Daily Republican., 1884-03-31
Tue CINCINNATI RIOT. =

Al p
three Nights OF Riot, Violence ant
Murder-The City UWder Martha
Law PabIic Buildings Barned :
ETC., Etc.
|. CINCINNATI, Ohio, March 80-1he riot
winch WAS but the elimination OF tbs bitter
ners OF feeling on the part q The population
OF Cincinnati against most Infamous vsr
dict Teld' red In the berneT murder trial, be
gan on Friday night and continued thr0u. b
the early morning Of Saturday. During tina,
day there was lull, aud reinforcements Of
militia, including the Fo1rth rsg nent from
Dayton. were brought to the scene Ssturday
night the mob gathered again and blood was
freely shed To-day and night there was
more tumult and loss OF life.
! I'm Friday night hugs mass meeting had
boon advertised for the purloee Of expressing
Indignation Vt the verdict In the herner
murder case, and for dovising tuch means
would etectusliy remedy the frequent cheat
my the law Of capital punishment. The
meeting WAS held IN the Music Hall and
was orderly, but fesriully 10 earnest and very
demOnstrative. Many Of those who were
present las was sferward ascertsinsdI had
equipped themselves with the necessary ar.
ticies Tor lynchins. Pieces OF rope were freely
displayed. When the monster meeting was
over, about tweniy minutes past LINE O'Clock,
aud the crowd gan to dispe. Sc, everything
wa. ready for Tremendous riot When the
advance guard OF the adjourned audience
reached Twelfth and Elm streets somebody
shouted File left" aud with cries Of "COme
this way"a crowd oil several hundred moved
east on Twelfth street
The I rmidaaie pro essIOD proceeded At
once to the county jail, followed by thousands
| each turn VI u square. Just about midnight
OF Friday night the mob on Sycamore street
succeeded IN batteriDg open The entrance
second time and forced their way into the
all office. At IL O'Clock the people were In
full possession VI tho lower reception rucm q;
the Jail.
The city militia arrived and with the To-
licemen, made ur q strong guard Of about
800. Attemptc were insde to burn the jail
by throwing barrel OF coal oil into the
Kitchen, but the flames were extingushod
rho cell Of the cOlUred murderer, Ben John
sOp, was att ackeu, but the mob didn't sue
coed in taking him. The jail and Its adJ0in-
shout the jan remained until daylight on
Saturday morning. The militia brei. and
many n stray no. WAS also fred indiscrmip.
ately by the mob The number Of killed and
wounded H. ,his IL eloe Of the e0riy Saturday
morning IL unknown, but was probably over
nifty
The Jail 10 circular in form, with two wing
extending north and south. Tho entrance
proper W the Jail Is reached by winding
stone stairway leading down TO an area IL
feet below the sidewalk. Here was tho be.
ginning OF the attack. The crowd could
surge up to the very door CT the lailer's resi-
dence, and cOnld NIL the area In front Of the
lower door, which they battered open with
heavy sawed beam, obtained from a new
building near by. The same beam and a
half Il d zen more were carried into tho jail
and used as props to secure Gil Of the outer
doors.
At daylight this morning reporter walk.
ed thIout h the quarter VI The oily where the
stormy scenes Of the previous night had been
enacted. over tho ruins OF the Treasurer's
office. In the northern part CT the Court
House building, the ruddy glow OF fire was
still visible, while from the other portion
thin. whitG-colOrc smoke and steam were
rising as the wafer thrown by the engines
fell into the burning contents. hut an hour
before on '>ycamo e street, below Court, lay
four or tive dead bodies Of drunken or ven
turesome men. who. In spite or the police.
mems warning, had gone beyond the limit
established by the militia. when they fell
under the ii.e Of the soldiers.
Pa sing to the north side of Court street. on
Walnut, a sckening scene WAS presented
Here, apparently, the wounded had taken
shelter behind IL protected building. Pool
after pool Of bl 90 dyed the ground all along
the curbstcne and in hall way three square
distant, on Main street, the floor was smear.
ed, where some unfortunate had dragged
b,mseli to dress h.s wounds or die.
The burning OF thu Court House was
wholly aimlcss and malicious, except that
one might lind an excuse in tho fact that the
crow d vas angered u the sight OF the place
whore, they believed, gbe failure to 10 JUS
tice had been 20 marked. The destruction OF
getting at the risoners or doing harm to
the militia. 1t WAS purely wanton. Nor
was there any excuse ter tho failure to pro-
tect this property. The crowd was permitted
to 20 to the very windows and break them
In without resistance, and when opp0rtu
nifty offered some reck less Communist, who
gloried In pure destruction, suggested to
" cast some light on the subject" This ia
the Paris of America sure enough" said an.
other. With this leadership and with such
motives, chairs. c'rpets and desks were bro
ken and piled In heaps In the Treasurer
the devll-may-care h 0dlums Ia the crowd
cheeIed and yelled to burn the ID militia
out.
Just here occurred one Of the most me.au-
choly events Of the nxht-the killing OF Gap
tain John J. Desmond. He had been advised
was sent with squad CT militia to try
to put out the fire. The mob fired on him
and ball crashed through his head. At
the same time Private Mcclure was shot
through the breast and fatally hurt. Cap
tain Dc nond was young lawyer Of much
promise. He was fine looking soldier and
the pride OF hts regiment.
There was no use now trying to stop tho
incendiaries. They went from ONCE 10 office,
starting fires and In few minutes the inter
Tor glOwed like furnace. The File Depart
mint was p0Werless-frst, because the fire
men refused to 80 out without an escort Of
troops; and, second, because the crowd could |
easily cut thehOse and prevent the use of the |
engines, Office AFTER office was reached by |
the flames. and az Il e dOOrs foil the crowd |
rheered. ]. WIS the gallant work Of Colonel |
fourteenth Regiment thai finally |
cleared the streets, and gave the authorities
control Of the entire space about the Court
hOuse and la;l.
The Fourteenth Regiment was expected at
D o c,ck., but It was II when it reached the
Court House. The Fourth Regiment was
total failure. 1t marched to ighth and
the depot. IL was subsequently ordered TO
march to Join the other troops ut the lail but
Colonel Mott said the troops had scattered
and he could not get them together. When
they finally Joined the fest Of the company
thew were not needed.
The united testimony Of men who had op-
portunities for observing WAS that from $50 to
800 mon composed the bulk Of the violent,
active rioters; that they were not fully armed
and could easily have been put TO flight.
When the attack was made on PowelHs gun
store, about midnight on Satu rday, the first
man who entered was shot dead, the second
shared the satue fate, ard the tn I'd was Sc
vereiy W unded. An effort was then made
10 burn the building, bu the proprietor, from
N upper window, fired q well.directed shot,
and tie effort was gwen up. Tho weak ness
Of the mob was again shown later, whom an
)ther portion Of the crowd got tha cannon
rom Music Hall. and we're mot and over
|, mo by squad OF birty police. who Ij-
tured the cannon and took f. up to the jail,
where IL was turned over to the militia.
Inside the Jail the scenes were spiritless.
The mob at no time made On impression on
my part Of the building. The troops were
ying on their arms, taking such rest as th,y ,
Gould get. |,
THE RIOT RENEWED.
AS the shadows Of che early evening grew s
|Dto the darkness Of night there was fear s
Imonr the law.abiding of another outbreak. {
At O'Clock 200 0fthe most prominent bust. ,
less men met at the Council Chamber a. the
'ity building Ma! or Stephens presided.-}
n q hrieuv Al n ta,l what mad hnen dune IN prn l