A. I can hardly tell you what time of the day it was. I think it was towards noon, or some place about that time.
Q. Go on and tell us all the facts about?
A. Well. I jumped off my seat and ran out of the door. I saw they were making for the bridge. I run and shut the gate. There was a great part of them got over before I got that accomplished. I shut the gates and kept a great many this side. Those that got in passed over the bridge while I was there. There was another crowd came and insisted upon going over, and I wouldn't unlock the gates. They told me they would break the gates. Very well, said I, you can do so. There was one man—a young man—he was half grown—a great part of them were young men—he went and took hold of the picket-gate to break it open. I caught him by the collar of the neck and threw him back. I said I would throw him in the river if he didn't stop. He wanted to know what I had to do about it. I told him I would show him. I kept him at bay there for a long time. Finally there was a man came there—I cannot recollect his name now—and told me the mayor had sent him up there to tell me to open the gate. I used the remark that the mayor had nothing to do with that—I wouldn't open the gate—this was individual property, and it had nothing to do with the matter at all. I wouldn't open the gates. Some of them jumped over—some of them jumped over the gates, and finally this man insisted that the mayor had sent him. I wouldn't believe him at first. Finally he said it was so, and there was two or three men stood at the gate there and begged me to leave them over. Says I, if I open the gates they will crowd in. They said they wanted to go over, and would help me to shut the gates. These men were standing there waiting to get over, and they promised to help. I unlocked the gate, and after I unlocked it these men came in and tried to help me shut it, but the crowd pressed so hard, by the time I got the latch in they sprung the gate and threw it off its hinges—it is just set on hinges—and the gate fell over, then they all rushed in. I had no more command over them at all. They all rushed right through.
Q. How large a crowd went through?
A. I suppose there was a couple of hundred went over. I may say so by the looks of them.
Q. Did they say what they were going for?
A. Yes; some of them.
Q. What did they give as their object?
A. Their object was to go over there for some soldiers—over there to bring them over in safety. These soldiers over at Fairview—they wanted to come over, and they sent a man over to get some one to protect them.
Q. Did you see the man the soldiers sent over?