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Show 138 DESTRUCTION OF 'l'IIE HALL, \Vomcn at 4 o'clock, P. l\1., and the l\fethodist Anti-Slavery Society at 8 o'clock in the evening. To-morro\V, the State Anti-Slavery Society will meet at 8 o'cJock; the Free Produce Convention at 10 o'clock; the Convention of American \Yomen will meet at 1 o'clock, P.M.; and the Free Produce Convention will meet at 4 o'clock in the afternoon; and the P ennsylvania State Anti-Slavery Society will meet at 8 o'clock in the evening; and we shall continue to usc our building from time to time as occasion may require; and we call. upon thee, as Chief Magist rate of the city, to protect us and ou r property, 111 the exercise of our constitutional right peaceably to assemble and discuss any subject of ge neral interest. H.espectl'ully thine, &c. • . Signed, by direction of the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvat~.a H all Association. DANit~L N EALL, Presulent. P. S.-,Ve herewith enclose a written placard , numbe rs of whi ch were posted up in various parts of the c ity , and, so far as we have seen, all appeared to be in the same hand writing. (Cot•r.) « "'h ~t"Cas, a catwention, fm· the nmwed puqlOsc of effi~cting the immediate em:mcip:~ tion of sla\•es tiH"oughontthc United Stu tes,• is nt tl_1is time !lOltling its session in l'hilmle lphia, it. UchO?\"CS the citizf'ns who entet·t:tin a propel' t·cspect lo•· the •·•ght ol pmpe•·ty, :uul the p•·cservat10n ol the constitution of the Union, to intel"fc•·e, fm·cihly if they must, to JlrC\'Cill the ' 'iolation of those plctlgcs hcrctofm·e held s:tct·ccl, and it is Jli'Oposcd tlmt they assc•~•L i e at. the P_cnnsy_h·ani:• H~H to-motTOW morning, (\Vcdncsday,) 16th 1\lay, rmd dcmaml the 1mmec.h:ne dJSI)CI"SIOn of s:ud convention.'' Our Committee will also furnish thee with the name of one of the ringleaders of the mob.t The Mayor rep1ied that he wi shed to see the Attorney General, "to consult with him about the law." The Commiuee asked him, upon what point he wanted information? He answered, "in relation to the damages; he wanted to see whether the county was liable to pay the costs." They told him that they had not called to claim damages, but to ask for proteo:lion. He replied: "There are always two sides to a question-it is public opinion makes mobs!-and ninety-nine out of a hundred of those with whom I converse are against you;" but he added that he would go there in the evening and make a speech, and if that did not answer he could do nothing more! The City Solicitor said, he (the Solicitor) gave orders to the police officers not to arrest a single man last evening!! Fearing that the destruction of the building was meditated, and that no efficient steps would be taken by the Mayor to prevent its being offered a sacrifice to propitiate the Demon of Slavery, the following letter was written and delivered to the Sheriff: Letter from the 11/anagers of the Pennsylvania Ilall, to John G. Wcttmough, Sherijf. Jl mLADE LPmA, Fifth month 17th, 1838. Esteemed Friend :-Our new and elegant building, which on the second day of this week was dedicated to "l.. iberty and the Rights of Man," known by the name of the Pennsylvania Hall, situate on the west-side of Delaware Sixth street, between lVIulberry and Sassafras street~, in the city of Philadelphia, was occupied l-ast even ing by the Female Anti-Slavery Society. The audience consisted of more than three thousand persons, of whom a large m<~jority were respectable anti intelligent women. \Vhilst Angelina E. GrimkC Weld was addressing them, our building was *The placat·~l··cn ll originally," in the Southct•n llOrtion or the United States." These WOI"ds, however, wCI"f: crossed out wilh the pen, an1l "throughout the United States" intcdincd, t This the Committee did, but whether the imli,•idual was at'l'eslcd we know not. DESTRUCTlON OF THE HALL 139 assailed by a mob, who broke our windows, alarmed the women, and disturb ed the mee ting by yelling, stamping, and throwing brick-bats and other missiles through the windows. In our invitation to thee to attentl the opening of the H all, dated the 14th day of the Founh month las t, we mentioned th at we should hold public meet ings on the 14th, 15th, and lGth of this month. "\Ve now inform thee that the Free Produce Convention will meet i11 that building this afternoon at 2 o'clock; the Convention of American \\' omen at 4 o'clock, P.M., and the \Vesleyan Anti-Slavery Socie ty will meet at 8 o'clock in the evening. To-morrow the State Anti-Slavery Society will meet at 8 o'clock, A. l\1.; the Free Produce Convention at 10 o'clock; the Anti-Slavery Convention of Ameri can "\Vomen will meet at l o'clock, P.M., and the Free Jlrod uce Convention will meet at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and the J>ennsylvania State Anti-Slavery will mee t at 8 o'clock in the even ing,-antl we shall continue to use our building from time to rime as occasion may require; and we call upon thee, as Iligh Sherifi' of the city anJ county of Phil adelphia, to protect us and our property, in the exercise of our constitu tional right of peaceably a~"Ssembling and discussing any subject of general interes t that we, or those to whom we may grant the use of our ll all , may see proper. Res pectfully thine, &c. · Signctl by direction of the Uourd of Managers of the l'ennsylvunia Hall Assoc iation . DANIEL NEALL, C!tainnan. To this communication the Sherifi" replied, it was the Mayor's businessthat if he (the Sheriff) had the one hunJred and sixty men which the Mayor had, he would have suppressed the mob the first night, ami thought it might yet be done; but th at as for himself, his (the Sheriff's) force con# si!:l ted of himself and three men, and what could four men do? lie should go there i11 the evening, and so far as his personal, ollicial, and moral influence would go, we should have the full benefit of it-that owing to the state of things existing between himself and the Mayor, he did not wish to interfere with any thing that belonged to Colonel Swift, &c. . The commillee retired and forthwith convened the lloard, and submttted the case to them-who th ereupon immediately passed the following resolu~ tion unanimously, and sent it to the SheriO' by the }::.res ident, who, without any delay, took it to the Sheriff's onice. T'he Sherifl" was not there. He then took it to the H all, but the Sheriff was not th ere; whereupon he left it with a friend, to wait at the H all and deliver it to the Sheriff immediately upon hi!:! arrival, which was done. The following is a copy of the resolution above alluded to: "At a meeting of the Do:ml of )f:umgers oft be Pennsylvauilt lhll ,on the 17tb of F'i.fth. month, 1838, to tllkc iuto consideration the attack of :\mob upon tbcil" pl"Opca·ty on the lnst C\"Cillng, and the tlu·catcnct.l nllack liJXIIl it at the pt·cscnt time, it WllS .. lleaolved, That we Cllnnot uudca·t11ke to lleiCml the lbll by fo•·ce; tli:tt, ns law-nh1tl111g :md tlCRCcful citizens, we throw our&d \·cs upon tltc justice of OUI' cr.use, tl1e la\I'S of .oo •· countt·y, 1l.lld the right f:l:ll:ll"ll.lllccd to us by th ~ Constitution, lJCa.ccably .to assemh~e nnd l? !IISC~tss ;my mntt~r of gcnernlmtercst; and that we Will not have any "muncdmtc 01" ncl!VC pa!"l!Ctpauon m any nwh ot' riot '' which may occur. Signed by D ANU!L N EA.t.L, Pre1Jide11l. It may be remarked that our communication to him was in writing, and any conversation the commiltee might have had with him was considered by the Board as informal. . Thus passed the whole day without any measures be111g taken by ~he civil authorities to disperse the rioters and promote order. Our beautiful Hall was given up to the tender mercies of pro~slavery incendiaries. It |