The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-04-04
COLUMBIA COUNTY PA
THE CINCINNATI MOB.
RIOT AND BLooDsnED IN THE STREETS
BECAUSE A JURY DID NOT RENDER A
JUST VERDICT.

William Berher, a young man, had
hand in cold blooded murder last De-
cember at Cincinnati. He was employ
ed by man named Kirke, who fire.
quently carried large sums Of money
about him. With Joe Palmer, a negro,
Berner killed Kirke with clubs, and
they divided the money they got. After
dark they hauled the body to creek
and dumped it in. When Beruer was
arrested he confessed the murder but
afterwards recanted. His trial resulted
10 verdict of murder in the second
degree, which was received with sur.
prise and indignation by the court aud
spectators. People argued that IL a
man like Berner could get off so easily,
the law would have no show at all
against most of the murderers confined
in the Jail. Public sentiment ran so
high that an indignation meeting was
called last Friday night to discuss the
prevalence of crime. During the day
Berner was sentenced to twenty years
imprisonment, the utmost limit OF the
law, and was secretly removed to Col
umbus.
From the mass meeting the people
surged towards the Jail and an attempt
made to break iu it to lynch the pris.
oner, and the riot alarm, which vas
quickly sounded, brought thousands of
people to the neighborhood The mill
tia was called out and after being at
tackled fred indiscriminately. The fight
between the police aud military and the
mo-! lasted for three hours. Five men
were killed, and many wounded The
crowd around the Jail reached 10000
persons, and there seemed to be about
200 men leading the mob. After strong
resistance the crowd broke into the jail
but were driven back by the militia,
who killed two of the sheriff's officers
and wounded several of their own mum.
ber in the excitement. The mob out.
side acted like demons. They got a
barrel of coal oil and poured it into the
front entrance of the Jail, and set fire
to it, and when the engines came they
cut the hose and would not permit tbt
firemen to throw stream of water. Al
the building is fireproof no great dam
age was done. BY this time it was af
ter midnight and the mob broke into
the armory, and sacked gun stores, thu'
securing arms and ammunition, with
which they returned to the Jail ant
fred at the militia through the windows
The latter returned it and people drop
ped right and left Presently it begar
to get light The mob had dwindlet
down, and all were worn out, and b,
the time the city awoke to the new da,
they were gone, and quiet once mor'
reigned.
During Saturday there were no dem
onstrations, but at sundown there wer,
indications of more rioting. and by min,
o'clock great crowd had assembled
about the Jail. The office of the county
treasurer was broken open, and tn,
place covered with coal oil. Hant
grenades were thrown over the Jail wal
and burst with violence. When the in
fiammable substance was thrown into
the treasurer's Office the troops fired oil
the mob and drove them back, but sub
sequently the court house was set fir
to and burned. The records of tn,
court, the auditor, and the recorde
were destroyed. Untold trouble vii
be caused by this useless and maliciou
destruction. BY Monday troops iron
Columbus and other points were guard
ing the city, and the mob spirit was en-
tirely quelled. The leaders in this ter
rible movement were wild spirits who
only wanted an excuse for their incen
diary proceedings. 1t is strange int
what excesses an excited crowd may b'
led. Because jury failed to do it
duty by hanging murderer who de
served it, the people of Cincinnati, il
order to show their disapprobation O
the jury's conduct, brought about tn
death of scores, many of them limo
Cent spectators.