CHAPTER SEVENTH. THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT POPULAR |
CHAPTER SEVENTH. THE DAY AFTER THE RIOT--POPULAR EXCITEMENT--CORONER'S INQUEST--LIST OF THE KILLED AND WOUNDED. The morning of the eleventh of May was one of sad excitement in the city of New York. The extent of the calamity, the number of the dead and wounded, made a deep and solemn impression. Public opinion was very much divided. The more excitable breathed threats of vengeance, and the military were kept under arms during that and the succeeding day. A meeting was called in the Park, of “Citizens opposed to the destruction of Human Life.” Several thousands assembled, and resolutions were passed, thoroughly condemning the authorities for not exhausting the civil power before calling out the military, and characterizing the sacrifice of life as “the most wanton, unprovoked and murderous outrage ever perpetrated in the civilized world;” and calling upon the Grand Jury to indict the Mayor, Recorder and Sheriff, for ordering the military to fire on the citizens. Exciting and inflammatory speeches were made by Edward Strahan, Isaiah Rynders, and Mike Walsh, but the meeting separated without disturbance. That night, all eyes were turned toward the Opera House, for though it had been closed by the lessees, and though Macready was in Boston, it had been given out that it should be destroyed. The most efficient measures had been taken by the authorities, and a proclamation issued by the Mayor. Gen. Sandford called out four troops of horse artillery, one squadron of cavalry, four regiments of infantry, including the fifth brigade, and a detachment of the veteran artillery, with a 24 pound howitzer. The artillery was planted so as to sweep the streets around the building, and the infantry and cavalry stationed at a convenient distance. The artillery was furnished with grape, and the infantry with ball cartridge. At dark, an immense crowd filled the streets around the Opera House, but the military took possession of the ground, dispersed the mob, and barricaded the approaches to the scene. The mob, most violent at first in Broadway, having been driven from that position, made an attack upon the troops in the Bowery, and severely injured several of the soldiers; but the police, aided by the military, arrested or dispersed the offenders. At about 9 o’clock, the mob erected a barricade across 9th street, near the Bowery, to defend themselves from the cavalry, but it was stormed by the police. At one time, the attack upon the City Guard was so severe, that they were ordered to load, and the Recorder proclaimed that another shower of stones would bring one of lead in return; but fortunately the volleys ceased. Bonfires were kindled, but these only made the leaders of the riot conspicuous, and aided the police to arrest them. About thirty arrests were made, the mob driven off in all directions, and at midnight order was restored. Half this efficiency the previous night, would have saved all bloodshed. Order was restored, and though it was reported that a large number of persons had come from Philadelphia, expressly to take part in a riot, the peace of the city was not again disturbed. On Saturday morning, the Coroner assembled a jury, who proceeded in carriages, to view the bodies of those who were killed. After viewing them, and witnessing a surgical examination of each, the inquest was continued at the Hall of the Court of Sessions. The Mayor, Recorder, Sheriff, Chief of Police, and several military officers and citizens were examined. We have given some of the most important of the testimony. The Jury retired at half-past six o’clock, on Sunday evening, and after being out a short time, returned the following verdict: We believe that Geo. A. Curtis, John McDonald, Thos. Aylwood, George Lincoln, Timothy Burns, Henry Otten, George W. Brown, Wm. Butler, George W. Taylor, Owen Burns, Thos. Belman, Neil Gray Mellis, Asa F. Collins, Wm. Harmer, Thos. Keirnan, Mathew Cahill, Geo. N. Gedney, came to their deaths by gun shot wounds, from balls fired by the Military during the riot before the Opera House, on Thursday evening, 10th May inst., by order of the civil authorities of the city of New York; and that the circumstances existing at the time justified the authorities in giving the order to fire upon the mob. We further [Pg 28] believe that if a larger number of the Police had been ordered out, the necessity of a resort to the use of Military might have been avoided.
New York, May 14, 1849. JAMES H. PERKINS, Foreman. O. H. WILSON,
LEONARD H. HEGAR,
JAMES CROPSY,
SAMUEL RAYNOR,
JOSEPH B. BREWSTER,
GEO. W. DAWSON,
WILLIAM BALLAGH.
| WM. BANTA,
J. C. BALDWIN,
LEANDER M. SAMMIS,
EDWARD C. ROBINSON,
WM. S. SMITH,
THOS. S. MILLER,
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Five other persons, in a few days afterwards, died of their wounds. The following is believed to be a complete list of all the killed and wounded:
LIST OF THE KILLED. GEORGE A. CURTIS, Aged 22 years, born in Chautauque Co., printer; shot through the lungs. JOHN McDONALD, Aged fifteen years, born in Ireland, shot through the breast. GEORGE LINCOLN, Aged 35 years, appeared to be a sailor; shot in the abdomen. THOMAS AYLWOOD, Aged 19, born in Halifax, a clerk; shot in the thigh: died after amputation of the limb. TIMOTHY BURNS, 16 years, a printer; shot through the right lung. HENRY OTTEN, 22 years; grocer; shot through the breast. He died in the 15th Ward Station-House, in presence of his aged mother. GEORGE W. BROWN, From Boston; clerk; ball passed through left lung. WILLIAM BUTLER, 24 years; ship joiner; shot through the head. GEORGE W. TAYLOR, 21 years; house carpenter; shot through the head. OWEN BURNS, 24 years; born in Ireland; a cartman; shot through the head. THOMAS BELMAN, 17 years; born in Ireland; laborer; shot through the neck. NEIL GRAY MELLIS, 27 years; the musket-ball passed directly through the heart; left a wife and one child. The deceased was a nephew to ex-Alderman Neil Gray of the 10th Ward. ASA F. COLLINS, 45 years; born in this State; business a house agent. The deceased received a ball in the neck, as he was descending from the railroad car. WILLIAM HARMER, 16 years; a butcher; was brought to the Bellevue Hospital early on Friday morning, having received a ball in the abdomen; he lingered until four o’clock in the afternoon, when death relieved his earthly suffering. He was a native of St. John’s, New Brunswick.
THOMAS KEIRNAN, 21 years; born in Ireland; a waiter; shot in the right cheek, the ball passing into the brain. MATHEW CAHILL, 26 years; born in Ireland; laborer; widower; shot through the right breast; one child. TIMOTHY McGUINN, 19 years; laborer. The deceased was residing with his mother, in the rear of No. 107 West Thirteenth-street, and died soon after being brought home. GEORGE W. GEDNEY, 34 years; born in New York; a broker; resided at No. 82 Seventh-street. The deceased received a musket-ball directly through the brain. JOHN DALZELL, Was wounded in the hip, and died after amputation of the hip joint. ROBERT MACLEURGEON, Aged 20, a native of New York, received a wound while passing through Lafayette-Place; and died at his mother’s residence on Monday. JOHN McKINSLEY, Shot through the lungs, died on Sunday night. HENRY BURGUIST, Known as “Harry Bluff,” lived at 410 Pearl-street. Ball grazed the neck, went into the right shoulder, coming out behind the right arm. Died of his wounds at the hospital. BRIDGET FAGAN, Irish; 30 years old; shot in the leg, just below the knee. She was two blocks off, walking with her husband on their way home, and fell into his arms. Died after amputation.
Thus TWENTY-THREE PERSONS were either killed on the spot, or died of their wounds shortly after.
LIST OF THE WOUNDED. The following list is probably incomplete, as many who were not seriously wounded have not been publicly reported: Edward McCormick, 135 First Avenue; 19 years old; worked at 200 Mulberry-street. Shot through the side. Conrad Becker, 27 Hudson-street; worked for Mahoney and Thompson, Upholsterers, Chatham-street. Ball went through the right thigh. George N. Kay, 28 years of age; merchant; boarded at 107 Chambers-street. Ball in the right breast, going entirely through. Frederick Gillespie, a boy; shot through the foot. A Son of J. Irwin, 243 Tenth-street; ball through his leg. B. M. Seixas, jr., Matthew Carhart, residence First Av., corner of Twelfth-st.; shot through the breast and neck. Mr. Stewart, of the late firm of Coley, Stewart, and Co., Mobile, retired merchant; while standing in the Bowery was shot in the neck. Mr. Phillip Livingston, a young man, who was standing in St. Mark’s Place, [Pg 30] was badly wounded, the shot entering the fore arm, and coming out near the thumb. Lieut. J. Brown; son of Prof. Brown; residence 42 Crosby-street; was shot as he came out of the Amphitheatre door. Deacon A. M. Collins; of the Allen-street Church; was also shot. William Selleck; 23 years of age; residence 227 Seventh-street; dangerously wounded by a shot; a spectator. A young Philadelphian; name not ascertained; badly shot through the thigh. Mr. Braisted; of the firm of Secor & Co.; spectator; shot through the knees. Wm. C. Russell, Esq.; a lawyer of Wall-street; left his residence in Fourth-avenue, about half-past 10, and while passing the corner of Lafayette-Place, had his left arm shattered by a ball. Mr. Marshall Lefferts; of the firm of Messrs. Geo. B. Moorewood & Co. 14 and 16 Beaver-street; while on duty as an officer, was knocked from his horse by a stone, and seriously wounded. One of the National Guards had his jaw-bone broken by a paving-stone. Lorenzo D. Snell, of Philadelphia; 49 Bayard-street; was shot through the thigh. Mrs. Brennan, house-keeper for Mr. Kernachan, corner of Second-avenue and Ninth-street; while passing up the Bowery, on her way home, leaning upon the arm of a man, was struck by a ball in her left thigh, which passed through the fleshy part of this and the right thigh, without injuring the large vessels or the bones. Stephen Kehoe. Mr. Vanderpool; was wounded with a ball at the corner of the eye. A boy, by the name of Stone.
An instance of heroism is related of one of the wounded, who, when the surgeon was about to examine his case, said, “Never mind me now, but look round and see if there is not some one who needs you more than I do!” The speech was worthy of Sir Philip Sidney. The lives of such men ought not to be lightly sacrificed. Of the military and police, a large number were wounded, some of them severely, by paving-stones. Capt. Shumway received a flesh wound with a pistol shot. The military performed their duty, generally, with commendable coolness. Some, it is said, laid down their arms, rather than fire, and others fired into the air; but on the whole, they did quite sufficient execution, especially on those who were not actively engaged in the riot.
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