On January 24, 1861 the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society was holding its annual meeting at Tremont Temple in Boston.
  A group of anti-abolitionists attacked the meeting.
 The police protection that had been granted to the meeting was  inadequate to prevent rioting.
 Mayor Wightman entered the meeting and ordered the hall closed, Mayor Wightman had entered the hall with a group of policemen and members of the Board of Aldermen, upon entering the meeting place Mayor Wightman announced that the trustees of the building had asked him to dissolve the meeting, the trustees, who were in attendance, denied that they asked for the meeting to be dissolved and asked Mayor Wightman to read their letter, the letter was actually shown to be a request to protect the assembly.
 Mayor Wightman promised the chairman of the meeting Edmund Quincy that he would protect the evening session with fifty policemen, but he later had the meeting doors closed and blocked by police.
Mayor Wightman ended the meeting withdrew his offer of police protection and ordered the hall closed,
On January 24, 1861 the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society was holding its annual meeting at Tremont Temple in Boston.   A group of anti-abolitionists attacked the meeting.  The police protection that had been granted to the meeting was  inadequate to prevent rioting.  Mayor Wightman entered the meeting and ordered the hall closed, Mayor Wightman had entered the hall with a group of policemen and members of the Board of Aldermen, upon entering the meeting place Mayor Wightman announced that the trustees of the building had asked him to dissolve the meeting, the trustees, who were in attendance, denied that they asked for the meeting to be dissolved and asked Mayor Wightman to read their letter, the letter was actually shown to be a request to protect the assembly.  Mayor Wightman promised the chairman of the meeting Edmund Quincy that he would protect the evening session with fifty policemen, but he later had the meeting doors closed and blocked by police. Mayor Wightman ended the meeting withdrew his offer of police protection and ordered the hall closed,
Joseph Wightman