CHAP. V.

Anti-abolition riot at Philadelphia-Opening of Pennsylvania Hall -Attack of the mob on the building-Demolition of the hall by fire-Statements of the public prints-Additional facts from private sources-Continued acts of riot and disorder-Public meeting of the firemen of Philadelphia-Apathy and tardiness of the public authorities-Opinions of the leading journals-Proclamations of the Mayor and Governor-Attempt of the mob on a printing-office- Arrest of one of the rioters of "respectable family"-Letter of David Paul Brown, the barrister-Wholesome "Thoughts upon Recent Events."

ONE of the most painful scenes we were called upon to witness in Philadelphia, and one that formed a melancholy contrast to the general good order, decorum, and peace of the city, was the destruction by an incendiary mob, of the large public building, called Pennsylvania Hall, erected for the purpose of holding public meetings for religious and benevolent objects, like Exeter Hall, in London, and very nearly equal to it in size. The history and details of this transaction are so characteristic of the public feeling on slavery, in this and in most other parts of the United States-whether slave states or free-and they are for this reason so likely to be misrepresented by partizans on either side, that I think it will be useful to record the circumstances as they transpired, with as much impartiality as possible, and while the evidence is accessible on the spot.

PENNSYLVANIA HALL.

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It appears that for some years past, since the cause of slavery has been so warmly agitated in the north, and emancipation demanded at all hazards, the friends of the slave have found it almost impossible to obtain any public building, religious or otherwise, in which to hold their meetings for the purpose of discussing the question of abolition, and expressing their opinions freely upon it. To remedy this defect, a number of benevolent persons, chiefly though not entirely Quakers, determined on building a large hall, to be called the Pennsylvania Hall, the property of which was to be held in shares as a jointstock, and the hall was to be let or rented out to religious and benevolent societies to hold their meetings in abolition of slavery to be as freely discussed in it as any other public question. This hall was completed in the present month of May, and was publicly opened by the proprietors and directors on the 14th, 15th, and 16th of the month.

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A body of delegates from the Abolition Societies of Boston and the New England States, having come on to Philadelphia to assist at this opening, composed chiefly of females, accompanied by Mr. Garrison, Miss Grimké, and other leading advocates of Abolition, they occupied the Hall for their meetings. This fact alone, of Abolition being publicly defended in a city where, before the erection of this Hall, no public room could be had for the purpose, excited the Southern people and their connexions in Philadelphia to a high degree; but it is thought that this would not have led to violence, had it not been accompanied by the following auxiliary “aggrava

tions," as the opponents of abolition were pleased to term them.

Miss Grimké, a lady of good family in South Carolina, who was formerly a slave-holder, but who, from conviction of its injustice, left the South, and emancipated her slaves, and then entered the Society of Friends, of which she is now a member-was about to be married, and strangely enough chose Philadelphia to be the place of her union (her home being at Boston), and this exciting time of opening the Abolition Hall to be the period for its celebration; her husband was a Mr. Weld; and partaking of his bride's views as an abolitionist, the joint invitations of the bride and bridegroom were sent out, to invite a wedding party that should consist of an equal number of white and coloured people, who attended the wedding together.

One of the arrangements at the Hall was, also, so to mingle the white and coloured auditors, that all the usual separations and distinctions between them were disregarded; and in going to and from the Hall, white and coloured persons were seen leading arm-in-arm, a sight which had never before been witnessed, in this city at least, nor, perhaps, in any other part of America. Add to this, it is said that Mr. Garrison, in one of his speeches at the Hall, spoke of General Washington as being "a manstealer," and "a tyrant over his coloured brethren;" and these additional sparks alighting on an already highly inflammable state of public feeling, soon kindled into an open blaze.

The mob first assembled on Wednesday and be

coming more and more numerous and violent every hour, accomplished their great object, the entire destruction of the Pennsylvania Hall on the following day, Thursday. The narratives of the public journals, taken from those of both parties in politics, may be relied on for the general accuracy of the facts; the opinions, of course, will differ, but I shall give them both, and then add what came to my knowledge through private sources, and what fell under my own observation, to complete the whole. The following is from the Pennsylvanian, a democratic paper of May 18.

"A very discreditable disturbance was made by a large mob at Pennsylvania Hall, the new building of the Abolition Society, on Wednesday evening; the affair, however, luckily terminating with no results of a more serious character than the breaking of the windows. It was not a very valiant demonstration, either, on the part of those who amused themselves with throwing brickbats and broken bottles into the house, for we understand that the assemblage in the hall was chiefly composed of women; and to gather such an array, to yell and throw stones, for the purpose of alarming females, was not exactly a manly employment according to our notions, even if those assailed were ultra and fanatical abolitionists. For the reputation of Philadelphia, we earnestly hope that we may not be called upon to chronicle a repetition of scenes similar to that of Wednesday night."

This was written previous to the occurrence of the fire, which broke out, indeed, just as the morning papers are usually put to press; but on the following morning, May 19, the fuller narrative of the riot and fire was given in the same paper thus:

"The destruction of Pennsylvania Hall by the rioters on Thursday night was complete. The fire has left nothing of this spacious and magnificent building, but the bare walls, which stand as a

disgraceful monument of the triumph of mobism over good order and the laws. The neighbouring houses are somewhat scorched, but suffered no material injury, as the fire companies were permitted to play upon them, and deserve great credit for the effective manner in which their duty was performed.

"The hall itself, which was situated on the west side of Sixth near Race Street, was erected by the Abolition Society, and was not finished until last week. It was very large, built in the most substantial and costly manner, and the grand saloon for the purpose of meetings, was, we believe, the most spacious and elegant room of the kind in Philadelphia, being 90 feet in length by about 60 in breadth, with galleries, &c., the whole being capable of allowing from 1,800 to 2,000 persons to be comfortably seated, and of containing nearly 3,000 persons. There were besides, lecture-rooms and other apartments. The entire cost of the establishment, including, we presume, the purchase of the ground, is estimated at 40,000 dollars. It was first opened to the public on Monday last, and we are informed that meetings were held and addresses delivered in it, every day and evening up to the time of the catastrophe.

"The first tumultuous proceeding in reference to the matter, took place on Wednesday evening, when a meeting was held, composed chiefly of women, at which Garrison, Mrs. M. Chapman, of Boston, Mrs. Angelina Grimké Weld, Lucretia Mott, and Abdy Kelly, delivered addresses. The audience was very numerous, and composed of blacks and whites indiscriminately mingled. A mob assembled on the outside, and continued throwing stones at the windows until a late hour. When the meeting broke up, some of the negroes were assaulted as they came out, and the rest were enabled to escape through the back entrances. Loud intimations were given at this time that a more serious disturbance was in contemplation, and that the destruction of the building was resolved on.

"On Thursday much excitement prevailed throughout the city, and every variety of rumour was in circulation; but the abolitionists held their usual meetings. In the afternoon, the crowd began to assemble, rapidly increasing in numbers as night approached, and at dark the assemblage in the neighbourhood was very great.