Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-03-31
AFTER SCENES CT HORROR.

WEat Reporter Saw DurIuE nn Early
Morning. walk About the scene 0Ithe
Riot.
CrxcINH,rr 0, March 30.-At 6sy-
light hi, morning an Associated
Press reporter walked through the quarter
of the city where the stormy scenes OF the
previous night had been enacted. The
dawniug was rs peaceful and brilliant as
was ever seen. Against the exquisiEely
tinted sky in the east the broken wall Of
the burning Court House was distinctly
d. fined with its crumbled window openings
looking like rude wounds. Over the ruins
vi he treasurers office, in the northern
ysrt Of the building, the rudy glow OF the
ire was still visible, while from the other
parts thin white-COlored smoke and steam
we're rising, ss the water thrown by the
engines fell into the burning contents.
Last night when the sun went down the
occupants OF the treaSurers ottics were
sitting at the open plate glass windows
smoking cigars and residing the accounts
OF the previous nights attempts on the
Jail. There WAS no thought that in six
hours these windows would be broken and
the sCCuU ulaisd wealth OF the contents OF
Il at great building would be in ruins.
But this building, great as It's loss was
merely properly.
The other losses in that locality were Of
human lie. Ouly pools o. blood here aud
n, rs II the transparent lust or on the
BRICK sidewalks were to be seen.
How They Vet their Death.
only ar hour before on Sycamore street,
below Court, Iay four or five dead bodies of
drunken q yenturesome men and who in
spite Of the pUlC, mems warning had gone
teNOId the limit permitted by the militia.
When they fell under the fire OF the militia
no one dared to 20 and take them away
until the mob had dispersed and the streets
were clCsr. Only two hours before at 3 A.
NJ. when the small crowd gathered at the
drug store at Court and Walnut one square
west of the court house TO see the patrol
wagon take away dead man,
TIE militia, mistaking this for renewal
Of the mob, fired yolley killing one ana
wouuding the nephew Of the proprietor OF
the store. one ball struck the lion facing
of the door, and rebOunding. crashed
through a glass door near the head OF the
proprietor, who was using the telephone,
Fsssing to the north side Of Court on
Walnut a sickeniRg scene was presented.
Here. apparently, the wounded had taken
shelter behind 3 protecting building or
perhaps. here the wounded had craWied 70
1ir. Pool after pool OF blood dyed the
around all along the curbstone. Az along
the street signs Of blood were visible and
in the hallWays three squares distant on
Main street the floors were smeared where
some unfortunate had crawled TO dress his
wounds or die.
An Act of Pure Malice.
The burning of the court house was
wholly simless and malicious, except one
might find an excuse in the feeling that
the crowd was angered at the place where
the failure to do justice had been so
masked. IL 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 property. the crowd was permitted
10 20 10 tha SeEy windows and break them
IN without resistance, and when the oppor-
ulity Mss offered, some deylhsa COM
r1unist. VITO gio-l;ied IN pure destruAIon,
suyrs>te teC to cast some light on the subject.
This SEs Jhe trivial manner in which ne
.a!seI. This will he the Paris oil
America" sure enough, said announcer
WITH this leadership and with those
motives" Cnalrs, carpets and desks were
nryl en- srd pilrd iu heaps in tue Treas
urer's office snd the match applied. A.
this wsS done 81 ~ headed or drunken
bnrCIums iu the crowd Cheered and yelled,
Burn the id militia out.
A Gallant Officers DeRth-
Just here occurred one OF the most mel
81 choly events Of the night, the killing OF
CAPTAIN John J Desmond. He had been
spprised of the purpose to burn the court
house and was sent with a squad OF militia
70 try TO put out the FIRE. The mob hred
on him and a ball crashed through his
head. At the same time Private Mcclure
VAS shot through the breast and tata!Iy
hurt. Captain Desmond was young
LAWYER of much promise, line looking
soldier, the pride o. his regiment and one
whose loss on every account is deeply de-
| plored. ..,.Lo - =
There was no use now trying to stop the
| inrendiaries. They went from once 10
office starting fires and IN few minutes
with the windows all broken out, the ln-
| SIDE Of the court house glowed ike Iu''
| mace. The ire engines were poSerieSs'
| first, because the tremen refused - 60
! without an escort Of troops, and second,
| because the crowd could easily have cut
| the hose and prevented the use o. the en-
ginCs. So far il had its way. Ohce alter
| office was reached by the flames, aud IS the
| Hools crashed and fell the crowd cheeFed.
The bad management of Sheriff Hawkins
! has been again aud again commented on 70
! day With reference To the loss OF this build
| ing. An immense verands with huge stone
| columns reaching from the top OF the hrst
| story 70 the roof and commanding Main
| erd Court streets formed the place where
| fwtpty men in safety could have cleared
| the whole space with two yolleys and could
| nave made il certain death TO any man
coming in range. Moreover, after the at
| tack on the tressurer's office was made II
| would have been the work OF = minute to
| have sent three times twenty men 10 all
| the front windows Of the court house aud
| driven tbe mob away. Instead Desmond,
| With mere squad, was sent to the hrst
| floor 20 put out the fire and he was sacri-
| iCId
FEeemsn's Gallant work.
I, was the gallant work Of Colonel Free
mems Fourteenth Regiment that fnsliy
cleared the streets and gave the authorities
control Of the entire space about the
| court house aud jail. Colonel
| Hawkins had evidently misunderstood
| the motives Of the mob He thought the
prisoners in the Jail their objective point