About ten o'clock, a policeman in Worth Street, while endeavoring to clear
the sidewalk, was knocked down and severely beaten. At length, breaking
away from his assailants, he hastened to the central office in White
Street, and reported the state of things. A squad of police was
immediately dispatched to arrest the ringleaders. On reaching Centre
Street they found a desperate fight going on, and immediately rushed in,
to put a stop to it. The belligerents at once made common cause against
them. A bloody hand-to-hand conflict followed, but the police at length
forced the mob to retreat. The latter, however, did not give up the
contest, but mounting to the upper stories and roofs of the tenement-
houses, rained down clubs and stones so fiercely, that the police were
driven off with only two prisoners.

Comparative quiet was now restored, though the excitement spread in every
direction. It lasted, however, only an hour or two, when suddenly a loud
yell was heard near the Tombs, accompanied with the report of fire-arms,
and crowds of people came pouring down Baxter and Leonard Streets, to get
out of the way of bullets. Some wounded men were carried by, and the
utmost terror and confusion prevailed. The air was filled with flying
missiles and oaths, and shouts of defiance. Now the Dead Rabbits would
drive their foes before them, and again be driven back. The bloody fight
thus swayed backwards and forwards through the narrow streets for a long
time. At length twenty-five Metropolitan Police appeared on the scene,
while fifty more were held in reserve. Though assailed at every step with
clubs and stones, they marched steadily on, clearing the crowd as they
advanced, and forcing the Dead Rabbits into the houses, whither they
followed them, mounting even to the roof, and clubbing them at every step.
After clearing the houses, they resumed their march, when they were again
attacked by the increasing crowd, many of them armed with muskets and