Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1895-07-06
1000 IN A RIOT.
A Party Of ToughS Create Trouble at
a Picnic, Near Siberia, Indiana, and
Terrible Results Follow - Three
Dead and Many More Will Die.

English. Ind, July 5.-Reports of
a desperate riot at Siberia, Perry coun-
ty, are coming in by telephone and
couriers from the scene of the encoun-
ter.
DR.. VIM. Lomax, of White Sulphur,
has just telephoned that a 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, VIM. Geise,
Frank Hart.
Those fatally hurt are: Peter Ben
nett, Robert Dodge, Abner Stroud,
Samuel Wilson.
Siberia is but hamlet of a few doz-
en- 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.
Yesterday they planned to enjoy
great picnic in the woods surrounding
the village. The entire population
turned out to attend the picnic and all
went smoothly enough until several
gangs of disturbers appeared on the
scene and began to make trouble.
There were a number of booths on
the grounds where intoxicants were
served. These were literally 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 to the jeers of
the half drunken marauders.
Mistaking this tolerance for cow
ardice, the inruders became bold
er, and soon precipitated a fight,
which in a few moments assumed
the proportions Of a desperate riot, in
which everybody took part. Clubs,
chairs and beer bottles were brought
into play, and the peaceful picnic was
Immediately transformed into a great
group Of struggling, cursing men and
screaming women.
Samuel Wilson, a lealer Of the out
siders, was armed with a huge knife,
which he welded on every side, stab
bing and cutting many persons. He
was finally oyerpowered by a sturdy
German, who was more than a match
for him, until Wilson plunged the
knife into his neck. AS the man fell
back his wife sprang through the crowd
and dealt Wilson a terrible blow with
a beer bottle, crushing his skull. Dur
ing the melee one of the intruders
kicked woman about to become
mother, killing her child and fatally in
juring her.
1t soon became apparent to the at
tacking party that thew would be ami
hilated 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 dead.
Cots and litters were hastily impro-
visel, 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, and his two as
sistants were kept busy all of the nigha
caring for the wounded. DR.. Lomax
states that he saw fifty-four injured
and believes that several of them will
die. He says the fight began at three
o'clock in the afternoon and continued
for an hour.
A telephone message from White Sui
phur this evening says that at least
twenty of the injured will die. A cour-
lcI LIUiu lut SCcut VI Lllt DdLllc, VINO
was sent for supplies for the surgeons,
states that three persons are dead.
Two of them are members Of the pic
mic party and the other is Wilson, the
leader of the rioters.
Nearly all of the rioters are known,
although it is certain that in the party
there were a number of rough charac-
ters from the district lying near the
Ohio river.
Many of the rioters carried buggy
spokes concealed in their sleeves and
used them with terrible effect, sparing
neither age nor sex. The local magis-
trate has sworn in nearly every man in
the community as a deputy to preserve
the peace, as it is feared the rioters will
secure reinforcements and return for
the bodies of their comrades, one of
whom is dead and the others probably
fatally injured.
FRAUD ORDERS ISSUED