Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 29.djvu/273

 wth, 1861. 257

same place three soldiers at the head of the column fired into a group of spectators standing on the sidewalk and killed Philip Thomas Miles, of West Fayette street, and wounded others.

The first shot was fired by the soldiers at Pratt street bridge, and at the corner of Gay street the first round was fired by the soldiers, and a number of citizens fell. When it became evident that the troops were firing with ball cartridges there was a mad rush for arms. The crowd first went to the armory, but that was closely guarded, and then there was a rush for the gun shops. The store of J. C. J. Meyer, on Pratt street, and that of Alexander McComas, on South Calvert street, were invaded and the guns, pistols and ammunition were taken. At the first of the collison the people were entirely unarmed.

MAYOR BROWN.

Mayor Brown received the news of the arrival of the Northern troops at his law office, on St. Paul street. Marshal Kane sent word to him that the troops were about to arrive and that he expected a disturbance. The Mayor, accompanied by the counselor of the city, Mr. George M. Gill, rode rapidly to Camden Station in a carriage. It was thought that the disturbance would be at that place, and Mar- shal Kane was already there and policemen were coming in by squads. There was a large and angry crowd assembled. After a while eleven companies of the Massachusetts troops arrived in cars, the windows of the last car being badly broken. Thinking that the danger was Aver, the Mayor and Police Commissioner John W. Davis were about to leave, when news came of the collision on the march. The Mayor hurried toward President Street Station, and when he reached Pratt street bridge he met the battalion of four companies of troops running toward him. In his account of the events of the day, narrated in a volume published in 1887, from which and from the columns of The Sun this article is compiled, Judge Brown said the troops " were firing wildly, sometimes backward over their shoul- ders. The mob, which wa not very large, as it seemed to me, was pursuing with shouts and stones, and, I think, an occasional pistol shot. The uproar was furious. I ran at once to the head of the column, some persons in the crowd shouting: 'Here comes the Mayor.' I shook hands with the officer in command, Captain Follansbee, say- ing as I did so: 'I am the Mayor of Baltimore.' The Captain greeted me cordially. I at once objected to the double-quick, which was immediately stopped. I placed myself by his side and marched