Heavy hammers and sledges, which had been brought from forges and workshops, caught up hastily as they gathered the mechanics into their ranks, were used with frightful violence to beat them in,--at last successfully.

The foremost assailants began to climb the stairs, but were checked, and for the moment driven back by the fire of the officers, who at last had been commanded to resort to their revolvers.

A half-score fell wounded; and one, who had been acting in some sort as their leader,--a big, brutal, Irish ruffian,--dropped dead.
The pause was but for an instant.

As the smoke cleared away there was a general and ferocious onslaught upon the armory; curses, oaths, revilings, hideous and obscene blasphemy, with terrible yells and cries, filled the air in every accent of the English tongue save that spoken by a native American.

Such were there mingled with the sea of sound, but they were so few and weak as to be unnoticeable in the roar of voices.
The paving stones flew like hail, until the street was torn into gaps and ruts, and every window-pane, and sash, and doorway, was smashed or broken.