three o’clock but the mob still had control.  The officers could not even remove those Negroes who complied with the law of leaving.  The authorities finally hit upon the scheme of decreasing the excitement by inducing about 300 colored men to go to jail for security after they had been assured that their wives and children would be protected.  The Negroes consented and were accordingly committed, but the cowardly element again attacked these helpless dependents like savages.  At the same time other rioters stormed the office of The Philanthropist and broke up the press.  The mob continued its work until it dispersed from mere exhaustion.  The Governor finally came to the city and issued a proclamation setting forth the gravity of the situation.  The citizens and civil authorities rallied to his support and strong patrols prevented further disorder.[42]

It is impossible to say exactly how many were killed and wounded on either side.  It is probable that several were killed and twenty or thirty variously wounded, though but few dangerously.  Forty of the mob were arrested and imprisoned.  Exactly what was done with all of them is not yet known.  It seems that few, if any of them, however, were severely punished.  The Negroes who had been committed for safe keeping were thereafter disposed of in various ways.  Some were discharged on certificates of nativity, others gave bond for their support and good behavior, a few were dismissed as non-residents, a number of them were discharged by a justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and the rest were held indefinitely.[43]

This upheaval had two important results.  The enemies of the Negroes were convinced that there were sufficient law-abiding citizens to secure to the refugees protection from mob violence; and because of these riots their sympathizers became more attached to the objects of their philanthropy.  Abolitionists, Free Soilers and Whigs fearlessly attacked the laws which kept the Negroes under legal and economic disabilities.  Petitions praying that these measures be repealed were sent to the legislature.  The proslavery element of the State, however, was equally militant.  The legislators, therefore, had to consider such questions as extradition and immigration, State aid and colonization, the employment of colored men in the militia service, the extension of the elective franchise, and the admission of colored children to the public schools.[44] Most of these “Black Laws” remained until after the war, but in 1848 they were so modified as to give the Negroes legal standing in courts and to provide for their children such education as a school tax on the property of colored persons would allow[45] and further changed in 1849[46] so as to make the provision for education more effective.