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[Pg 3]ACCOUNT
OF THE
TERRIFIC AND FATAL RIOT
AT THE
New York Astor Place Opera House,
On the night of May 10th, 1849;
WITH THE
QUARRELS OF FORREST AND MACREADY,
INCLUDING ALL THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO THAT
AWFUL TRAGEDY!
Wherein an infuriated mob was quelled by the Public Authorities and Military,
with its mournful termination in the
Sudden Death or Mutilation of more than Fifty Citizens,
WITH FULL AND AUTHENTIC PARTICULARS.
“LET JUSTICE BE DONE THOUGH THE HEAVENS FALL!”
NEW YORK:
PUBLISHED BY H. M. RANNEY.
1849.
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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1849,
BY H. M. RANNEY,
In the Clerk’s office of the District Court of the United States, in and for the
Southern District of New York.
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CHAPTER FIRST.
THE NIGHT OF THE 10TH OF MAY.
On the night of the 10th of May, 1849, the Empire City, thegreat metropolis of the Union, was the scene of one of those horrorsof civilization, which for a time make the great heart of humanitystop in its beatings. In the darkness of night, thousands of citizenswere gathered in a central square of the most aristocratic quarterof New York—gathered around one of its most conspicuous andmagnificent edifices, the Astor-Place Opera House.
This Opera House was built expressly for the performance of theItalian Opera, but has been used at intervals for the legitimatedrama, for vaudevilles, and for balls and concerts. It is fitted upand decorated with taste and magnificence, and in the opera seasonshas been attended by the most wealthy and fashionable people, whohave made extravagant displays of luxurious adornment. While theprivate boxes were taken by the season, by those who wished to enjoythe music, liked the display, and could afford the expenditure,the other seats were let at a dollar admission, and the upper tier oramphitheatre was reserved for people of humbler means or more modestpretensions, at twenty-five cents a ticket.
Around this edifice, we say, a vast crowd was gathered. On thestage the English actor Macready was trying to play the part ofMacbeth, in which he was interrupted by hisses and hootings, andencouraged by the cheers of a large audience, who had crowded thehouse to sustain him. On the outside a mob was gathering, trying