Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-07-12
THE INDIANA RIOT
Some Further Particulars of
the Fearful Row Near
Siberia.
THREE WERE KILLED OUTRIGHT
And Five Others Fatally In
jured-A Suspicion of
Faking.

ENGLISH, Ind, July 8-The scene of
the frightful picnic riot at Siberia, in
fifty injured, a number fatally, resem-
bles q battlefield after a severe encoun-
ter, with the exception that the dead
and wounded have been removed.
Broken bottles, clubs and splintered
chairs litter the ground for half an
acre. The sod, which, torn up by the
struggling mass, is tinged with blood,
and bloody garments torn off in the
desperate encounter are strewn every
where,
Up to this time there has never been
n serious outbreak between the German
Roman Catholics and their opponents
in the vicinity, although there have
been minor encounters, indicating
that the feeling Of bigotry was grow
ing. Threats were made that the
toughs Of the neighborhood would
make trouble at the picnic, but the
Germans relied upon their numbers to
prevent any attempt to disturb them.
These threats had been made before
and no trouble had resulted, so little
attention was paid to them. For this
reason none of the picnickers were
armed o. otherwise prepared for the
onslaught, which seems to have been
we'll planned.
The desperate fight, which lasted for
IN hour, was precipitated by a gang Of
local roughs, whose numbers were
augmented by additions from the
swamp locality along the Ohio river.
They came to the picnic in1amed with
whisky and armed with revolvers and
knives and started a fight in which
about 1000 persons engaged. Many of
the injured are women and children,
for it seems the intruders spared
neither sex or age. The dead are:
Fred Elmer, William Geise, Frank
Hart.
These are fatally hurt: Peter Ben
nett, Robert Dodge, Abner Stroud,
Samuel Wilson. Woman, lame un
known, fatally kicked.
The little village of Siberia is To-
Gated Oh the northern boundary Of
Perry county, about the middle Of the
state in the lower tier of counties. It
is bounded on the south by the Ohio
river and is midway between Louis.
vile, KY, and Evansville. Ind. The
hamlet, Is miles from any railroad, is
situated on American creek. The dis
trict is very wooded and lonely.
AS soon as the work of caring for the
injured is completed, steps will be
A,l-o. ~ +1>o ,,,,,o% &c %l,o .:.Lo-.
AS nearly all of them belong to the
floating population. with no property
interests to bind them to the locality,
it may be a difficult task to arrest n
number of them.
Largely a Religious Riot.
There is a large German element in
this part of the state and religious as
we'll as social lines are strongly drawn.
The riot was largely the outgrowth Of
religious differences. A thousand peo-
pie participated in the conflict. It is
reported that over 100 We're more or
less seriously injured.
The facts were first reported by DR..
William Lomax of Bristow we the
telephone from White Sulphur Wells.
4AAO uOScOA dAu UNo aoSlSUuuUo NCI0
called to dress the wounds of 81 men
and women who were cut and shot
during the fray.
Beer flowed freely at the picnic and
everything went smoothly till many
were hilarious when the visitors under
took to ''clean out the Dutch"
These visitors were armed with pis-
tolls, knives, brass knuckles, wagon
spokes and other weapons. The Ger
mans had few if any weapons, but by
the use Of beer bottles, clubs and
stones, more than held their own. At
least 20 are supposed to be fatally in
jured.
Samuel Wilson had his skull crushed
with a beer bottle in the hands of a
woman whose husband had been
stabbed by Wilson. Another woman
received a kick in the abdomen, which
may cause her death.
The little hamlet consists Of little
more than a store, a restaurant, and a
Catholic church. The latter is now
converted into a hospital.