Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1884-04-03

THE RIOTERS CRUSADE.
Cincinnati in the Hands of a Msb.
Great Destruction of Property
and Loss of Life.


The riot which began Friday night, March
2S, as result OF an Indignation meeting held
to denounce the verdict Ia the case Of William
Berner. the murderer, Is one OF the most dis
graceful affairs recorded In many
years. The infurated mob went to the jail,
and after most determined fight gained
entrance. Meantime Sheriff Hawkins had
sent for 40 soldiers from the armory, and had
admitted them 10 the jail 10y a tunnel leading
under the ground To the criminal room OF the
court house In rear OF the jail. just as the
crowd pushed through the broken gates the
soldiers opened fire and several were wounded.
The soldiers and policemen then picked I'D
the wounded and carried them out through
the tunnel and court house. Fooled at one
entrance, about 300 determined cpirtts marched
around to the court house on another street
forced wide entrance and passed
down stairs to the enti ance to
the tunnel. Here they were confronted by
closed rolled iron doors. These were quic ky
battered down by large beam used as q bat
terirg ram The door was no sooner DESTROY
cd than the crowd discovered Ia the pas.
sage In front OF them, lighted by gas lets an
array of soldiers with loaded muskets pointed
at him. In another second came the command
fire." and 40 guns were discharged with deadly
aim into the packed mass Of men In the tunnel
VIII CHI Is not more than six feet wide. At least
30 fell and several were killed and wounded.
There was ascattering fire of revolvers in reply
"a VI.
time the mob had forced again the Sycamore
street entrance, had set fire 10 two barrels of
petroleum stored In the cellar, and had made
their way along the corridors TO the cells look
ing for Berner and his pal Joe Palmer. They
actually found Palmer, but he bluiied them
of by saying that he was not Palmer
that Palmer was ON the corridor above. Ii was
found that the battering beams could not be
used In the narrow corridors to advantage, and
the soldiers and police hustled the mob out Of
the jail. This was the last attack. The fire
MADE an awful smudge, but as the jail IL
nought but stone and iron, could not burn.
The intention was to smoke the soldiers and
| prisoners out
1t was o'clock In the morning before the
| Jail was wholly cleared Of the mob, aud at that
| time there was present an ample fierce oil
| soldiers and police TO hold IL.
| At q o'clock in the morning crowds of GU.
rious people were assembling by thousands and
by 10 O'Clock the streets around the courthouse
| and jail were thronged by an immense con
course Of people, kept back by large force Of
| militia and police, while others of tue soldiery
and officers guarded completely every approach
| to the jail and patrolsd its corridors.
The excitement continued on the next day
increasing with every hour. The militi. were
| ordered out in full force, and responded prompt
/, for duty. AT 10 O'Clock on the night Of tn,
Goth the mob had forced an entrance into tn,
court house and set it on IRE. An alarm wa.
around the building, and II was impossible FOL
the iremen To work. There Is no doubt tina
the wreck viii be complete and that the rec
ords OF the county will be entirely destroyed
The fire ragged for hours. The mob had poured
petroleum over the entire lower part of Tia
court house, and the immense str ucture was
one mass OF seething flames. After the fir
broke out in the court house some OF the EN-
ployes who were In the building az the time
threw somt valuable records out OF the win
dow. They were Immediately picked up BY
the mob and tossed into the fire aud DESTROYED
The militia turned the Calling gun on the
mob, who made terrific onslaught on tn
militia, captured the cannon, turned II on thu
hremen who were coming up.
AT O'Clock on Sunday morning the 3Oh
scenes Of bo1dshed and horror prevailed I'm
| abated and the mob received fresh strength
FROM the suburbs and grew bolder and more
blood thirsty with every access on 10 theil
rank They gained possession OF four cannon
and powder with which to commence IN,
battle with the military and police. The situa
ton is indescribable Men were shot down ever
| minute, and the hospitals were filled with III,
bleeding aud suffering victims OF the butchery
An hour later three or four hundred men anC
boys while dragging the cannon around search
ing for powder were met near the corner o
Fourth and Walnut streets by a squad o
police who ordered the mob To halt, at th'
same time firing their pistols IN Che air Tn
all directions around the court house and 4
looked a. though the trouble was over for tn;
night, but police and military vigilance
was not relaxed in the least.
BERSER CAPTURED.
Berner, the prisoner, who was the cause o
all this disgracefal affair, but who had escape,
the first night IN the excitement Of the riot
| was arrested the next afternoon, near Love
land, Ohio. After he escaped from the officer
who had him in charge snd from the mob a
Loveand, he fed upon the railroad track 70
several miles The first portion of the nigh
be spent in an empty freight car, and beini
afraid 10 stay there he started out and van
dered around In the woods the rest Of TN
night. Early the next morning he started il
the direction OF Cincinnati and was overtakei
by Cincinnati officers, who had hired a carriag
at Loyeland and started out to look for him
He was taken TO Columbus at once. and SCENE,
to feel greatly relieved when safely within tn
| prison walls.
At o'clock ON Sunday morning, compar
alive quiet had been restored, and the greate
portion of the mob had been dispersed. tn,
dead were lying scattered around the streets
and a safe estimate placed the number at be
tween - and 100. Only small portion o
them could be identified but IL is known tha
| among the number were several of the mos
4 Il. aN.H