As they marched up the Boulevard, then in course of
construction, some of the airs played by their bands
aroused the ire of the Catholic Irish laborers upon the
street, who began to stone the procession. A small-sized
riot ensued, in which shots were exchanged and three
persons were killed and several wounded, some of whom
died afterward. The Orangemen announced their intention
of parading in 1871, and the Catholic Irish threatened
to break up the celebration. The parade was prohibited
by the chief of police the day before which it was to
occur. Upon this becoming known, several of the public
business and commercial bodies held indignation meetings
and asked: "If the Irish Catholics are permitted to
parade unmolested on St. Patrick's Day, why have not the
Protestant Irish an equal right to do the same thing
under police protection?" Governor Hoffman was
telegraphed for; and after consultation with leading
citizens, revoked the police order prohibiting the
parade and ordered out the militia to protect the
paraders.
In view of possible disorder, all of the Orange lodges,
with one exception, gave up the idea of a parade and
sought various picnic grounds outside the city. Escorted
by five regiments, Gideon Lodge, with less than one
hundred men, started on the designated line of march for
Elm Park. The streets were filled with spectators, and
there was no disturbance until the procession reached
Eighth Avenue between Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth
streets; then a shot was fired as a storm of stones and
missiles was hurled at the procession from the
neighboring house tops. Two of the regiments fired
volleys without authorization, and, as a result,
fifty-four spectators were killed or mortally wounded,
while many others received injuries. As is usual in such
cases, among those hurt or killed were many innocent
lookers-on. Three of the soldiers of the Ninth Regiment
were killed, and many others received injuries from
stones and brick-bats. The marks of the bullets are
still discernible upon some of the houses in Eighth
Avenue. These two affairs of 1870 and 1871 are known in
the history of the city as the "Orange Riots."Near
Riot at Tompkins Square 1877
In the early part of 1877, a class known as
Communists had been fermenting for some time, and to add
to their numbers it was decided to hold a monster
meeting. The day set apart for this demonstration was
July 25, and the place Tompkins Square. Brooklyn's hot
headed element crossed the ferries in throngs, as it had
often done before, knowing that Brooklyn wasn't a
healthy place in which to walk on anybody. Crowds
flocked into town from the suburbs, and it is said that
in the neighborhood of 100,000 people were present in
and about the square when the meeting was organized. The
crowd meant mischief and as a precaution against
interference a request had been sent to Police
Headquarters that the force be kept from the place.
A request for a parade had been denied and this
made the crowd more demonstrative than ever. In order to
anticipate any disturbance that might occur, the whole
reserve police force was present at the meeting and the
Seventh, Twelfth, Twenty-second and Seventy-first
regiments were fully equipped and armed with breech
loaders and stationed at their respective armories ready
to aid the police in quelling disturbances that might
arise. Citizens were sworn in as special detectives and
everybody expected that the streets would flow with
blood ere nightfall. The would be rioters of course
heard of the preparations that had been made to give
them a warm greeting if they attempted any funny
business, and after the leaders had harangued the
immense gathering, and had anathematized the Government,
State and national, to their hearts' content, they
kicked several small boys and went home disgusted.
Several heads, the property of the more enthusiastic of
the would be terrorizers, were fractured in neighboring
street fights, but the mighty arm of the law had been
upheld and the riot was a miniature one.
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