The Mineral argus., 1884-04-17
BLOODY BUCKEYE RIOT.
Graphic Details of the Destruction
wrought in Cincinnati by the
Infatuated Mob.
-~wenty-seven Lives Sacrificed and a
Large Number Wodnded-The
Revised List.

The riot in Cincinnati, Of which threatenlnSs
we're heard on Friday, broke out in earnest on
Saturday and a large number Of lives were sac
rrfeed and an immense amount of property,
and all on account Of a verdict Of manslaughter
against a man named Benner for the murder
Of William Kirk, who had confessed the crime.
On Friday night, an attack was made on The
Jail. The military were called out and hred on
the mob from the windows among the
wounded were James Green, dying; waiter ray,
diving: James Turk, MORALLY wounded; +.
Zohner. wounded in thigh; Ed Eullef, shot IN
leg: Jackson Todd, badly; DR.. Charles MUS
croft, police-suTgeon, slight wound Flnally
the mob .a finding dis sneT ger99 Ben mnG was was
taken to the State Penitentiary at Columbus.
His escape greatly incensed the people, andthe
rioters broke out afTesh. The court house IS
in ruins, and all that Is left OF II is the great
heavy walls and vaults, which are hoped to be
fire proof, but which are not opened All re-
cords of every kind are destroyed, not one, so
far as is known, being left Mha that entails
is easier imagined than described. One OF the
most valuable law libraries in the worldls gone.
Taxes cannot be collected nor titles proved.
The military came only after the court
house was in flames, and Cincinnati has paid
dearly, indeed, for their folly. Shortly after
dusk a few scattering militia men, upon whom
all seemed anxious TO wreak revenge for the
wreck of the early morn, appeared IN the
throng, intent upon joining their comrades IN
the court house. "Kill them, kill, kill" was
heard upon every side, while stones and mis-
siles of every kind flew over and about them,
crashing through the windows, b~atterlng down
doors and causing other destruction. by a
miracle those stragglers escaped, but their as
~sailants, thus encouraged, pressed on the long
line of police to whose protection the militia
men owed their lives. The fusilade of stones
continued. the windows of the treasurer's office
were demolished and the rioting began IN ear
nest
The flames. gaining Roadway, created a draft
through the building, and that increased thelr
fury so that in a short time the lower story OF
the building looked like a huge furnace. About
1890 O'Clock the flames appeared through the
floor of the auditors office, and IN a snort
time the whole office was ablaze. The hames
were. of course fed by splendid fuel, the hun
dreds of volumes of records burning very
rapidly.
The crowd surged back and forth on Court
street west of Main, as a yolley was hred by
the militia. The court house square was
packed with people, as was also the street up
as far as Main. On Main street there were
/ very few people after the first volley, where
several were wounded and killed. Before the
building was fired the release of the men arrest
ed on Friday and imprisoned as leaders was de-
manded and refused The crowd would there
fore allow no one to approach the fire for the
J purpose of eXtingulshlng It, An alarm was
sent in, but when the engines arrived the fire
men were advised to return TO the houses, and
they acted on the advice.
Capt Devine and J. ]. Desmond, captain OF
Company 9. First regiment, attempted TO drag
a line of hose in the treasurer's Office, and they
perished in their efforts to reach the fire, after
being warned. There was an explosion and a
flash, and Capt Desmond dropped dead, with
the top of his head shot off. This was the sig
nal for a regular fusilade. There was no
further attempt to put out the flames until the
arrival of the Fourteenth regiment, which
formed in a squad facing the front, when one
of the files opened fire, killing a by-stander
on the sidewalk and getting a series of pistol
shots in return. Col Fred Heube, in charge
of a Calling gun, then turned at the crowd,
and two or three persons were wounded, the
regiment cleared the street in front of the
court house.
All this while and all night there was fighting
going on between the soldiers at the barricades
before both the jail and court house and the
mob. The latter party were mostly armed with
pistols, some having guns. They would nre
on tie soldiers who would reply, and now and
then in a volley they would drop a half dozen.
The mob would howl and yell and charge for
ward only to be repulsed. Nobody ever Sc
cured such a connected view of them as to en-
able their number to be estimated, but count
ing spectators as all rioters, there must have
been .
AT LEAST TWENTY THOUSAND.
and not unlikely twice as many. They extend
ed for squares in various directions
THE BLooDIEsT TIRE IN Il CITY
last Saturday night was South Court street
Here the militia charged on the crowd two OF
three different times. The first was made aDou'
1880 O'Clock, when fye men were shot, thret
of whom were killed. The next yolley was
fired from the north, and one man killed and
little boy MORALLY wounded. The third Voley
came from the east, and resulted in the KILLING
of three men. d,
The remarks of the crowd were significant
and Tom Campbell counsel for Benner anC
the Jury were damned by everybody. Mel
swore by awful round oaths that if they coulC
catch Tom Campbell and the jury they would
hang them sky-high and then hurl them TO hell
Again and again was the attempt made to reacl
the jail yard gate from North Court street
wounded and dead were left each tune. Fer
sons shot all hours of the night. The mos
grit shown by any one way from the court nous
was by those on guard at Powelfs gun store
! it was attacked by a party who wanted to &c
ammunition, they tried to put coal oil over TN
front and set it ON fire, but 1t was put out
Meantime those inside were showing night, ant
J from the second story fought them of, klllIni
at least one. and it is thought three, in a win
| dow. On the other side of the street there ar
/ eight bullet holes within a radius of fifteen In
ches.
About s o'clock Sunday night a regiment fror
Columbus guarding the Court street approac
was fired into by one of the mob from an ale
l between Main and Walnut, on Court tn
! troops answered the challenge by a few shot
which were followed by a volley and sewers
shots from the Calling stationed there. In
| number of injured at this hour cannot be az
, certained The firing was now continued at II
, tervals in all directions. 1t was the purpose {
g the militia to clear the streets. One yole
I fred down Main street wounded, among other
. Mr.. Briggs Swift, a prominent pork packe1
: standing at the corner of Seventh and Mali
three squares from the court house, in CONVEX
4 sation with Henry Hanna, a Third street brt
ker. He was struck and mostseriously wound
ed. and was conveyed to his home in a carriag
At OBS word was received at general heaC
) quarters that a large mob had broken I'M
Music hall by breaking down the door, and WI
, irving to man a cannon on exhibition IN PoW'