Evening journal., 1895-07-06
A CHURCH PICNIC RIOT.
Toughs Attacked German Cath
olics, and a Battle Followed.
THREE KILLEDr FIFTY WOUNDED.

The Fight lasted over an Hour, and Then
the Intruders Were Driven out, Leaving
Some OF Their Comrades Dead on the
Ground.
CHICAGO, July 6.-Startlng 6. reports Of
a desperate riot at Siberia, Perry county,
are coming in by telephone ana couriers
from the scene of the encounters. DR.
William Lomax Of White Sulphur has
just telephoned that /, 600 mon and wom.
en- took part in the fight; that three mon
aro dead, four fatally hurt and 80 serious.
" injured
The dead are:
Fred Elmer
William Gcye.
Frank Hart.
Those fatally hurt arc;
Peter Bennett.
Robert Dodge
Abner Stoud.
Samuel Wilson.
Siberia is but a hamlet OF n few dozen
struggling houses and a Roman Catholic
church. the congregation Of which is com
posed of Germans. They are simple and
inoflensive people, but have been greatly
annoyed by persons opposed to their roll
gion.
Thursday they planned to enjoy great
picnic in the woods surrounding the vii
lago. The entire population turned out to
enjoy the picnic, and all went smoothly
enough till several gangs of disturbers APP
peared on the scene and began TO make
trouble.
There were a number Of booths ON the
ground where intoxicants We're served.
These We're literally patronized by the in
truders, who soon began to insult the Ger
mans and their wives The priest, who
was present, counseled his people to avoid
trouble If possible and to pay no attention
to the ieers Of tho half drunken maraud.
ers Mistaking this tolerance for coward
ice, the intuders became boldcr and soon
precipitated % fight, which in q few mo-
ments assumed tho proportion of riot.
in which everybody took part Clubs and
bottles were brought into play, and the
peaceful picnic was Immediately trans
formed into a group Of struggling lcurs.
ing men and screaming women
The Riofors Driven out.
Samuel Wilson, leader of the outsid.
ers was armed with'a'huge knife, which
he welded on every side stabbing and
eating many persons lie was finally
opposed by sturdy German, who was
more than maRch for him until Wilson
plunged his knife into his neck As the
man fol back his wife sprang through the
crowd and dealt Wilson terrible blow
with heor bottle crushing bis skull.
During the melee one of tho intrudcrs
kicked a woman about to become a moth
en-, killing her child ana fatally injuring
her
II soon became apparent to the attack
ing party that they would be annihlatcd
If the fight was continued, and after their
leader was stricken down they ran hastily
through the woods to whore their horses
were tethored and escaped leaving thrco
of their number on the ground for dead
Cots and filters were hastily improvised
and tho dead and wounded removed TO the
church in the village and All the physi.
clans in the neighborheod called upon
DR. Lomax, a surgeon Of White sulphur
Well and his two assistants were kept busy
all night caring for the wounded.
Dir Lomax states that he saw "a injured
and believes that several Of thcm will die.
He says the fight began at O'Clock in the
afternoon and continued for an hour.
A telephone message from White sui.
phur Mellslast evening says at least 20 OF
the injured win die. a courier from the
scene Of the battle, who was sent for sup.
plies for the surgeons states that three
persons are dead. Twoof thom worc mem.
hers Of the picnic party, and the other is
Wilson, tine Leader Of the rioters. Nearly
all of the rioters are known, although il Is
certain that In the party there was a mum
Der Of rough characters from the district
lying near the Ohio river. Many Of the
rioters carried buggy spolyes concealed
fIaft ".
rihle oifcct sparing neither age nor sex.
The local magistrate has sworn in near.
~ every man IA tho community as a dep.