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RPRISE. DECEMBER 1. 1906.* * • • f• '. , • ___THE BATH RIOT.and it’s]were used for that purpose. The crowd got a lot of this burning fluid and completely saturated. the pews and set fire to the building.“In a moment the whole structure was ablaze. The mayor called out the fire department, but very few an-Bwered the call, and even these few , had no water and made no effort to save the building. In a short time it had burned to the ground.“In the meantime the Irish had all fled for their lives and taken refuge in SewalTs woods, about two miles distant, and here, closely huddled together, ' they remained for three days. It was only when they were nearly starved that they ventured back to the city, one by one.“As soon as .the church was burned the mayor called out the City Guards, a military company in Bath at that time. By this time the ex-citement commenced to die down and common sense again prevailed. As the Irish came back to the city, they began to take fresh courage, and in a few days swore out warrants and had the men who fired the church arrested.“Then Came their trial. I was in the court and saw the proceedings that followed. It was very plain to be seen that the men could not be convicted, although it was sufficient to hang a man today. One of the• imen had pulled up a cross that stood outside the church when he went in to fire the building. When asked by the Court why he had committed such an act, he laughed and replied that he had done so because it need- i ed painting! He was a painter by | X 6S C trade, himself. The whole trial was a farce and the arrested men were soon acquitted, as no case could be made against them, because witnesses would not testify.“That was a long time ago and such a thing could not happen now.A mgloves—We’r«TPmakebersRt\stsMy brother, Alexander Ridley of | ® Brunswick, was there at the timeand so was David Carver, who is imone still living out on the Sabattus road.I was talking 'the matter over with Mr. Carver the other day and fouhd that he remembered all the circumstances of the affair.“Even that did not end the matter.Three years later the Catholics of Bath attempted to lay the corner stone of a new church. I was not there at the time, but Henry Glover of Howe _street in this city, has_told me jUst 'what happened. He was there at the time and saw It with his own eyes. The ceremonies were to take place 6ne Sunday morning but before the Catholics got there a mob of 1,500 men had taken possession.One man sat down and the Irish did not dare go ahead with their services.presume that this old bigotry was due to the emigration of those times. The old storiea of Catholic persecution of the Protestants in Europe had been told the people and it had started a strong prejudice. Itwas a* good many years before the•two races could live together in har-| Havill mony, but I am thankful that the old bigotry and prejudices are gone. We respect men now for their personal worth instead of measuring them by I a religious creed.9aY
Newspaper Details
Bath Independent and Enterprise
Bath, Maine, US
Sat, Dec 01, 1906
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 31 Dec 2018
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