Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-18
MODS OF A CENTURY.
The Bloody Riots That Have Occurred
in This Free Land.
HASHINGTON'S HOUSE STORMED.
How the Keystone State Has Figured in
the Record of Disorders.
CAUSES THAT LED TO CPRISlNGS.

"This free country" says a writer in the
New York World "where law has always
triumphed in the end, has seen many
bloody mobs from the beginning of Its his
tory. Some OF them are almost forgotten,
and are worth recalling.
"One of the problems which beset the
early politicians was the aggressive and
brutal custom of England in impressing our
seamen on the high seas 1t SO happened
that about 1898, when the question of i'm
pressment was particularly &gitating the
rublic mind, England and France became
engaged in open warfare. Washington de-
cided upon a policy of neutrality. The gen.
eral feeling In the United States, however,
was with France. The tri-color repre-
sented liberty, and as such was popular
with U.S.
"At this iuncture forid, fat, fanatic
Frenchman appeared in America as the ac-
credited representative of France, or of the
Girondists who were uppermost at the
time. Citizen Genet, as he was called, had
dangerous duty to perform. Secretly he
proposed to get America to assist the
French against England.
Genet distributed a number of letters of
marque and reprisal to such American
ward could allure into a system of piracy
directed against Great Britain. The news
came to official ears. Genet promptly de-
MED his act of treason. He explained that
the commissions were not given under au-
thoritv of the French, but under seal of pri-
vate French enterprise; but all this only
made the matter worse. In due course the
Little Democrat was lifted out as prl-
vateer.
"Genet came on to New York, where he
net with an enthusiastic reception. A
trusted official in the employ of the Gov
ernment called on Citizen Genet and asked
an explanation of the fitting out of the Lit
tie Democrat In wild rage the irate
Frenchman threatened Washington, declar-
ing that he would appeal from the President
to the people Messrs Henfeld and Sim
gleton, alleged pirates, were promptly ar
rested, and subsequently they were dis
charged This was new victory for Citi-
zen Genet, who sat in the old Tontine coffee
house, New York City, laughing gleefully,
while outside from the flagstaff haunted in
the breeze the red cap of liberty and the
French flag He called the proposed piracy
serving France He said that the United
States in prosecuting was guilty Of the
crime of abandoning friends
"a placard was carried through the streets
representing Washington on the guillotine
Excitement rose to such pitch that for
days fully 10, 600 people stood under Wash
ington's windows, before his house in Phila-
delphis, threatening to drag the President
through the cutters. Washington was on
the point of ordering Genet out of the coun.
try when word came that Genet's party had
gone to pieces in France. He was forced to
abandon his mission to become q private
American citizen.
Mobs in the Keystone State.
pennsylvania, the seat of many riots,
was the first State in the Union to witness
O general uprising. In March, 1899, the
Germans of Eastern Pennsylvania resisted
the officers who came to take the measure
OF the windows in their homes A direct
tax had been levied on window glass
Thirty citizens were arrested. They were
conveyed to Jail to await trial. Suddenly
body of horsemen, headed by one Fries, ap-
peared, surrounded the prison and effected
the release of the prisoners The militia
was promptly called out. The mob reigned
for some days all through Northampton,
Bucks and Montgomery counties. Fries
was captured and placed on trial for trea-
son. 1t was the first time such a charge
lad been pressed against a citizen of the
United States. He was convicted, pleaded
hard for second trial, and was finally con-
drmned to death. At the last moment
President Adams came forward with par
don. For this he made many political ene-
mics.
"In Baltimore, August, 1891, the first
blood was shed by mob after the revolu-
tion. A newspaper OF that city violently
attacked President Jeferson's embargo,
which stopped the foreign commerce of this
country. One dark night mob broke into
the Office OF the paper, smashed the presses
and sacked the building. In the course of
tie riot Ii men and women were ruthlesslv
shot down.
''The abduction Of the poor Batavia brick
layer, William Morgan, is still surrounded
with some mystery, but not the disorders
which preceded it Morgan had just been
initiated into the secrets of Free Masonry.
He was needy, and thought that he might
make little money by publishing some of