Huntsville gazette., 1884-04-05
RIOT AND BLOODSHED.

Citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio, Exasperated
Over the Defeat of the Ends of Justice,
Seek Summary Yengeance-Ap Attack on
the Jail Brings Them in Conflict With the
Militia, Resulting in the Killing and
wounding OF Several Citizens--The Mob
Arming-Eseape of the Murderer, Ber-
uer.
CINCINNATI. o., March 20.
The most exciting night ever known in
Cincinnati has just closed, and the city
this morning is in stunned and dazed
condition, people asking each other with
bated breath and blanched cheek, "When
is all this to end?'
The deep feeling of Indignation which
has possessed all minds at the pusillani-
nous action of our courts in
general shielding of murderers
from the penalties due to their
crimes was multiplied and intensified by
the shameless verdict of Imprisonment
for limited term of the red-handed muir
derer Berner, indicted for and clearly
proven guilty of the deliberate and brutal
murdsAof VIM. H. Kirk.
A meeting was called by some of the
best citizens to protest against the action
of the jury, and by seven O'Clock Music
Hall was well filed with a constantly
increasing crowd. Long before the
meeting was called to order ten thousand
people crowded in the hall and
surged about the corridors and filled
the space in front of the building. The
looks of the people were ominous of evil.
Those who called the meeting soon saw
that they had raised a storm that might
end in whirlwind, but it was too late to
back out. They organized with a long
list of Vice-Presidents and the usual
officers They intended to counsel together
and advise as to the best means of
Kidding Cincinnati of the stain that was
on her The more moderate the better,
in the presence of the angry element.
The people were aroused-it was not
mob of the lower classes, but an angry
gathering of the best citizens, indignant
beyond control-a smouldering fire that
only needed breath to fan it into roar
ing flame.
Dr. Kemper, a respected citizen, was
made chairman, and made a conservative
! speech counselling moderation and dis
| closing how to correct the abuses of
criminal procedure and jury trial. An
allusion to the Berner jury was met by
cries of chang them;" chang them ALL"
'Iynch 'em." One man called out: 81
thought we came here to organize Wig
ilance committee; if so, let US 60 to
work" Shouts of eyes, yes," mingled
with few feeble noes' greeted the sug-
gestion.
Order was partially restored and the
speaker introduced General HickenloOper,
who spoke in the same strain, with fire.
1 - g =
Then Judge Carter comes forward and
addresses them, giving his long expert
ence on the bench, and saying
he had not heard of such an out
rage on law in all his life before
If the jury was believed to have been
dishonest i'll this matter they should
be allowed to leave the country, for
they were not fiji to live in civilized
country.
A voice called out: "What about Tom
Campbell, the great criminal lawyer"
s'If he is as dishonest as you seem to
think he is, let him go, too" replied the
judge.
The answering cheers almost lifted the
roof.
A big brawny fellow in an upper gal
lery let down rope in the sight of all.
1t was suggestive, and in minute score
more of ropes were in sight, and shouts
of "Hang 'em ALL" "gut the jail;"
''shoot them down on sight, ETC., were
heard on all sides.
Resolutions strong and sharp were
brought in and passed with a whirl.
friend of Campbell, Benners Laymer,
tried to amend them, but the crowd
would have none of it. They became
more and more boisterous; their blood
was getting hotter; the tiger in mems
bosoms was awakened. The leader saw
they must, if possible, avert mischief and
as quickly as possible adjourned at $40,
and in five minutes the hall was empty.
Mayor Stevens was sick in bed and the
whole duty of preserving the peace rested
upon the Sheriff.
At five minutes of ten the fire bells
struck CPL, the number of the Court
| house Instantly the city was in commo-
ton. Everybody knew what it meant.
| Crowds filled the jail. Fifteen thousand
| people were there in fifteen minutes.
| The first overt act was by some boys who
began to stone the Jail. Very soon
| crowd gathered. 1t was soon reinforced
| from the Music Hall meeting. In short
| time all the windows of the jail were
broken.
| uc CTOWu udu IOpCo. IHCy OiOhO iiiOO
| a carriage factory across the street and
took out huge beam sledge-hammer, &c.
| A dozen men ran with the beam as bat
tering ram against the jail door and forced
| it open.
The police upon arriving in the vicinity
| of the Jail commanded the crowd to move; ;
not being obeyed, they fired, but as no
one was hurt it was presumed the police
fred in the air-they being deeply in sym
pathy with the movement to condemn
the outrageous Berner verdict. A shot or
two was fired from the Jail, but the crowd
refused to move.
Inside the Sheriff, Jailer and Deputies
| kept themselves as calm as possible.
! The mob found Berner gone. They
| tried to find the Burkers and to batter
| down the cell door of one of them. BY
! this time the police were thick about
them. They got possession of the Jail
and restored order in a slight degree;
| but they did not dare to make any ar
rests; the mob would not allow it. They
| filled the house and roamed about un-
checked seeking some luckless criminal
on whom to wreak vengeance. There
was shooting but it was up to this time