The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-04-05
A CARNIVAL OF BLOOD.
A Howling Mob Creates Wild
Havoc in Cincinnati from Fri
day Night till Monday.
Indignant at an Unjust Verdict, Ten
thousand People Attempt to
Lynch Murderer.
The Court House Burned-Ths Entire
State Militia Called 0ut-Sosnes
of Great Carnage.
The Mob Finally Overcome-Story OF
Berners Escape, Recapture and
Imprisonment.
A Low Estimate Places the Dead ut
Thirty, and About Seventy five
Wounded Badly.
Friday Nights Struggle.
ORIGIN OF THE TROUBLE.

indignation over the unjust verdict rem
dered few days ago in the case of william
Berner, on trial for the murder of William
Kirk, eliminated on Friday night in scene
of terror such as has never before been wit
messed in this State.
Some months ago the body of man was
found floating in Mill Creek. 1t was iden-
tilted as that OF William ii. Kirk livery
stable keeper of this city. The appear
ance OF many bruises on the body, in adj
dition to the fact that the skull was crushed
in, gave unmistakable evidence that he
had been murdered, and his body afterward
thrown into the water to conceal the crime.
An investigation followed, and circum-
stances were developed which pointed al
most conclusiyely to William Berner and
Joe Palmer as the perpetrators OF the cold
bloOded affair. They were arrested. and
under pressure brought to bear by the de-
tectves confessed their crime. They said
that Kirk was killed by crushing his skull
with hammer. The object OF the murder
was to secure a sum OF money amounting
to little over four hundred dollars. Brrner
was brought TO trial, and on Monday even
ing last the jury brought in a verdict of
manslaughter. This verdict So enraged the
people that on leaving the courtroom the
jury were hoOted at and stoned. and since
that time have in many ways been made to
feel the Indignation of the public
A mass-neetlng was called to assemble in
the Music Hall Friday night to publicly
condemn the verdict. Ten thousand people
gathered there, and many who came were
unable to obtain aa entrance, thereby form
irg another crowd almost as large on the
outside Everybody appeared to be IN
goOd-humor when adjournment was an
nouncrd, and moved ont OF the hall quietly
and orderly There was more or less talk
about going over to the jail, but not
many who spoke that way appeared to be
in earnest. When the advance guard of
the adjourned audience reached Twelfth
and Elm streets somebody shouted File
left" and with cries of "COme this way"
a crowd of several hundred moved east on
Twelfth but hundreds, indeed thousands,
followed and sweled the throng until it
was a formidable looking procession.
The news that lynching party was as
saulting the Jail spread like wld-tire, and
soon the entire neighbOrhOOd swarmed with
thousands. The advance guard of the
wOuld-be lynchers arrived with a piece OF
jOist and rushed down the steps leading to
the basement entrance of the jail office.
These were backed up by the crushing
crowd behind First window was smashed
and wild yell went up from the crowd.
Another shattered window and a wilder
yell. Then the thump, thump of the i'm
provised battering ram, pounding against
the office-door began, and every thump
awoke a responsive yell. Bricks and stones
were hurled at the Jail windows, and the
shouting mob grew wilder as success
seemed nearer. The door at last gave
way and the crowd poured into the
Jail office.
Wild with excitement in finding them
selves in possession of the jall-Otfice 1t was
short work to force the door to the cell
floor. Soon the stairs and corridors, indeed
the entire interior of the jail, was dive with
the mob yelling and hunting for the muir
derers they came to hang.
At 9:55 the fire bells struck the ominouS
62l, the riot alarm, and followed by eegu-
lar alarm, as for fire, giving the number of
the box located at the Court House corner
Just back of the county Jail, The alarm
started thousands OF people all over the city,
and from all directions they locked by
scores by hundred, towards the County
Jail, Police, too, to the number of thirty
or forty were hurried to the scene in patrol
wagons Nos. and =, but by
the time the second load had ar
rived the crowd closed around the wagons
in an impenetrable mass and the handful OF
police and two wagons We're locked i'll that
sea of humanity as securely as ship frozen
in the Arctic Ocean.
At II 80 O'Clock the sound of axes at the
Court street entrance announced that a
fresh attack was being made from another
direction, and cheer after cheer rent the
air 1t must have been a horrible sound of
approaching doom for the prisoners behind
the bars officer John Mechley, driver OF
patrol.wagon No. 3, was hit in the head by
a brick thrown from one of the mob and
seriously hurt. The mob after Mechley
was injured, grew desperate and threat
ened any officer or private citizen who
would either in action or word antagOnize
their purpose.
At Just about midnight the mob on Syca.
more street succeeded in battering open the
entrance second time, and Sweled into
the Jail office. Here they were stopped by
the heavy iron gate shutting off the office
from the jail proper. Behind this were the
policeman awaiting the attack, which was
not long IN being made The mob had q
heavy piece of timber, foot square and
eighteen feet long. Fifty men swung this
back and forth against the iron gate, and in a
very little time they broke it squarely III two
in the middle. Then followed iland-t0
hand fight between the police under the lead
erslip of Colonel Refill, the Chief OF Police
and the mob
The first man to enter through the breach
was a negro. who was instantly seized by
half a dozen policemen, who huStlel hin
upstairs and locked him up. Other rioters
to the number in all of twenty i've, wer'
similarly treated, and we've all locked up II
upper cells. The charge of aiding rio
constitutes penitentisry offense. but tria
must be by jury. Under strict orders iron
Chief Reilly not shot was fired during al
this melee, Though several Of the fighters
both rioters and officers, were knocke,
down and more or less injured
The mob was too much for tine "fncers
however, and while few hundred were LEI
down stairs to fight the policemen hun'ired
of Others carried the heavy bitterilIg-raTi