The Great Riots of New York, 1712 to 1873Headley, Joel Tyler
History
The Great Riots of New York, 1712 to 1873
Headley, Joel Tyler
Draft Riot, New York, N.Y., 1863; New York (N.Y.) -- History; Riots -- New York (State) -- New York
It is not necessary to go over the bitter feuds between these and
the Catholic Irish in the old country. The hates they engendered were
brought here, but kept from any great outward manifestation, because the
Orangemen indulged in no public displays. We believe that there had been
only one procession previous to this. In this year, however, an imposing
display was resolved upon, but no trouble was anticipated, and no
precautions taken by the police. It was not proposed to parade the
streets, but to form, and march in procession up Eighth Avenue, to Elm
Park, corner of Ninetieth Street and Eighth Avenue, and have a picnic,
and wind up with a dance. As the procession passed Fourth Street, in
full Orange regalia, and about twenty-five hundred strong (men, women,
and children), playing "Boyne Water," "Derry," and other tunes obnoxious
to the Catholics, some two hundred Irishmen followed it with curses and
threats.
Violence was, however, not feared, and the procession continued on, and
at length reached the new Boulevard road, where a large body of Irishmen
were at work. Beyond, however, the interchange of some words, nothing
transpired, and it entered the park, and began the festivities of the
day.
In the meanwhile, however, the rabble that had followed them came upon
the Ribbonmen at work on the Boulevard road, and persuaded them to throw
up work and join them, and the whole crowd, numbering probably about
five hundred, started for the park. The foreman of the gang of three
hundred workmen saw at once the danger, and hurried to the Thirty-first
Precinct station, corner of One Hundredth Street and Ninth Avenue, and
told Captain Helme of the state of things.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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