Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-01-20
BREAD RIOT, AGAIN.
yuRrHgs "REMINISCENCES OF raS SACK.
ING OF STORES By A MOB OF
WOMEN IN 1863.
A Memorable Event Ia the city's War HIS
tory--Recolisctions OF Number OF
Wsll-Knovn Citizena

Recent publications In this paper OF rent
nlscences Of the "bread riot" Of April ],
1868. have awakened much interest and eX'
cited no little controversy, ;nasmucb as there
4, great conflict OF statement. some OF
49, vho fondly believed that they knew all
O, the facts find themselves confronted by
testimony Which cspnot DO con'radlcted, ana
vet dilIers materially from what they imagined
70 be the true history 81 that memorable day.
The chef matter OF difference Is As to
whether or not President Dams had any
thing 20 do With dispensing The MOB.
II is certain that on Franklin street at
poinf somewhere between the Old market
snd the Exchange Hotel Governor Letcher
confron,ed the rlolouS aud rObbng crowd,
and. taking on, his watch. said IN substance :
al Give YOU I've minutes % disIcrse. and II
st the eNnuation OF that time the street ~
not cleared | will order Lieutenant Cav 70
frcv: but there Is m impression, evidence
indeed. that At another locality In The cltv,
where also the women were sacklng tue
s,orcS. President Davis also did what 1t Is
certain Governor LeiCher did at the point
Just mentioned.
The diffienty In reconcilng the statements
n, eve.wifpesscs seems o. be that The mob
gathered and WAS dispersed on several
streets.
when In 1875 Governor Letcher wrote a
letter on The subject to Judge :. Basset
French the Governor seems 10 have been
under the imnrcsSi that the dispersion Of
The mob vas due to him alone, though he
did not say 20 In terms; but II new appears,
though the Governor probably did not
know H. that President Davis was at one OF
Tho scepre OF disturh1Dce,
The PDnhc Guard was a COMPANY OF state
troops II wss. In fact. "Nrginia's stand
ing army"; but lie ordinary duties were to
guard the armOrv where Its quarters were),
the peniicniiary, Prd the Capitol and
CapiiOl Square. lts cOmmandant was Cap
tsin Dmmock, hut At this date he was acting
rs ordnance officer OF the state, and the iirst
lieutenant, (sfterward cap.ainl Gay, was IN
command. The Guard wSs ordered from
the armorv by Governor Letcher. who sent
his aid. Colonel : Bsssett French. 10 su M
mon them 10 this special duty.
The COtemporaneOus records on this sub
iect are very scaDt; II was not desirable 10
give the enemy any information concerning
our internal troubles. and hence the affair
was dismissed with bare and contemptuous
notice; but that II w3s OF much con-
sequence NAV be Judged from the fact that
tie military, the president OF the COniede-
rate states. the Governor OF Virginia, :ho
kavor 81 the city, and numerous other iunc-
tionaries were brought out, either TO quel
the rloing or to quiet the excited populace.
A fact not hitherto mentioned Is that Bishop
NcGlll was sent Tor TO assist tho authorities
IN alaying the excitement.
The riot act spems to have been read 10
the mob by divers persons at divers
places, and, among others. by MIR. VIII
liam TAYLOR, then n magistrate OF JEFF
ferson Ward. His store was on Main
street in the neighborhOOd OF the Old mnr-
ket. and Mr. James A. scott, the president
OF the Council. csme from the Mayor TO Mr.
TAYLOR asking the latter 20 read the act. Mr.
TAYLOR caught up with the crowd at the cor
ner % Franklin and Eighteenth streets.
where, mounting dry-goods box, he per-
formed his duty. and soon afterwards the
Public Guard fled into Franklin street from
Main, and i'm little while Governor Leicher
made his decisive proclamation, enforced by
the presence OF bayOnets.
An intelligent citizen says that while ne
does not claim 10 know what occurred down
town. this be remembers, that after the I'M
lawful demonstrations had ceased crowd OF
people assembled on Main street 10 front Of
the post.otiice Qhe granite bnlldlng on Main
street between Tenth aud Eleventh. and were
addressed by President Davis. While
speaking a woman threw loaf OF bread
at Mr.. Davis, and Mr.. Davis in the
auietest manner possible and with signal elO-
ouence used the incident TO argue that bread
could not possibly be so Nery scarce here,
else it would not be parted with upon such
small provocstlou.
The women who participated in the sack