Year: 1872




Danger of Another Conflict To-day.


CINCINNATI, October IA riot occur.
red tonight about ten o'clock, on the cor
ner Of Filth street and Broadway, be.
tween the Fourth Ward Greeley torch.
light procession and the colorcd people,
in which from fifty 10 seVenty.five shots
were fired. Several persons we're wound.
ed, but none, so far as heard Of killed.
The accounts Of the affair by eyewitness
are very conflicting, and 1t is almost i'm.
possible 10 to obtain reliable particulars.
The Greeley Club was from a ward in
which the population is largely Irish, and
the locality Of the riot was one thickly
settled by colored people. During the day
colored people say word wEs sent them
they would be attacked this evening.


This news came also to the police, and
the officers Of the district feared riot.
The colored men laid in stock of am.
munition. The COlored women of Allen
chapel, which Is at the corner OF Sixth
and Broadway, were holding sort of iair
for the benefit of the church, and had the
colored brass band playing Tor them in
front OF the church. This drew a large
crowd of people. A speech was called
for and q cOlored man made them no.
litlcal speech on the street. While
he was speaking the procession OF
Greeley men, marched west on
Filth street toward Broadway and
came into the latter street and turned to
go over towards Fourth. This was one
square distant from where the speaking
was at the colored church on Sixth and
Broadway. The procession turned down
Broadway, marching away from the
crowd at the church. Here and at this
time the firing commenced. No two
stories quite agree. One account is that a
lot Of cOlored children rushed down to
the corner 10 see the procession go by and
hurrahed for Grant, and that a torchlight
bearer in the procession beat them and
drove them away and attempted to drive
a Gigantic colored man away by beating
him, and that he drew o pistol and fired.
Others who were not near by, but who
saw the beginning, say that four shots
were fired first by the procession; that the
colored men fred back. The prepondcr-
ance Of testimony is that the firing was
commenced by one very large colored
man, who was Standing ut the corner Of
Fifth and Broadway on the sidewalk.
The confusion then became fearful. The
members of the procession first started to
run and then rallied. The colOred men,
such as had pistols, seemed to be using
them and retiring north on Broadway.
Unarmed cOlored men ran 10 their armory
on New street, north Of Sixth street, and
east OF Broadway, and got about thirty
nuskets and rushed out 10 reinforce their
friends. They succeeded in driving back
and dispensing the members of the pro-
cesSion. They then rushed to their armory
where about 100 or 200 Of them are under
arms. They have all approaches to the
armory guarded. One oI thefr leaders
inside made them speech, in which he
said: "Fhts attack tonight was organ.
lied to intimidate you from voting to-
morrow. Now, l want to say to you let
every man oil you go to the polls and
vote, il ut the cost OF your lives"


This speech was received with deaf.
ening shout. When the riot was in pro-
grcss tue riot alarm was turned on the
fire bella, and the whole police force was
called to the scene. The Mayor, Chief of
Police and whole force were soon on the
spot The police formed across the streets
in platoons and drove the mad crowd
IRON the vicinity oil the strife. They
then made such disposition Of the
forces rs to prevent d renewal OF
the conflict up to the present writing,
midnight. Great crowds Of men ure
now congregatcd on Main street, near
Sixth, just outside the lines Of the police,
and three squares from the armory where
the colored men arc under arms. The
greatest excitement prevails, ard serious
fears are entertained in the locality of a
renewal Of tho conflict, The danger will
not be past for several days, and
the general belief of witnesses is
that alter the riot began both sides par.
ticipated 10 their utmost in the firing.
But there are no reliable accounts Of
the coloFed men firing the first
shots. The witnesses say several colored
men were Knocked down in the streets.
The seriously wounded arc James Smith,
wounded in the leshy part of the thigh,
and Thomas Warrington, also in the
thigh. Smith was in the procession and
Warrington wassnnding on the sidewalk
when the firing commenced. Ono man
was shot through the toe, another grazed
across the thigh, another through tho arm,
another in the left thumb, while several
had their clothing cut by bullets.