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Riot In Philadelphia

Riot In Philadelphia image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
August
Year
1842
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

There has been one ot the vilest nots in th:s ity that ever took place in a civilized country. s usual, the colored people were the special obects of vengeanc and hittred. We cannot give i better account of the matter than by extracting he following from the Detroit Times: It appears. that on the first of August, the col)red peuple ín and aboutPhila''clpha, assembled. is has been their cuaiom for yeais. to commemoate the onniversary of West India emancipaüon. Dn which occasion the shackles of slavery feil fromeight hundred thousand of their brethren. And whát could be more beconung- what more honorable, to their sensibilices as members of the gtèat humaa family, and especially of that portion of it to which ihey are united in national ori"in. and in eommon suffering - what more nataral, than that these people, if possessed öf the ordinajy attributes of humaniiy, should thus give emhodiment and expression to their feelings 1 - Why, it would raise the very brutes a thousand per cent. in our cstimation, if we could detect any indication of similar feeling, and a similar movement under similar circumstances- and who but a bruU in human Jorm, would not witnesssvith admiration and delight. the exhibilion of such feelings, and of such a moveinent under sucli circumstances by any portion of the human family? We are thrown into cceticies at the return of the anniversary of our national Independence, and we hear, with feelings of high gratification, that it was commemomted by our countrymen in every part of the globe. Uut hovv very slight the occasion of our rejoicing, compared with that of the 800,000 eniancipated negroes and the poor down-trodden colored man, wherever his lot may be cast. cun give a reason ior rningling his sympathies with ihose of his erna ncipated brethren, though in a distant land, which no American, resident of a foreign country, can give for sympathising with his countrymen in the commemoration of their natiunal birtli dny. But wc had almo6t lost sight of the object for which we took un our pen. As we said, the colored people of Philadelphia and vicinity nu dertook to cOmmemorate tile anniversary of West India eináncipation. It wns a strictly tempérame celebralion, and about a thousand of them werc moving nlong the street in procession, direct ing their couise to the country, when they were in terfered with by a gang of white boys at first which was resented in sjme way, when the con test became general among ihe whiies and black of evory dc-scription. Soon after the onset the flght became genera and missiies of every description were thrown- clubs, brickbaxs. and stones were 'hrown and numbers severcly hurt. The procession d:spcrs ed nnd the crowd highly incensed proceeded to the neighberhood of Soiuh and Sixth to Seventl nnd through St. Mary's street. where for a tim )h melee was of the most violent character. Ai the houses in the vicinity occupied by black per sop.s were attacked in a few moments. thousand of brickbats hurled through the air. back anc fonh with the greatest prolusión and violence. A large number of white and black per&on were seiiously injured - one white man wasstab bed in the eyc, and one of his arms broken. another was stabbed in the abdomen; others of both classes were knocked down with clubs and stones. and awfully cut tip and mangled. The houses and stores in the vieinity were closed and the inmatcs sousht rcfuge vvithin doors. The City Polfce officers with the Mayor, sooi arrived. and the combatnnts were dispersed. A number of the ringleadcrs were arrested and pu in custody. Bcfors sundown. the black maks had utterl disnppcared. But when one was discovered, h was chiiscd by thousands, knocked down, jumpet upon and struck with bludgeons. We wiinesscc a scenc of this kind at the corner of Sixth an Lombard streets. just before dark. A tnll mulat to fel'ow carne rushing forward for his li.'e, a crowd screaming at his heels. He feil just at tb corner as he crossed the street. We saw on man junip upon him, and snvernl others strik hini as he lay. He regaincd his feet again an bounded forward, running clown Pine street, an dashing through the entry of a house. Thefam ily within werc drendfully alarmcd, the crowc paused for a moment, and we believe the poo wreich escaped. The riot continued all day on the first of August, and a number of whites and blacks wer drcadfully wounded. As soon as night set in the mob set firc to a lnrgc and scarcely finished building called Smith's hallr intended asa plac of meeting for the colored people. ,It wab buil by a colored man, a lumber merchaut from Lan caster, worth $JO0.,O0Q. The fi.-e companie wcre on the ground, and preservad the adjacen buildings, but did not put a drop of water on th hall. Thia being burnt down, a black church i St. Mary street, shcred the same fate. Man- II ■ ■ ■ III. ■ '- - ' ■ ■■ - I - houses of the colored people wcre destroyed. The authoritie8 were extremely dilatory in taking measures to stop the riot, and it was not unlil the military were called out. on the second day, that it was quelled. A considerable number of persons, white and colored, have been arrested and committed to prison. One of the most shameful acts was tho demoHtion of a temperance hall and lecture room, beionging to the colored people, hy the polict, lest the mob should set fire to it, and destroy thecontiguous buildings! Wns not ihis jnotecting tho property of the citizens wnh a vengeance?

Article

Subjects
Signal of Liberty
Old News