x of white ruffians, seemingly from the steamboats and the Kentucky
side of the river, openly assembled in Fifth Street Market without being
molested by the police, armed themselves and marched to Broadway and
Sixth Street, shouting and swearing. They attacked a colored
confectionery store near by, demolishing its doors and windows. James W.
Piatt, an influential citizen, and the mayor then addressed the
disorderly persons, vainly exhorting them to peace and obedience to the
law. Moved by passionate entreaties to execute their poorly prepared
plan, the assailants advanced and attacked the Negroes with stones. The
blacks, however, had not been idle. They had secured sufficient guns and
ammunition to fire into the mob such a volley that it had to fall back.
The aggressors rallied again, however, only to be in like manner
repulsed. Men were wounded on both sides and carried off and reported
dead. The Negroes advanced courageously, and according to a reporter,
fired down the street into the mass of ruffians, causing a hasty
retreat. This melee continued until about one o'clock when a part of the
mob secured an iron six pounder, hauled it to the place of combat
against the exhortations of the powerless mayor, and fired on the
Negroes. With this unusual advantage the blacks were forced to retreat,
many of them going to the hills. About two o'clock the mayor of the city
brought out a portion of the "military" which succeeded in holding the
mob at bay.[41]

On the next day the colored people in the district under fire were
surrounded by sentinels and put under martial law. Indignation meetings
of law-abiding citizens were held on Saturday to pass resolutions,
denouncing abolitionists and mobs and making an appeal to the people and
the civil authorities to uphold the law. The Negroes also held a meeting
and respectfully assured the mayor and citizens that they would use
every effort to conduct themselves orderly and expressed their readiness
to give bond according to the law of 1807 or leave the city quietly
within a specified time. But these steps availed little when the police
winked at this violence. The rioters boldly occupied the streets without
arrest and continued their work until Sunday. The mayor, sheriff and
marshal went to the battle ground about three o'clock but the mob still
had control. The officers could not even remove those Negroes who
complied with the law of leaving. The authorities finally hit upon the
schem