Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-04-04
THE GREAT CINCINNATI
RIOT.

DERER-THE JAIL ASSAULTED-CITI-
zENs SHOT BY THE MILITARY-THE
COURT HOUSE BURNED-TERRIBLE
sCENEs-1000 600 PEOPLE IN THE MOB.
&C., &C. &C.
One of the most terrible riots that has
taken place in this country and one in
which the whole State volunteer force of
Ohio was called out, took place in Cincin-
natl during Friday and Saturday last. To
better understand the tragedy the reader
must know that it has been next to inn
possible for some time to punish MUIR
derer in that city. and there are now in
the Jail there twentythree murderers,
nearly all of whom, through the astuJeness
of their counsel, or the laxity or corrup
ton of juries, are candidates for new
trials instead of the gallows. For long
time the people have been brooding over
this, but on Monday week a trial occurred,
the farcical ending of which put an end to
the exercise of forbearance. VIM. Berrer,
white boy of eighteen had conspred with
a black man named Palmer, to murder w.
H. Kirk a respectable and har Two rking
farmer living just outside of the city
They killed him as he was driving home
in his wagon, and threw his body into a
eek. They were arrested and both con-
fessed the murder. Berner who was put
on trial first was clearly convicted of muir
der in the first degree, but the jury
br ought in verdict for only manslaugh-
ter. The crowd in the court house Kissed
the recreant jurors and thejudge denounc.
| ed the verdict. The jurors had to flee for
their lives after they got out of the court
house. They were afterwards met on the
| street and beaten and rotten eggsd, while
| their houses were stoned. The prisoner
| would have been lynched in the court
room had not the officers quietly gotten
! him through tunnel from the court house
into the Jail.
MEETING OF CITIZENS.
| On Friday night meeting of citizens
took place to consider the verdict anc
what ought to be done. It was addressed
by some of the most prominent citizens o.
Cincinnati. The following resolutions
were adopted:
Whereas a jury, composed of citizens of thu
| county of Hamilton, having heard the testimon!
| in the case of illiam Berner, who had been in
dicted for participation in the murder of William
| II. KIRK, which was one of the most a.rocous ant
! cold FLOODED murders ever comm tied. and whose
guilt was clearly established. has returned yer
dict of guilty of manSlaughter only; Therefore
| ResOlued, That the jurors who acquitted Bernel
Of murder in the first degree are unfit to live in
civilized community, ana that they should. one ant
ALL receive the scorn and contempt of their fellow
citizens to such extent that they will be glad t.
| leave the county and seek homes elsewhere dur
| ing the remainder of their unworthy lives
| htesotce6, II hat we are opposed to lrgal methods
| of punlshing crime, and that we will exert our
| selves to secure more vigorous and speedy admi
| niStraJion of he criminal laws, and call upon Ou
fellow citizens to aid in this endeavor by extra
judicial means to obtain security Tor life and prop
| erty in our county.
Resosued. That we demand such change in thu
| lae of the State as will secu e a more speedy ant
| effective administration of the criminal law ENC
to this end request the president of this meeting
| to appoint committee of fifty persons to consider
and report at a future mass meeting OF the people
| what changes in the statutes OF the SAFE VIII b3
| necessary to promo this end especially with ref
| erence to the Jury system.
ITO THE JAIL"
When the meeting adjourned and the
5000 or 7 600 persons were pouring out oil
the hall. the cry ITO the Jail u was raised
and the crowd. not knowing that -Bernel
had been taken away, surged thither IL
one solid mass, filling the whole width OF
| the street. AS it moved On others Joined
che throng, and when it reached Sycamore
| street in front of the Jail it must have
| numbered 10000 men. The approach tC
the jail WAS made rapidly and quietly
Sheriff Hawkins, expecting some demon
stration, had thirteen deputies on guard
in the office. They were soon startled by
| heavy blow on the outside door. and
they Immediately realized that an attack
| Was being made. Sheriff Hawkins then
4 bnJ Inv fol
phone, and the riot alarm was sounded.
The mob had brought up d long heavy oak
plank and used 1t as batterng ram
They began operations on the north out
| side door. The blows rained fast and
| Strong, but the iron door resisted every
| effort to force it. Then the excited
| men on the outskirts of the mob. growing
impatient at the delay and determined to
do something to show their Indignation.
began to throw stones at the building and
| fire pistols into the air. Encouraged by
these demonstrations, the men handling
| the battering ram redOubled their efforts.
| For full three-quarters of an hour the
| blows rained upon the door without effect
and the mob became frenzied and unc m
| trollable. A proposition to set fire to the
| building was made and thousands of voices
| took up the cry. The throng started to
| carry it into execution, but at this mo-
! ment shout arose from the front. The
| doors were beginning to give Way. The
| blows were quickened and rang out in
| the night air as though they came from a
steam-hammer.
GATHERING DOWN THE DOORS.
Suddenly the doors flew off their hinges,
and the bowling mob rushed pell-mell into
the building. About fifty of them noun
ted the stairs. Here they we're met by a
detail of police and the sheriff, and were
forced back into the jail office. BY this
time the mob outside procured long,
heavy board, and placing it on the iron
railing in front of the Jail, pushed it
through window into the second story
With this they broke out the entire sash
| and the inside shutters, and scrambled
| into the apartment of Jailer Brady. This
successful move encouraged the crowd,
who made rush for the south door lead
! ing to the street from the second story,
| which is here level with the pavement
This soon gave way, and the mob went
through in great numbers. When the
mob entered, the sheritf's force withdrew
into the Jail proper, leaving between them
and the mob the heavy grated iron door.
which separates tine reception room from
the cell room. This is at the foot OF the
stairway leading up to the cell room. The
reception room was jammed. and the mob
kept calling, ''Give us Berner Give Us
Johnson!' and so on through the list of
murderers confined in the building. There
set med to be no leader Finally a tall,
muscular negro began to give orders, and
the mob quietly obeyed Space was clear
ed, and the plank, used as b4ttering ram
was brought to bear against the iron door.
Sheriff Hawkins and his men stood behind
the door with drawn revolvers. The sher-
fE 10 a m nf 6path fO
ter that door. The crowd Wavered mo-
ment and hesitate d. Then the colored
leader gave the word to swing the plank
He was instantly obeyed, and the gate
trembled with the shock. A mighty shout
went up. A second stroke from the bat
tering ram made the gate weaken percep-
tibly' and third lnosened it from it's bolts