Evening journal., 1911-12-08
new NEWS OF YESTERDAY
A Tale Of the Draft Riots
Of 1863
By Holland.
BY Holland.

"Of all those who took a prominent
part in the suppression of the draft
riots in New York city in the sum
mer of the third year of the Civil War
riots that resulted IN the killing Of
more than a thousand men and the de-
struction Of property valued at nearly
two million dollars--I know Of only
two now living, Thomas f. Eagan and
myself" recently said Captain Fred
erick d. Wagner of Utica, n. a., who is
known all over the country in Ma
sonic circles. Il was the provost mar
shal under whom all Of the machinery
for the draft was organized and by
whom the draft was to be directed. Mr.
Eagan at that time, was lad Of Is or
IL, and a printers apprentice; he is
now at the head Of a printing business
in New York city. and his connection
with the riots, like mine, goes back
to their very beginning.
In a store on Third avenue, at
Forty-sixth street, the draft for that
precinct or division of the lty das
just beginning when there was heard
a great outcry and mob, made up en-
tirely of members of the Masterton
Club, which ran with an old-fashioned
hand fire engine and whose engine
! house was on the west side of the city,
came rushing to the draft office. The
mob had no purpose other than to
! seize the draft books and make way
with them, not knowing that we kept
a duplicate set of books which had
been sent to Washington.
My officers quickly locked the door
seized the books and papers, and es-
capped by the back way. That infuriat-
ed the mob and it began to batter
down the door of the office, and stones
and sticks were hurled violently
against the building
Some one sent word to Police Su-
perintendent John A Kennedy that
there was trouble at Forty-siXth street
and Third avenue. He, not expecting
any serious trouble, sent six police
men to the place, and a few minutes
later started there alone.
AS soon as he reached the outskirts
/ of the mob he was recognized In an
! instant he was surrounded, struck
upon the head, knocked down and
dragged to pond which then filled a
WI Mt lot a short distance away. The
mob had become insanely furious. and
it began to press Superintendent Ken
nedy down into and under the water
with the purpose Of drowning him. He
was weak almost to ne point of un-
/ consciousness, and H. another moment
would undoubtedly have been drowned
/ had not young Eagan and his father
both stanch adherents of the Union,
and two or three other men. equally
stanch in the same cause, distracted
the attention of the mob from the su-
perintendent by shouting out the false
news that the draft office had leen
broken into and was being set on
fire.
Under the spur of the new excite
ment, the mob turned from poor ken-
nedy to the building, and in tAat in
stant young Eagan and his father an
two or three others carried Kennedy
to a dump cart which was standing
near by, laid him upon the floor Of the
cart. covered him with the dirt that
was in it, and in that way drove him
safely to the police station BY that
time the mob, which had greatly in
creased in numbers, had its frenzy
centered upon the building, and it
was not realized that Superintendent
Kennedy had escaped until after he
was safe
"As speedily as possible, I went tc
the police station. l found the super
intnedent bleeding and very weak, but
he had regained consciousness, and he
said to me: Captain Wagner, if We
could have only foreseen this. l would
have crushed this riot in its incipi
ency.
And he would have done II" saiC
Captain Wagner; there would have
been no draft riots had the emergency
been foPeseen. As it was, the mob wal
greatly strengthened by thieves, thug
and blacklegs until at last it was fo
a few days practically in possession Q
the city"
r Copyright, 1911, by f. J. Edwards
All rights reseTyed.)
, Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tell o
"The AratOry That Fascinated DAME
e Webster"