Little Falls transcript., 1884-04-04
BLOODY KEYE EIOT
siraphic Details of the Destrucr1on
Wrought in Cincinnati by the
Inffuriated Mob. ...as s.as

TwentY-ssven Lives sacriacsd ana i
Large Number Wounded The
sg5 Revised List. !.
The riot in Cincinnati, Of which threatenings
were heard on Friday, broke out in earnest on
fifced and an immense amount Of property,
and all on account Of a verdict of Inanslaughter
against man named Benner for the murder
Of William Kirk, who had confessed the crime
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, mortally wounded; +.
Zohner, wounded in thigh; Ed Eulleff, shot, in
leg; Jackson Todd, badly; DR.. Charles Mus
croft, police-surgeon, slight wound Finally
the mob finding that Berner had been
fdpar spirited away aS dpisps;rsea Bsnner was
His escape greatly incensed the people, and the
rioters broke ont afresh. 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
most valuable law libraries in the world is gone.
Taxes capnnot 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
throng, intent upon joining their comrades in
the court house Kill them, kill, kill" was
heard upon ever1side, while stones and mis-
siles OF every kind flew over and about them,
Crashing through the windows, battering down
doors and causing other destruction. BY a
miracle those stragglers escaped, but their as
sailants, thus encouraged, pressed on the lorg
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. -. 49,"
The flames, gaining headway, 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
1890 o'clock the flames appeared through 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 as Main. On Main street there were
very few people after the first volley, where
several were wounded and killed. Before the
building was fired the release of the men arrest
cd 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 extinguishing it. An alarm was
sent in, but when the engines arrived the fire.
men were advised to return to tho houses, and
they acted on the advice
Capt. Devine and J, j. Desmond, captain of
Company G. FIRST regiment, attempted to drag
q line of hose in the treasurer's office, and they
perished III their efforts to reach the fire, after
being warned. There was an explosion and a
flash, and Capt Desmond dropped dead, with
the top of his head shot'off. This was the sig
nal for q regular fusilade. There was no
further attempt to put out the flames until the
arrival of the Fourteenth regiment, which
formed in squad facing the front, when one
of the files opened fire, killing a by-stander
on the sidewalk and getting series Of pistol
shots in return. Col Fred Heube, in charge
Of a 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 vol1ey they would drop 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 twicea as many. They extend
ed for squares In various directions.
THE BLooDIEsT STREET IN THE CITY
last Saturday night was Sonth Court street
Here the militia charged on the crowd two or
three different times. The first was 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 a
little boy mortally wounded The third volley
came from the east, and resulted in the killing
of three men,
The remarks of the crowd were significant,
and Ton, 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
grit shown by any one way from the court house
was by those on guard at Powell's 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 it was put out
Meantime those inside were showing fight, and
from the second story fous hit them off, killing
at least one, and it is thought three, in win
dow. On the other side of the street there are
eight bullet holes within radius Of fifteen in
ches. = -" Is II. H. z ~
About O'Clock Sunday night aregiment from
Columbus guarding the Court street approach
between Main and Walnut, on Court. The
troops answered the challenge by few shots,
which were followed by q 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
teryals in all directions. Itiwas the purpose O
the militia to clear the streets. One volley
fired down Main reetwounded, among others,
Dir 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 ewaS struck and most seriously wound
ed, and was conveyed to his home in carriage.
At 925 word was received at general head
quarters that q large mob had broken into
Music hall by breaking down the door, and was
trying to man o cannon on exhibition in Power
Eall Companies D and e, Sixth regiment,
were sent to drive them away 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 lefthome. The
attorneys have been quiet, and il, is possible
they might be roughly handled if good occasion
offered 8 At the opening fire, about i p. M,
four or five persons were killed and as many
wounded, including, as reported, two women
on Court street 5. 81 # ss i. II s1S s:zts
Several regiments of state troops were sent
to Cincinnati, and these with the knowledge
that several companies of regulars were near,
quieted the mob. On Monday ats2 o'clock q.
M, the police reported every ybody going home,
and the city was perfectly quiet Among the
L s'sPegsy Warren, member Of the last lsgisla-