The Journal of Negro History | Page 6

years their
property had more than doubled; their schools had become firmly
established, and their churches and Sunday Schools had grown as
rapidly as any other religious institutions in the city. Trusting to good
conduct and character, they had risen to a prosperous position in the
eyes of those whose prejudices would "allow them to look through the

skin to the soul."[38]
The colored people had had too many enemies in Cincinnati, however,
to expect that they had overcome all opposition. The prejudice of
certain labor groups against the Negroes increased in proportion to the
prosperity of the latter. That they had been able to do as well as they
had was due to the lack of strength on the part of the labor
organizations then forming to counteract the sentiment of fair play for
the Negroes. Their labor competed directly with that of the whites and
began again to excite "jealousy and heart burning."[39] The Germans,
who were generally toiling up from poverty, seemed to exhibit less
prejudice; but the unfortunate Irish bore it grievously that even a few
Negroes should outstrip some of their race in the economic struggle.
In 1841 there followed several clashes which aggravated the situation.
In the month of June one Burnett referred to as "a mischievous and
swaggering Englishman running a cake shop," had harbored a runaway
slave. When a man named McCalla, his reputed master, came with an
officer to reclaim the fugitive, Burnett and his family resisted them.
The Burnetts were committed to answer for this infraction of the law
and finally were adequately punished. The proslavery mob which had
gathered undertook to destroy their home but the officials prevented
them. Besides, early in August according to a report, a German citizen
defending his blackberry patch near the city was attacked by two
Negroes and stabbed so severely that he died. Then about three weeks
thereafter, according to another rumor, a very respectable lady was
insultingly accosted by two colored men, and when she began to flee
two others rudely thrust themselves before her on the sidewalk. But in
this case, as in most others growing out of rumors, no one could ever
say who the lady or her so-called assailants were. At the same time, too,
the situation was further aggravated by an almost sudden influx of
irresponsible Negroes from various parts, increasing the number of
those engaged in noisy frolics which had become a nuisance to certain
white neighbors.[40]
Accordingly, on Tuesday, the twenty-ninth of August, there broke out
on the corner of Sixth and Broadway a quarrel in which two or three
persons were wounded. On the following night the fracas was renewed.
A group of ruffians attacked the Dumas Hotel, a colored establishment,
on McCallister Street, demanding the surrender of a Negro, who, they

believed, was concealed there. As the Negroes of the neighborhood
came to the assistance of their friends in the hotel the mob had to
withdraw. On Thursday night there took place another clash between a
group of young men and boys and a few Negroes who seriously
wounded one or two of the former. On Friday evening the mob incited
to riotous acts by an influx of white ruffians, seemingly from the
steamboats and the Kentucky side of the river, openly assembled in
Fifth Street Market without being molested by the police, armed
themselves and marched to Broadway and Sixth Street, shouting and
swearing. They attacked a colored confectionery store near by,
demolishing its doors and windows. James W. Piatt, an influential
citizen, and the mayor then addressed the disorderly persons, vainly
exhorting them to peace and obedience to the law. Moved by
passionate entreaties to execute their poorly prepared plan, the
assailants advanced and attacked the Negroes with stones. The blacks,
however, had not been idle. They had secured sufficient guns and
ammunition to fire into the mob such a volley that it had to fall back.
The aggressors rallied again, however, only to be in like manner
repulsed. Men were wounded on both sides and carried off and reported
dead. The Negroes advanced courageously, and according to a reporter,
fired down the street into the mass of ruffians, causing a hasty retreat.
This mélée continued until about one o'clock when a part of the mob
secured an iron six pounder, hauled it to the place of combat against the
exhortations of the powerless mayor, and fired on the Negroes. With
this unusual advantage the blacks were forced to retreat, many of them
going to the hills. About two o'clock the mayor of the city brought out a
portion of the "military" which succeeded in holding the mob at
bay.[41]
On the next day the colored people in the district under fire were
surrounded by sentinels and put under martial law. Indignation
meetings of