The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-03-31
WHEELING. MARCH s.ss4 TE

=. a. D Z. WHEELI
these windows would DO broken and til
accumulated wealth OF the contcnta OF tts
great building would be In ruins. But thi
building, great rs is lis lots, was lnercf
property. r1' E&I'
t-.. " BLOOD STAINED STREETS &
The other loases in that locality werc 0
human lie. Only pools OF blood here an,
there In the trsmpled dus. or on tho bricl
sidewalks, were to be seen. Only an hon
before on Sycamore Btraet, below Court
| lay four or Ave dead bodies OF drunken O.
venturcaome men. and who in spite OF th'
poIicemen's warning had gone beyond th(
limit permitted by thu militia. Who,
they iell under tho fire of militia no ont
dared 80 to take them away until the mol
had dispersed and tho streets were clear
| Only two honrs before, at 3A. N when &
small crowd gathered at the drug store at
I Court and Walaat one c0uasa west oi The
Court House, to zee the patrol wagon taks
awsv -F4.ad man, tho militia, mistaking
tb''4 Z wal OF the mob, fired vol.
ley, Aii"nx oaa and wounding nephew oil
tho proprietor OF the storo. One ball
struck the iron facing Of tho door, and 70.
hounding crashed through glass door near
the head Of The proprietor, who was using
the telephone. ~ :
Passing to the north side Of the court
house, on Walnut street, 8ickening scene
was presented. Here apparently the
iwounded had taken shelter behind the
protecting building, or perhaps here tho
fatally wounded had crawled to die. Pool
after pool Of blood dyed tho ground all
along the curhstones. All along the street
Signs Of blood were visible, and In the ball.
ways, three squares distant on Main street,
the hoors were smeayed where some un.
fortunate had crawled 10 dress his wounds
or die.
| A wAHToN ACT.
Tho burning OF the court house IVES
wholly aimless and malicious. except that
ono might find an excuse in the feeling
that the crowd WIS angered at tho place
where failure to 10 justice had been 60
marked. 1t did not aid at all in
getting. at the prisoners nor
In doing harm TO the militia.
| 1t was purely wanton, nor was there any
excuse for the failure to protect this prop
erty. The crowd was permitted to 90 to
tho very windows md braak them in with.
out resistance, and when opportunity otfer.
ed come derilish communist, who gloried
~ pure destruction, suggested to cast some
light On the subject.
l' ALL QUIET.
81 T. M.-There.has been no change in the
situation apparent since the mob dispersed
this morning. Although the weather is Do.
liShtiul the streets are comparatively clear.
The streets are barricaded now in nil d.
reetions, keeping tho crowd q square away
from the corrt house and jail. Gen. Fin
ley, Adju,ant General. is here. All the
available militia Of The State hs3 bean or.
dered here, as quick as possible. Every.
body looks for Il repetition tonight Of last
nights bloody and aimless work. ET
A NEEDLES, SACRIFICE.
| When the Treasurer's office w:s fred
one Of the most melancholy events Of the
nigh! took place in the killing OF Capt.
John ]. Desmond. He had been apprz.d
OF the purpose to burn the Court House,
and was sent with squad OF militia to tyy
to put out the fire. The mob tired on him,
and ball crashed through bis head, At
the eame time Private MCGUIRE was shot
through tho breast ane fatally hurt. Capt.
Desmond was q young lawyer Of much
promise, o -fae= looking soldier, the prids
Of his regiment, and one whose loss on
every account is deeply deplored.
There WIS no use now trying 10 stop the
inceadiaries. They went from Office to
Office starting fires, and 10 q few minutes,
with tho Windows all broken out, the inside
Of the court houss glowed like furnace
the fire engines were powerle!s. Firs. be.
cause the tremen refused to 20 without
an escort ot troops, and second because the
crowd could easily have cut the hose aud
prevented the use Of the engines. So far
the fire had its own way. Office after Office
wes reached by the flames and as the
floors crashed and fell tho crowd cheered.
The bad management hof Sheriff Haw-
kins has been again andiagain commented
on to day with reference to the loas OF this
building. An immenEe veranda with huge
stone columns reaching from the top Of the
first story 10 the roof and commanding
Main and Court streets, formed plece
where twenty men in safety could have
cleared The whole space with two voleys,
and could have made csrtsin death to any
man coming in range. Ng 51I
| WHAT REsoLurE MEN COULD HAVE DONE.
Moreover after the attack on tho Treas
urer's Office was made it would have been
the WORK OF a minute to have sent three
times twenty msn to all the front windows
Of the Court house and driven the mob
away, Z. Instead Desmond with mere
squad was ssnt to tho irst floor 10 put out
the fire, and he was sacrificed. 1t was the
gallant work Of Col. Freeman's Fourteenth
regiment that Iually cleared the streets
aud gave the authorities control OF
the entire space about the Court
house and Jail. Col. Hawkins
had evidently misunderstood the motiven
Of the mob. He thought the prisoners in
jail their objective point, whereas, il they
had any purpose at all it was 10 take re-
venge on the militia for the previous nights
reckless firing. Col. Hawkins therefore
had to give his whole attention 10 the pro-
lection Of the jail and prisoners. HisIop.
porlunities lor:knowipg the exac. situation
were not good, and he had reason to ex-
pecs assistance earlier from outside
troops. The Fourteenth RagiMent was
expected at 0o'clock. 1t was nearly lo
when it reached tho court house. The