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Show 142 DESTRUCTION OF THE HAJ.L. the lnu·ning of tl1e Ouilding called the l'cnnsylv:mia lbll, in Sixth sb'f'CI, in the city of Philaddphifl, on the uight ofThu1-sday, the 17th inst:mt, Ol' in so.:tling fit·e to the buildiug Cllllc~l the UrJ• h:t~~s' Asylum, in Thh·tccntl• stn:ct, in the saitl city, on the ui~;:ht of F,·iilay, the !8th mstant, to be J>aid on the tluc conviction of cnch :md cn:wy one of tl1c J}CI'SOns afu1·csaitl. Ami !ill .hulbrt'S, Justices, ShcdtlS, Conmct·s, CunstaUics, aud cHhcr Oflicct•s within th~s CommonwcHlth, :u·c hct·cby rcquit·ctl :'1m! CI~Oinctl to be :1ttentive and viJ.;ilanl i11 inquiring altct· and lninging to justice the pc t·son Ot' pcrsnus guil ty of the ct·imc niOrcsai1l. . Givcu undt.: t' my hand and the G•·c;tt Stu) of tlu.: State, this twenty-second d~lY of 1\fny, m the .I cat• of out• Lot•d, one Thousand eight hundred :md thit·ty-cit;ht, aud of the CommonWc: tlth the sixty-second. By the Govcl'llor, TUOMAS fl . Hunnows, Setl'clary of rile Commonwealth, In a few days arter the burning of the Hall the following letter, enclosing the sum or one hundred dollars, was rece ived by the Treasurer of the "Pennsylvania £-I all Association." It was without date, bnt post-marked "Philadelphia, June Gth." The money has been uppropriatod as dire cted . "The enclosed sum is intcn1lcd to :\id in 1lisscmin:\ting, among the citizens of Pcnnsyl,•a.nia, COl'· reel infoml:ltion l'CSJK'Cting the anti-sl:u•ct·y cause, genct·ally, :md pat•ticulady what t·clates to the l:Ltc disgraceful attack upon the l"ight of free discussion by tlte llJOIJ who lml'lled Pcnnsylvanio Hall." ~Signed) "A ] ;'lUESD OF LIHER'Cr AND HUMANITl'." The following minutes of a meeting of the stockholders of the Association show that the course pursued by the Managers of the Hall is approved by those whom they represented. P!tiladtlp!tia, Fifth month 30, 1838. At a meeting of the stockholders of the" Pennsylvania Hall Association," held thi:; evening in Sandirord Hall, .John Longstreth was called to the chair, and George M. Alsop appointed Secretary. Th£> Managers presented a report of their proceedings, together with a detailed statement of the course pursued by them in regard to the destruction of the Pcnnsyh'ania Hall on the night of the 17th inst. The report was adopted; and on motion, Resolved, That this meeting approve of the conduct of the Managers, and that the thanks of the stockholders are due, and hereby tendered to them, for their indefatigable atlen tion to our interests in the erection of the "Pennsylvania Hall," and that we deeply sympathize with them in the undeserved trials through which they have passed. Resolved, That the Managers be requested to continue their attention to the subject, and apply to the Court for the damages which they and we have sustained, as speedily as practicable, and that when received, after deducting all expenses and charges attending the erection of tl1e Hall, that they divide the nett proceeds among thH stockholders of this Association, rateably in proportion to the stock held by each. Attest-George J1f. .!llsop, Secretary. JonN LoNGSTRETH, Chairman. We now entreat our fellow citizens, for their own sakes, to make a stand against the spirit of mob insolence whose outrages we have detailed, and in asserting our rights protect their own. Who were the men who so lately assumed the ascendency in 1his city, and trampled its laws in the dust? At the burning of our Hall, the Saloon contained a number of well-dressed men, (it being nearly as light as day,) and yet the officer who ventured among them" could not discover a single inhabitant of }=»hiladelphia." Tf.te police officer of Spring Garden bears a similar testimony in relation to those DESTRUCTION OF Till-~ HALL. 143 who attacked the "Shelter for Colored Orphans." Moreover, anonymous writers in Southern newspapers, calling themselves Southerners, have de· clared that they were present at the scene of destruction, a11d assisted in the work. The gross and ridiculous charges brought against us, for the purpose of justifying the outrage, have no foundation in truth. We are conscious of no act which can be tortured into a departure from prudence or consi~tency, or our duty as citizens, nnd as men having in common with our fellow-men a deep stal;;e in the public welfare and peace. 'I' he placards posted up on the night of the 14th, were no doubt decided upon (and probably written) before a word was said, or any act done at the dedication of the Hall. Individuals, who consid er themselves respectable, are known to have threatened (w hil s~ the building was erecting) that it would be burnt down as soon as it was finished. \Ve submit this statement to the candid perusal of our fellow citizens. It is not for ourselves that we make this appeal. Our building has been destroyedwe have already E-nffered all that we can sufl'er as the "Pennsylvania !-fall .flssocialion." The damage has been done. Therefore, it i.s not for ourselves, or those whom we have the honor to represent, that we now appeal to the friends of order and law. It is for the rights of the citizens generally, for our country and our country's laws, that we ask them to frown down this lawless and evil spirit which is walking abroad, causing consternation and alarm to take the place of quiet confidence and security. DANIEL NEALL, JosEPH M. Tnul\IAN, HENRY GnEw, PETER WniGHT, WrLLIA ~I H. ScoTT, SAMUEL WEBB, JosEPH Woon, WILLIAM DonsEY, THOMAS HANSELL, WILLIAM M'KEE, CALEB CLOTHIER, JoHN H. CAVENDER, JACOB HAARS, llfanagers of lite Pennsylvania Hall .!lsaociation. |