River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1899-07-27
INCIDENT OF THE REVOLUTION
Refractory Prisoners and How They
Were Subdued by nm Irish
mans "Gun.''

Refractory Prisoners and How They
Were subdued by an Irish
mans "Gun."
During tie war OF the revolution stern
justice was melted out to all persons of
Tory procliyities who made themselves
obnoxious to the robust Americanism
which had begun to assert itself. Scant
considerations rope was gener-
ALLY given TO those wretches who, un-
der the cloak of tory sympathy and 10y
atty to the king, plundered and robbed
their patriotic neighbors. Shortly
after the revolution, a writer thus de-
scribed an incident which will be found
of interest:
I'm the spring Of IT'S we went down
| to Bethlehem and brought home our
cattle that had wintered there. As we
entered Albany on our return, we met
/ in State street a procession of novel
character moving slowly up the hill.
| We perceived seven persons dressed in
white, and soon learned that they were
| of that unfortunate class of disaifected
men, who, TO bad political principles,
had added crimes against society which
even a state ofwarwould not justify. At
Schodack they had distinguished them
selves By series of desperate acts not
to be patiently endured by the com
munity, and when they were taken pris-
oners their fate seemed inevitable.
These men had been confined for some
| time in the city prison, and had once
made their escape, but only to enjoy
their liberty for few hours. Indeed.
the whole city was under arms when we
saw them moving to the fatal spot
where they were to suffer. The public
indignation was also much excited by
their conduct in prison, and the cir
| cumstances attending their being
| brought TO suffer the sentence of the
| law. They were confined in the right
hand room of the lower story of the
| prison. The door of their apartment
swung in place cut out lower than the
level of the floor. When the sheriff came
| to take them out he found the door bar
ricaded. He procured a heavy piece of
! timber, with which he yainly endeav-
ored to batter down the door. although
! he was assisted by some very athletic
and willing individuals. During the at
! tempt the voice of one of the prisoners
was heard threatening death to those
who persevered in the attempt. with
the assertion that they had laid train
of powder to blow up themselves ard
| their assailants. Indeed, it was well
ascertained that quantity of powder
had passed into their possession, but
how could not be known. 1t was after
ward found placed under the floor and
arranged to produce the threatened re-
suit.
THE sheriff could not effect his en-
trance, while a crowd of gazers looked
on to see the end of the singular con-
test. Some one suggested the idea of
/ getting to them through the ceiling
and Immediately went to work to eff
feet passage by cutting hole
through. While this was going on he
prisoners renewed their threats, with
vows of vengeance, speedy, awful and
| certain. The assailants, however, per-
severed, and, as | was informed and
never heard contradicted, procured a
! fire engine, and placed it so as to intro
duce the hose suddenly to the hole in
the ceiling, and at a signal inundated
the room beneath. This was deXterous-
~ performed The powder and its train
were in an instant rendered useless.
Still, however, to descend was the diff
ficulty, as but one person could do so
a time. The disproportion of rhysic-
al strength that apparently awaited the
a
any further attempt. At last an irish
man by the name of McDole, who was a
merchant exclaimed: Give me an
Irishman's gun, and | will go first
He was provided instantly with a for
midable cudgel, and with this in his
hand he descended, and at the same
moment in which he struck the floor,
he leveled the prisoner nearest him, and
continued to lay about him valiantly
until the room was filed with a strong
party of citizens who came to his as
sistance through the hole in the cell
ing. After hard struggle they were
secured, and the door, which had been
barricaded with brick taken from the
fireplace, was opened.
"They were almost Immediately taken
out for execution, and the mob was suf-
ficiently exasperated to have instantly
taken their punishment into their own
hands The prisoners seemed to me,
when moving up the hill, to wear an
aspect of great gloom and ill nature.
No one appeared to pity them, and
their own hopes of being released by
some fortunate circumstance, as by the
Intervention of the enemy, had now
vanished forever. They arrived in a
few minutes at the summit of the hill,
and there, upon one gallows OF rude
construction, they ended their miser-
able lives
This execution took place on spot
now occupied by some of the handsome
residences on the north side of Acad-
envy Park.-Albany Argus.
Didn't Miss Much.
On one of the trolley lines leading to
a well-known amusement park they
have n system whereby the cars are