The Portland daily press., 1884-03-31

Cincinnati in the Hands of a
Mob,
WHO MAKE AN ONSLAUGHT
UPON THE JAIL,
To Obtain Possession of Yenng
Murderer.
A TERRIBLE SCENE OF BLO0DSHED
AND RUIN.
The Entire Military Force Of the State
Order, Out.
Graphic Details of Nights of
Horror.

tory OF Clnclnnatl toere has never Doeu 30 eA'
citing, so terrible and so fatal series OF events
as those OF the last two days. The trouble
originally arose from the trial and sentence OF
man named VIM. Berner, who is only ie
years of age He was recently tried III this
city for the murder of William r. Kirk.
There seemed to be no doubt but that il was
= cold blooded murder for money. Kirk was
killed in his stable by blow from hammer,
robbed Of about $l06 in money, his body put
into wagon, hauled off toward Cummings.
vile and dumped into mill stream, where II
was found two days later. Joe Palmer and
Will .m Berner confessed that they did tue
murder and robbery. When on trial Berner
testified that Palmer did the actual murder,
while he only looked on and got share of the
money, and the jury br rought him in guilty Of
manslaughter.
Berner was quietly brought before Judge
Matthews yesterday afternoon and sentenced
to the penitentisry for twenty years, the full
limit of the law. This action, with the fact
that sbont twenty other untried murderers are
10 the Jail, is what infamed the public mind.
A wild, lesderless mob made an attack on the
Jail. eager to deal out justice to the murderers
there confined. There were thousands in the
mass that surged from an indignation meeting
at Music Hall to the Jail, and each moment
the numbers increased. How many engaged
IN the attack will never be known.
The assault commenced at about II O'Clock
A heavy beam was applied to the South Syca-
more street entrance, and after three or four
crowd poured in. Almost Immediately after
ward an entrance was forced through the
n rrh door. By these two ways the crowd
gained access to the kitchen. This was sepa-
r,ted from the corridor opening to the cells by
a heavy sheet-iron door. Blows from heavy
sledge hammer broke these down, and a few
more would have forced the grated doors, but
detachment of police confronted the crowd,
aud caused them to retreat to the office, where
they assaulted the heavy doors between the
Office and the corridor leading to the cells. In
time an entrance was effected and the cells at
tackled vigorously. They hunted for the room
10 which Berner vas supposed to be locked
Time and again they were driven back. Final
ly, about midnight, Sheriff Hawkins sent for
company of militia living on their arms near
They were sent through the tunnel. Their
guns were loaded with ball. The mob found
out their entrance and essayed to follow, firing
pistols at the soldiers. Instantly came the
command "Fire" and the tunnel, space fifty
by seven feet, was filed with the smoke and
fsiDg bullets from their guns One rioter was
shot III the breast, fell and died in few min
utes Several others were wounded and were
caught and pulled out of the tunnel. Two
ot,d NOR tod Hxyt1 n
pistol voiley. Then the militia drove all outof
the j4il aud held 1t from that time ou.
The mob outside yelled and howled as IL de-
mons incarna,e. They fred pistols ineffectusl-
Iy at the heavy Stone walls. They swarmed
about the doors and windows like bees. They
tore down sheds and gathered everything
burnable and built fires against the walls
About 2 so m. The crowd set fro to the coal
in the cellar of the Jail The FIRE alarm was
turned in and TIE fremen responded to the call
but the crowd overturned the hose carria ge
and cut the hose into hundred pieces. They
rolled barrel of coal oil into the cellar, where
the fire was raging, aud about fifty started for
the gun store OF Kutredge & Co. 20 get sup
ply of ammunition. They had armed them
selves with musketS from the aTmory
A continuous firing of musketry was kept up
be tween the mili,iAmen inside the all aud the
crowd on the outside. During this melee Lew
Kent. moulder, was shot fatally, and taken
home 10 a patrol wagon. Newton Co5b, spec
tator, standing on Court street, was shot
through the shoulder by some one in the nm
per part of the ] all building. A lady specta-
tor is also reported shot, but her name cannot
be learned.
The j al was irsproof, and as only the wood
work could be burned for short distance no
great danger was apprehsDded. The mob next
broke into the Veterans armory near by and
took all the guns and bass drum. Returning
to the Jail they fred their muskets through the
windows. The militia returned the fire, atld
finally drove them away, keeping up q con-
slant fire. Then the mob marched down Main
street, six squares to Kittredge's gun store,
81 ashed the glass windows and entered, taking
guns and ammunition. They returned a sec
ond time, and completely gurted the store of
almost every thing in the way of guns and pis.
tolls Atanother gun store the mob was furn.
ished with ammunition by the watohman un-
der cOmpulsiOn.
Before this time the all-night saloons had
closed up. The mob. however, was commn
nistic horde. They fred at the militia when
ever they could. The latter returned IL with
yolleys. People dropped right and left. Some
one was wounded every few minutes, The
militia now began to come out aud gradually
the mob fell back. Pickets were established.
Soon couple of squares were cleared in every
rection. Presently it began to get light.
The mob dwindled gradually till it consisted
only of separated sections. They had been
beaten off and many wounded. The plunder-
They dropped off IN twos and shrees, and By
the time the city awoke to its new day the mob
had disappeared aud quiet reigned once more.
SATURDAY MORNING.
In the court house, this mora ng, not dozen
panes Of glass remain whole. The woodwork
is scorched, and in places is still smoking. The
walls are SCARED with bullets. Throughout
the lower portion every breakable thug has
been broken. The damage is $4,000. The
ENL..
der arms, though no more trouble is expected.
vi the number Of dead and wounded it 10 inn
possible to speak certainly. No one will know
for hours. There are known TO be 81 killed or
woui dsd, aud it is supposed there are many
more not yet heard of. Two are already dead
and several may die.
During the melee, in the corridors, Officer
Mann was seriously shot in the gr1in oy q
rioter. Corporal Rose was badly wouHded by
a stone thrown. Tweniy-fonr of the rioters
we're caught and locked up. Officer Joe Stern
was shot in the abdomen, and bled to death.
jackson Todd was fat ally wounded in the left
breast. After the mob gutted the gun store Of
K ttredge, they also raided Powell's aud an-
other gub siore, and returned to the neighbor-
hood of the Jail.
BERNER ESCAPES, BUT Is REcAPTURED.
BerDer, after his seuteuce, was disguised and
placed in buggy with Depnty Sheriff Domin-
leo Devoto, and driven to Linwood, where
they got on b, ard an accommodation train and
vent to LoveaDu, there to await the arrival of
Criminal Deputy Jos Moses, with the pscessa-
~ papers Tor his committal to the penitetiary.
IL became known that Berner was at Love.
land, and a crowd gathered. When the train
with D~puty Moses on board csme.in aud Dep.
utp Devote and Berner went TO board it, the
crowd made rush for Berner, who ran
through the car aud escaped.
COLUMBUS, O., March 29-u 80 D. m.)-Tbs
riot alarm has been calling the military TO-
gether for half an hour. The Fourteenth
Regiment are resting on their arms waiting for
special ira to take them to ClnoinD att, and
the Fourth Regiment with beaduaarters at
Dayton have also been ordered by the Gov
erDor to fail in for orders.
CINCINNATI, March 29-Tc.day Sheriff Haw-
kiDs, in Anticipation of renewal of last
nights riouug, barricaded the streets in every
direction leading to the Jail, for a distance of
iOO yards, oy upturning heavy transfer wagons
IN the street, also with heavy building mate
rials OF wood aud stone. By these prec sutions,
together with the additional military force
mentioned above, Sheriff Hawkins hoped to
prevent repetition of the affair, He also
called for troops as elsewhere stated, and
called out MS own command, a veteran regi-
meDt composed Of soldiers of the late war.
Col. HUT also mustered as many of his regi-
merit as could be brought out, and the Jail has
al the appearances of o fortress except heavy
guns. A Gatling gun belonging to the police
force Is on duty.
While Sheriff Hawkins carefully protected
MIA 'front.' and fiankh by the bRrricade described,