The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-07-08
THE INDIANA RIOT
Some Further Particulars Of
the Fearful Row Near
Siberia.
THREE WERE KILLED OUTRIGHT
Anu Five Others Fatally In
jured-A Suspicion of
Faking.

ENGLISH, Ind, July The scene OF
the frightful picnic riot at Siberia, in
which three persons were killed and
fifty injured. a number fatally, resem-
bles 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
a 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 We're
armed or otherwise prepared for the
onslaught, which seems to have been
we'll planned. q
The desperate fight, which lasted for
an hour, was precipitated by gang OF
local roughs, whose numbers were
augmented by additions from the
swamp locality along the Ohio river.
They came to the picnic infiamed with
whisky and armed with revolvers and
knives and started 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, name un-
known, fatally kicked.
The little village of Siberia is 10,
Gated on the northern boundary of
Perry county, about the middle of the
state in the lower tier of counties. 1t
is bounded on the south by the Ohio
river and is midway between Louis
vile, KY, and Evansville. Ind. The
hamlet, IL 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
taken to secure the arrest OF the rioters
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 any
number of them.
Largely Religious Riot.
There is 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. 1t il
reported that over 100 were more OF
less seriously injured.
| The facts We're first reported by Dr.
Wuliam Lomax of Bristow over the
telephone from White Sulphur Wells
The doctor and two assistants were
called to dress the wounds of 81 men
AMI women who were cut and shot
during the fray.
Beer flowed freely at the picnic anG
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 anC
stones, more than held their own. A
least 20 are supposed to be fatally in
jured.
Samuel Wilson had his skull crushed
W., h a beer bottle in the hands of
woman whose husband had beeI
stabbed by Wilson. Another woman
rec eivel kick in the abdomen, which
may cause her death.
The little hamlet consists of littl'
more than a store, a restaurant, and
Catholic church. The latter is nov
Converted into a hospital.