The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-07-13
RIOT AT A PICNIC.
Drunken lntruderS The Cause
of a Bloody Encounter
at Siberia, Ind.
CARNAGE SOMETHING AWFUL.
Three Persons Killed Outright,
Four Fatally Hurt and
Fifty Injured.

ENGLISH, Ind, July 8.-Startling re.
ports of a desperate riot at Siberia,
Perry county, are coming in by tele-
phone and couriers from the scene of
the encounter. DR.. William Lomax of
White Sulphur Well has jusG tele-
phoned that thousand men and
women took part in the fight that
three men are dead, four fatally hurt
and fifty seriously injured. The dead are
Fred Elmer, William Geise and Frank
Hart. Those fatally hurt are Peter
Bennett, Robert Dodge, Abner Stroud
and Samuel Wilson.
Siberia is but a hamlet of few
dozen struggling houses and a Roman
Catholic church, the congregation of
which is composed Of Germans. They
are a simple and inoffensive people, but
have been greatly annoyed recently by
persons
Opposed to Their Religion.
Thursday they planned to enjoy
great picnic in the woods surrounding
the village. The entire population
turned out to attend the picnic and all
went went smoothly enough until sew
eral gangs of disturbers appeared on
the scene and began to- make trouble
There were q number Of booths on
the grounds where intoxicants were
served. These We're liberally patron
lied by the intruders, who soon began
to insult the Germans and their wives
The priest who was present, cOunselled
his people to avoid trouble if possible
and to pay no attention the jeers of the
half drunken marauders. Mistaking
his tolerence for cowardice, the intrud-
ers became bolder and soon
Preciptated Fight
which IN a few moments assumed the
proportions of a desperate riot. Clubs,
chairs and beer bottles We're brought
into play and the peaceful picnic was
transferred into great group of strug-
Cling cursing men and screaming
women.
Samuel Wilson, leader of the out
siders, was armed with huge knife
which he welded on every side, stab.
bing and cutting many persons. He
was finally opposed by sturdy Ger
man who was more than match for
him until Wilson plunged knife into
his neck. AS the man fell his wife
sprang through the crowd and dealt
Wilson terrible blow with beer bot
tie, crushing his skull. During the
melee one of the intruders kicked q
woman about to become mother, kill
ing her child and fatally injuring her
1t soon became apparent to the attack
ing party that
They Would he Annihilated
if the fight was continued, and, after
their leader was stricken down, they
ran hastily through the woods to
where their horses were tethered and
escaped, leaving three of their number
on the ground for dead.
Cots and litters were hastily impro.
vised and the dead and wounded were
removed to the church in the village
and all the physicians in the neighbor-
hood called upon. DR.. Lomax, a sur.
geon of White Sulphur Well, and his
two assistants were kept busy all of the
night caring for the wounded DR..
Lomax states that he saw 81 injured
and believes that several of them will
die. He says the fight began at 2
o'clock in the afternoon and continued
for an hour. A telephone message
from White Sulphur Well says that at
least 20 OF the injured will die.