Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1884-04-05

ing the scene In total darkness. ]
was an awful moment.
The gas burners were slowly relit
but in the brief interim of darkness
all concerned thought unutterabl
things. When, q moment later,
squad of about tifty militiamen flee
into the tunnel, they experienced ,
feeling of relief. not for a moment
anticipating the awful result thai
was to follow the confinement of 81
many men In IN underground pas
1 sage over fifty feet in length by
about seven wide aud nine feet Il
the arched roof. AS the men passed
in they formed by threes. just
within the iron gate stood Officers
| Won Seggera and Phil Num-. The
former, who realized what was
about to occur, held up his hands
and said, "For Gods sake, don't
shoot in here. You will hit some OF
your friends" Instantly came the
stern command,
| s'FIREln
And a shower OF shot hurtled
through the Jail. Each man was sup
posed to fire over the head OF his
comrade in front.
The cries of wounded men, inno-
cent of offense, filled the air that
was dense with smoke. A moment
later two of the soldiers. with bleed
ing faces, were passed out aud trans
ferred to the armory. A little later,
and poor Phil Mum walked out be-
tween two Of his comrades wounded
in the stomach in three places and
in the leg near the knee.
After this there was heavy firing
on both sides, and several persons
were killed and nearly fifty wounded
About half past four everything was
quiet about the Jail, the mob having
dispersed.
THE ENTIRE OHIO MILITARY SER
VICE WAS ORDERED OUT.
The CINCINNATI Enquirer OF last
sunday said:
''The popular rage took another and
most disastrous turn last night, and to-
day the smoking ruins Of The Court
honse remain to tell every taxpayer
and property-owner Of the county OF
the great loss that has been inflictedup-
on him. 1t was the peoples property
and the people have destroyed 1t. To-
day they will ask, such as can think:
Was it worth while to inflict this great
damage upon ourselves, even If we did
thereby get hold Of these murderers? 1t
was a mad attempt to burn the jail,
and so far as could be seen from re-.
view of the situation ut midnight. it
was not likely to help the attack on the
Jail an iota.
The crowd was fun of deep rage
against the military for the staying Of
the citizens the night before. They
were disappointed that they had not
succeeded in getting the twenty-three
murderers out and hanging them. The
rage against the jury that had allowed
Berner to escape the gallows, and the
cumbcrson criminal law which had al
lowed the Jail to become populated by
murderers, was DOW turned also against
the citizen soldiery, Differed by mex
perienced officers, which had killed and
wounded SO many of their fellow-citi-
zens the night before 1t 10 an
incalculable loss 1t Is. a loss, not OF
yisable property, which may be re-plac-
ed, but OF intangible property which
can never be 1t Is a loss which Ham,
ilton county will feel for centuries TO
come, which Will fatten unborn genera
tions Of lawyers, which will make many
poor man, many widow and orphan
sweat drops Of agony as the property
on which they relied for support Is TAX
Ell from them because they can not
prove that the title by which they hold
was good previous to the year 1894. If
all the money and bonds i'll the County
Treasurer's Office were taken they could
be replaced. Ii every other piece Of
of property belonging to the city or
county were to-day smoking In ruins;
if half the city lay in ashes, all could
be replaced. But the County Records
never. e f a
AN AWFUL vOLLEY.
AS Office after ONCE in the noble old
building became wrapped IN the seeth-
ing flames the crowd grew denser and
and denser, and packed sOlidly In the
adjacent streets up to point where
the heat was but tolerabla. just as the
rapidly increasing hames, having gut
ted the lower floors, began 70 creep up
aud gather In their hot embrace. the or
fices, q tefriflc v0lIey Of musketry was
herd from the direction Of South Court
street, where a barricade had been
built, behind which the MALTA lay on
their guns. Each shot In the close con-
fines sounded like the boom of can
non, and the frightened crowd ran for
their lives before the awful storm OF
lead. The bullets battered against the
brick buildings on the west side OF
Main street with an ominous sound,
and everybody fled to cover. As the
crowd poured out Of Sout Court street
on to Main through the terrible heat OF
the burning buildings one man after
another was sean to reel and fall. Some
crawled into the DebOlt and around the
corner on their hands and knees 9th
ers were carried tepderly by friends,
who we're brave enough to stand and
assist them. Nothing was heard
throughout the immense throngs but
imprecations ana denunciations. SO
indignant were they that any proposal
would have met with great favor.
ssSet fre to the Armory p "Burn the
townV ssKill the s---n Of b--sl" refer
ring to the soldiers, and like cries were
heard on every side, while the more
cool-headed and sober-minded busted