Page:History of Washington The Rise and Progress of an American State, volume 4.djvu/446

 of the law in the discharge of their sworn duty, but the crowd only jeered at and defied him. Some of the noisier members now urged the other to make a rush on the guards and disarm them, but a mob is not easily moved to united action until success is certain. Then it becomes furiously bold. It was so in this case. It was not until the guards had held their position for some seconds—perhaps minutes, that a few of the bolder members of the mob gained courage to make something like a rush. Even then it was not a united effort made all along the line, but furtive attacks made in only one or two places. One of the first of these was directed at E. M. Carr, afterwards brigadier general of militia, but then only a private in the Home Guard. It was a most unfortunate selection for those who made it, for Carr was stoutly built and as courageous as strong. He disposed of one or two of the first who approached him, with his fist, but when others joined in the attack he clubbed his rifle and laid the nearest rioter at full length across the street. This discouraged others in the neighborhood and for a time Carr was left alone.

While he was thus engaged the attack became more general along the line, and some of the guards, no one knows how many, began firing. No order to fire was given, but the rioters were rapidly becoming so aggressive, that the guards or some of them, apparently believed they must use their guns or be overpowered. At the first fire one of the noisiest and most aggressive rioters, a man named Stewart, fell mortally wounded, and several others were hurt. Stewart was a large powerfully built man and, although mortally wounded tried again and again to rise, at the same time cursing the guards and calling upon the mob to attack them. But they could not be encouraged to do so, and while they delayed the