Riot

In criminal law. A tumultuous disturbance of the peace by three persons or more, assembling together of their own authority, with an intent mutuuily to assist each other against any who shall oppose them, in the execution of some enterprise of a private nature, and afterwards actually executing the same in a violent and turbulent manner, to the terror of the pcople, whether the act intended were of itself lawful or unlawful. Hawk. P. C. c. 65, § 1. And see State v. Stalcup, 23 N. C. 30, 35 Am. Dec. 732; Dixon v. State, 105 Ga. 787, 31 S. E. 750; State v. Brazil, Rice (S. C.) 260; Marshall v. Buffalo, 50 App. Div. 149, 64 N. Y. Supp. 411; Aron v. Wausau, 98 Wis. 592, 74 N. W. 354, 40 In R. A. 733; Lycoming F. Ins. Co., v. Schwenk, 95 Pa. 96, 40 Am. Rep. 629. When three or more persons together, and In a violent or tumultuous manner, assemble together to do an unlawful act, or together do a lawful act in an unlawful, violent, or tumultuous manner, to the disturbance of others, they are guilty of a riot. Rev. Code Iowa 1880, § 4067. Any use of force or violence, disturbing the public peace, or any threat to use such torce or violence, lf accompanied by immediate power of execution, by two or more persons acting together, and without authority of law, is a riot. Pen. Co.de Cal. § 404.

— Riot act. A celebrated English statute, which provides that, if any twelve persons or more are unlawfully assembled and disfurbing the peace, any sheriff, under-sheriff, justice of the peace, or mayor may, by proclamation, command them to disperse, (which is familiarly called "reading the riot act,") and that if they refuse to obey and remnin together for the space of one hour after such proclamation, they are all guilty oi felony. The act is 1 Geo. I. St. 2. c. 5.