The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-03-19


Lawyers, doctors. merchants and political
leaders, all persons Of inhuen e and social
standing, quietly met and decided mat
some action must be taken and the peoples
Justice, swift and sure, visited upon those
whom the jury had neglected to punish,
This morning call for a mass meeting
at Clay square, on Canal street, appeared
IN the papers, which edtorially deprecated
violence, but the significant closing sentence
in the call was come prepared for action
Down i'll large room on Bienvile and
Royal there was an arsenal which had been
provided by body of citizens and the call
was answered by the popuIace at O'Clock
There was a crowd OF several thousand
anxious people congregated around the
street.
They hardly knew what was going to
happen, but they seemed ready to 20 to
any length, and while there were OF course
many OF the lower element in the throng.
large portion were the leading people OF
the town. There were three addresses,
short and pithy and businesslike, and the
assembage, not unwilling, was soon Keyed
TO high pitch, of demontative in its
DGNUNcIATIoN OF THE AssAssINs.
Each of tie speakes said there had been
great mass meeting months before which
had met quietly and dispersed peacefully,
so that the law might take it course. The
law had failed. Tue time TO act had come
w. s. Patterson, the leader, is u prOmi.
nent lawyer here, president of the Southern
Athletic club and man who led o vigorous
city reform movement three years ago.
Walter d. Denegre, another one of the
leaders Of the New Orleans bar; John G.
Wicklitfe, also prominent attorney, and
james d. Houston, One Of the foremost men
of the state,
Alter denouncing Detective O'Malley,
who is supposed to nave tamp"red with the
jury, speakers announc that they
would lead the way 10 the Parish prison,
Wickliife concluding with these words:
"Shall the Malta be allowed to flourish in
this city? Shall the Malta be allowed to
cut down our Cilzens on the public streets
by the foul means OF assassination Shall
the Malta be allowed to bride jurors to let
murderers go scot freeP
By this time the crowd had swelled to
5000 or more, and before any one could
realize what happened great throng'
gaining recruits at very step, went down
The streets TO the Parish prison, stopping
only once, and that was at the arsenal,
chesters, rifles anu pistols we're handed out
to responsible and respectable cltzens III
the party.
THE STARTING OF THE CROWD
had an electric effect on the city. Soon the
streets were alive with people running fro II
all directions and joining the main body,
which moved sullenly down Rampant
street to the Jail near Congress squar'.
Doors and windows were thrown open, ana
men, women and children crowded on the
galleries to encourage those who were
taking part and to witness the scenes.
When the main crowd from Canal reached
the prison there had already collected there
dense throng, all eager to take hand in |
whatever might happen.
When the van guard of armed citizens |
reached the prison, which is many squares |
from Canal street, the grim Old building |
W s surrounded on all sides. Sheriff Where !
when he heard that the movement was on
foot to take the prisoners, armed his depu-
ties and then started on u hunt for
Mayor Shakespeare. The Italian con
joined in his pursuit, but his honor does
not reach his Office until noon, and ne was
not to be found al any Of his regular haunts
Ihe governor had not heard of any up
rising and had no time to act, ard the po
lice force was TO small to offer much resist
ance to an army of avengers. Superin-
tennent CASTOR had offered an extra detail
of officers to be sent to the jail, and this
small crowd kept the sidewalks ar Jund the
old building clear until
THE GREAT MULTITUDE,
swelling all The time like mighty roaring
8 ream. surged around The d, or and crowded
the little band Ut blue coats away. Capt
Lem. Davis was on guard at the m lin
entrance with scant force of deputies.
There were swept away like chaff before
the wind and i'll an instant the little ante
room leading into the prison was jammed
with eager, excited men. Meanwhile the
prisoners were stricken with terror, for they
could hear distinctly The shouts OF the peo-
pie without madly demanding their blood
Innocent and guilty alike were frightened
out of their senses The prisoners who
were charged with crimes other than com
plicity in the murder of the chief also
shared in the general decentralization. Some
of the Drawer among the repres natives OF
the Malta wanted to die fi,thting for their
lives and they pleaded for weapons with
which to defend themselves and when they
could not find these they sought
hiding places, The deputies, thinking
to deceive the crowd by u ruse transferred
nineteen men to the female department
and there the miserable Sicilians trembied
in terror until the moment when the doors
would yield to the angry throng on the
outside Capt Davis refused The requ' st to
open the prison and the crowd began the
work of batterng in the jail doors. Around
on Orleans street there was q heavy wooden
door which had been closely barr in an
tcipatlon of the coming of the avenging
mass. The crowd selected this as the best
chance of getting in. The neigtboring
houses readily su ,pled axes and batterng
rams and willing hands went to work to
force an opening This did not prove diff
cult TO the trembling but determined
throng. Soon there was a crash. The
door gave way and in an instant armed cit
liens were pouring through the small
opening, while mighty shouts wentup from
100 Threats in glad acclaim. There was
more resistance for the intruders
however, but it was too soon overcome
with b &c bi let of wood which a stout
man carried. Then the turnkey was over
powered and the keys taken away from
him. By that time the excitement outside
was intense, none the less so when patrol
wagon drove up with a detachment of
police who were driven away under fire of
mud and stones. When leaders inside got
possession of keys the inside gate was
promptly unlocked and the deputies in the
lobby rapidly got out of harms way.
THE AVENGERS
pressed into the ward Whera the nrioopors,