The Wizard of Wall Street and His Wealth; or, The Life and Deeds of Jay GouldWhite, Trumbull
History
The Wizard of Wall Street and His Wealth; or, The Life and Deeds of Jay Gould
White, Trumbull
Businessmen -- United States -- Biography; Capitalists and financiers -- United States -- Biography; Gould, Jay, 1836-1892
BATTLE BETWEEN THE FORCES OF THE SWAMP LEATHER
DEALERS--THE LEUPP AND LEE TANNERY, IN
GOULDSBORO, ATTACKED AND DEFENDED--SIDES
OF LEATHER USED FOR BREAST-WORKS--INSURGENTS
TWO HUNDRED
STRONG--THE TANNERY
TAKEN--FLIGHT
OF THE DEFENDERS--WOUNDED
FOUR.
About half-past ten o’clock on Tuesday morning the lock was wrenched
from the stable, the men having been concentrated into the tannery
and the stable being unguarded. A little past twelve the tannery
itself was attacked by a mob variously estimated at from one hundred
and eighty to two hundred and fifty men, armed with axes, muskets,
rifles and other weapons. Without a demand of possession or summons
to surrender, the doors were beaten in, and but a few blows had been
struck by the assailants before they began to fire ball and buckshot
through the building, raking it in every direction. As vigorous a
defense was made, by a force of fifteen men in the story attacked, with
tannery sticks, stones and four revolvers, as was possible against
such overwhelming odds. The tannery was finally carried on all sides,
and those who did not escape were violently flung from the windows and
doors, while the assailants rushed through the buildings, yelling like
Indians, pursuing the fugitives with their guns in every direction.
In the action many contusions were received and four gunshot wounds,
and had it not been for the large number of sides of leather hung up
the lofts, very few of the defending party would have escaped without
wounds.
Mr. Jay Gould, in his version of the affair, in which he endeavors to
exculpate himself, says:
“I quietly selected fifty men, commanding the reserve to keep aloof. I
divided them into two companies, one of which I despatched to the upper
end of the building, directing them to take off the boards, while I
headed the other to open a large front door. I burst open the door and
sprang in. I was immediately saluted with a shower of balls, forcing
my men to retire, and I brought them up a second and third time and
pressed them into the building, and by this time the company at the
upper end of the tannery had succeeded in effecting an entrance and the
firing now became general on all sides and the bullets were whistling
in every direction. After a hard contested struggle on both sides we
became the victors, and our opponents went flying from the tannery,
some of them making fearful leaps from the second story.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account