River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-04-03
BLOODY BUCKEYE RIOT.
Graphic Details of the Destruction
Wrought in Cincinnati by the
Infatuated Mob.
Twenty-seven Lives Sacrificed and a
Large Number wounded-The
Revised List


On Friday night, an attack was made on the
| Jail The military were called out and fired on
the mob from the windows. Among the
wounded were James Green, dying; Walter Fay
dying; James Turk, MORALLY wounded F.
zohner, wounded in thigh; Ed Eullef, shot in
| leg; Jackson Todd badly; Dr. Charles Mus
| croft, police surgeon, slight wound Finally
the mob finding that Berner had been
| spirited away dispersed Benner was
| taken to the State Penitentiary at Columbus.
His escape greatly incensed the people, and the
| rioters broke out afresn- The court house Is
in ruins, and all that is left of it is the great
| heavy walls and vaults, which are hoped to be
| fire proof, but which are not opened All re-
| cords of every kind are destroyed not one, so
| far as is known, being left. What that entails
| il easier imagined than described. One Of the
most valuable law libraries in the world is gone.
| Taxes cannot be collected nor titles proved
| The military came only after the court
| house was in flames, and Cincinnati has paid
| dearly, indeed, for their folly. Shortly after
| dusk few scattering militia men, upon whom
/ all seemed anxious TO wreak revenge for the
wreck of the early morn, appeared in the
| thFong, intent upon joining their comrades in
| the court house skill Them kill, kill" was
| heard upon every side, while stones and mis-
| siles of every kind flew over and about them
crashing through the windows battering down
| uOOr5 ana causing OtnSr uestfuctlOn. 10y a
miracle those stragglers escaped, but their as
| sailants, thus encouraged, pressed on the long
line of police to whose protection the militia
| men owed their lives. The fusilade of stones
continued, the windows of the treasurer's Office
were demolished and the rioting began in ear
nest
| The flames, gaining Roadway, created draft
| through the building, and that increased their
| fury so that in a short time the lower story of
| the building looked like huge furnace. About
~ tho flames fhrOIOb the
floor of the auditors office, and in short
time the whole office was ablaze. The flames
were, of course fed by splendid fuel, the hun
| dreds of volumes of records burning very
| rapidly.
The crowd surged back and forth on Court
street west of Main, as a volley was fired by
| the militia The court house square was
packed with people, as was also the street up
as far Main. On Main street there were
very few people after the first yolley, where
several were wounded and killed Before the
building fired the release of the men arrest
| ed on Friday and imprisoned as leaders was de-
manded and refused The crowd would there
fore allow no one to approach the fire for the
purpose of extinguishiEg it, An alarm was
| sent in, but when the engines arrived the fire
| men were advised TO return to the houses, and
| they acted on the advice.
Capt Devine and J. ]. Desmond, captain of
Company G. FIRST regiment, attempted to drag
a line of hose in the treasurers office, and they
persisted in their efforts to reach the fire, after
being warned. There was an explosion and
| flash, and Capt Desmond dropped dead, with
the top of his head shot off. This was the sig
nal for a regular fusilade There no
further attempt to put out the flames until the
arrival of the Fourteenth regiment, which
formed in a squad facing the front, when one
of the files opened fire, killing by Islander
on the sidewalk and getting series of pistol
shots in return. Col Fred Heube, in charge
of Calling gun, then turned at the crowd,
and two or three persons were wounded, the
regiment cleared the street in front of the
court house.
All this while and all night there was fighting
going ON between the soldiers at the barricades
before both the Jail and court house and the
mob. The latter party were mostly armed with
pistols, some having guns. They would fire
on the soldiers who would reply, and now and
then in vOlley they would drop a half dozen.
The mob would howl and yell and charge for
ward only to be repulsed. Nobody ever Sc
cured such connected view of them as to en-
able their number to be estimated, but count
ing spectators as all rioters, there must have
been
AT LEAST TWENTY THOUSAND.
and not unlikely twice as many. They extend
ed for squares in various directions
THE BLooDIEsT STREET IN THE CITY
last Saturday night was South Court street
Here the militia charged on the crowd two or
three different times. The tirstwas made about
1880 O'clock when five men were shot, three
of whom were killed. The next volley was
fired from the north, and one man killed and
little boy MORALLY wounded. The third volley
came from the east, and resulted In the killing
of three men
The remarks of the crowd were significant,
and Tom Campbell counsel for Benner and
the jury were damned by everybody Men
swOre by awful round oaths that if they could
catch Tom Campbell and the jury they would
hang them sky-high, and then hurl them TO hell
Again and again was the attempt made TO reach
the jail yard gate from North Court street;
wounded and dead were left each time. Per
sons shot all hours of the night The most
grit shown by any one way from the court house
was by those on guard at PowelFs gun store,
it was attacked by a party who wanted to get
ammunition they tried to put coal oil over the
front and set it on fire, but 1t was put out
Meantime those inside We're showing fight and
from the second story fought them OF, killing
at least one and it is thought three, in a win
dow On the other side of the street there are
eight bullet holes within radius of fifteen III
ches.
About s o'clock Sunday night regiment from
Columbus guarding the Court street approach
was fired into by one of the mob from an alley
between Main and Walnut on Court The
troops answered the challenge by few shots,
which were followed by volley and several
shots from the Calling stationed there. The
number of injured at this hour cannot be as
certained. The firing was now continued at in
tervals in all directions 1t was the purpose
the militia to clear the streets One volley
Mr. Briggs Swift, prominent pork packer,
standing at the co ner of Seventh and Main,
three squares from the court house, IN CONVEX
sation with Henry Hanna, Third street bro
ker He was struck and mostseriously wound
ed, and was conveyed to his home in carriage.
At 9:25 word was received at general head
quarters that large mob had broken into
Music hall by breaking down the door, and was
irving to man a cannon on eXhlblton IN POWER
hall Companies ID and Z, Sixth regiment,
m 1riv fbaTO and succeeded
without bloodshed, capturing the cannon and
taking possession of the hall There has been
much feeling against the jury that tried Ber-
ner, and in some quarters against his attorneys.
Our Juror living in the city has left home. The
attorneys have been quiet, and it is possible
they might be roughly handled if good occasion
offered. At the opening fire, about ) p M,
four or five persons were killed and as many
wounded, including as reported, two women
ON Court street
Several regiments of state troops were sent
to Cincinnati, and these with the knowledge
that several companies Of regulars We're near,
uuieted the mob On Monday at O'Clock a.
NJ, the police reported everybody going home,
and the city was perfectly quiet Among the
men in Jail for participating in the riot Is
peggy" Warren a member of the last leglsla-
ture of Ohio He is said to have been among
the most active in counsellng rObblng gun
stores.
At 3 o'clock Fred Smalze, bartender at the
Queen City Hotel, who had been among the
crowd annoying the nlllua AT Iue DIluSe ONeI
the canal on Main street, began TO advance be-
yond the limit soldier warned him to stop.
He refused, the soldier fired and the man fell
dead The patrol wagon quickly came, and
amid great excitement bore the body OF to Ha-
big's
Passing to the north side of the court on
Walnut street sickening scene was presented.
Here apparently the wounded had taken shelter
behind protecting buildings, or perhaps here
the fatally wounded had crawled TO die. Pool
after pool of blood dyed the ground all along
the curbstone All along the street signs of
blood were visible and in hallway three
squares distant on Main street the floor was
s1neared where some unfortunate had crawled
to dress his wounds or die.
The burning of the court house was wholly
aimIess and malicious, except one might find an
excuse in the feeling that the crowd was angered
At the place where failure to do justice has
been so marked
Benner has been resting quietly in prison all
dav. The gates had TO be closed against the
public for chapel, owing to the multitude OF
curious gazers that appeared No violence Is
probahie here 1t ls very quiet, but the night
guard at the prison is small and there has been
some talk of easy access 10 nm
Tho list Of the killed outright is as follows:
James COndon No. -, Hunt street, carriage
blacksmith. leaves wife and three children.
John Haverkamp Central avenue, coal cart
driver.
Fritz Havemaver, No - Woodward. aged Al,
hod carrier Leaves wife and five children.
Frank Hettersheimer, No 5I2 Central avenue,
| employed in Tenbroeck's furniture factory.
| Support of his mother and stepfather.
Ben Fink. 40l Walnut street shoemaker,
supporting his mother and family.
John Sacgler, 80 East Front street, married
Tipo at