. with
out para.e or noise. AMI ca me out OF it very
nicely"
IL must be understood that the Atla1ta
Of 1854 was not the Atlanta of to-day. II
was depo. Of supplies for Gen. 10. J ohm.
SION army. Tae fiery ere { OF war hlaz,i
IL front. Tee streets echoei with the trad
OF armed soldiers. Tne operations of the
enemy ami the need, OF the Confederate
so netmss reduced the fool supply to low
ebb, and the most common neces ares Of
Ii e commando, high prices Even il I'll,
days when ",hinplasters' we-e most abuni-
ant, soldier wives AMI widows founi
money Eari to get AMI there were many
Of these unfortunate in Atlanta. Yet they
ba: to iiva, ana with than the problem we
bow TO live wit iout n ,nsy.
A STARTLING PIECE OF NEWS.
One afternoon tho merchants AMI their
clerks were rous.i from their IL .uaI apathy
hs-.. lt,,- IS Il 81,
streets few the alarm. ";nob coniny-bread
ric:.' Crowds OF curious spectators gath
erel on the sidewalks AMI fillei the WIN
dows. The merchants half closed their
doors and stooi wsitin, to lock up as som
as they saw the mob. THOUSAND Is Of soliiers
sauntered carelessly about with smiling
faces. They were eager to see tho fun.
A cloud OF dust wnirled out Of Alabama
street an 1 turnei down Whitehall Cut OF
tie cloud burst q roaring din. a medley OF
slrili voices mingled with the clash OF arms.
It was the mob, the bread rioters. The
store doors closed in the twinkiin. of an
eye, AMI the merchants stood out il the
street awaiting Developments. The rioters
were women. Old women were there with
naggsrl faces AMI brown, shrivelsj arms
Young women with painte faces were with
them. Soma were armel with pistols,
others with hatchets. They wore sunbon-
nets, an were dres>el in humespun. Tney
were accompanied by numerous hsngsrs-on
in the shape of soliiers from the hospitals.
Tne most casual observer couli not fail to
properly sig, up the mob at a glance. 1t
was compo ell of the worst women and the
m st vicious men in the town. Their object
was not food; it was indiscriminats robbery.
CARRYING OFF THE PLUMBER.
Very soon the CO. psration OF the soliiers
with these wom.n was explained. They
were on hand to do tbs fighting. il neccs.
sary. and to carry of the spoiis. Occa-
siunally merchant would protest against
the sacking Of hi, store. Hs would expostu.
late vita the women, an then several
brawny soiiierS wouil hustle him to the
rear, and cuff him into state of passive
submission. There was no bloodshed The
doors were broken open with axes, and the
mob required only few minutes to pici,
out what they wanted. They took very
little, nothing but light packages The
female rioters forgot that they wsre en-
gagged in a bread riot, AMI went in for pinch
beck j'weiry, ribbons and dry good. The
solii ers took nothing. They merely carried
the plumber of the women
In front Of one store some show Of opposi-
ton wa. male. The proprietor was q
foreigner. He was a handsome man, of
courtly address. AMI good speaker. He
mounted a box ami said:
"My good women"
@Hear hm.' yelled an old bag, ~He calls
US women!"
The nonplusssi merchant stared at the
crowd stupidity. He felt that he could no,
say -iatie,n to such an assembly. But he
went on. He said:
Il sympathizs with you from the bottom
of my heart"
@Open that door, yelled the mob.
"This raid on the stores" continued the
speaker. can do you no COOL Now, if you
will come to me to morrow l will make ar.
rangemsnts to give you all work that
A hurst of bowls. yells and oaths drowned
the voice o: the miserable man. Several
old women made rush for him, shouting:
"You rascal, you'll You have ths impu-
dence to tell southern ladies to work.
They seizsl him in a jiffy, pullsl him
down from the box. tore hi, rat from his
back, and compelled him t. take to hi, heels
OF cur e they looted that store. They
didn't leave enough in it to stock a peanut
stand.
NOVEL PLAN OF DEFENSE.
The rioters swept on down the street. No
Organizs effort was made to stop them,
and they di-parssd Of their own &C ,orl
when they were satisfied. The next day it
was viii pered that they wouil repeat their
raid on a larger scale. Toe commander OK
the po was appealed t.. but hs sail that it
was out OF The question to order his solliers
to charge biyonsts on q crowd Of women.
Finally, plan Of defense was agreed upon.
Tee fire companies were to turn ont upon
the fir.t appearance OF tbs rioters,
turn their hose upon them and deluys them
with water Toe intelligence flew all
over tie town and the womsn were die
mayed. They could face good deal. but
they could not conduct bread riot through
a drenching shower Of muddy water. Their
soliier friends weakened. too Perhaps
they had received a hint from their offic er-.
At all events, they declined to turn on.
Thus the seconI riot was nippsl in the bud.
Perhaps the reader will think that the
Atlanta of '6S-'64 was a wicked place. So
it was in spots Bad men and women
gather about an army, AMI Atlanta had
her share OF them during the war. But tho
presence of these classes only made the vir-
tue, patriotism and heroi,m OF the masses
all the moro conspicuous There may 10
spots on. Atlanta's record, but there are
pots on the sun.