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
Shrieks of laughter and obscene epithets helped to swell the uproar.
It was evident they would not be satisfied until they left the church
a ruin; but at this critical moment, the Mayor, Justice Lowndes, the
District Attorney, and a posse of police officers and watchmen arrived
on the ground. Expecting trouble, they had arranged to be ready at a
moment's warning to hasten to any threatened point. Their unexpected
presence frightened the crowd, and fearing arrest, they slunk away
in squads, and the danger seemed over. But, evidently by previous
arrangement, the broken fragments, arriving by different streets, came
together in front of Dr. Cox's house, in Charlton Street.
The doctor, however, was not at home. He had received warnings and
threats from various quarters, and knowing, from the fate of Lewis
Tappan's house, what that of his own would be, he had, during the day,
quietly removed his furniture, and in the afternoon put his family on
board of a steamboat, and left the city.
The mob found the door barricaded, but they broke it open, and began to
smash the windows and blinds of the lower story. Before, however, they
had begun to sack the house, police-officers and watchmen, with two
detachments of horse, arrived and dislodged them. They did not, however,
disperse. A more dangerous and determined spirit was getting possession
of them than they had before evinced. Crowding back on each other, they
packed the street east, within four blocks of Broadway. Seizing some
carts, they made a hasty barricade of them across the streets, while a
neighboring fence supplied them with clubs. A large number were armed
with paving-stones, which they would smite loudly together, saying in
deep undertones, "_all together_." As they thus stood savagely at bay, a
collision seemed inevitable, and had they been attacked, would doubtless
have made a desperate fight. But being let alone they slowly dispersed.
A portion, however, though it was now late at night, could not retire
without venting a little more spite, and returning to the church, broke
in some more windows.
Dr. Cox came back to his house next morning, to see if it was safe. As
he left the mutilated building, a crowd of boys, who were looking at the
ruins, immediately gave chase to him with yells and derisive laughter,
and pressed him so closely, at the same time hurling dirty missiles
at him, that he was compelled to take shelter in the house of a
parishioner.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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