Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-07-06
BLOODY INDIANA RIOT.
Shocking Results Of Race and Relig-
ious Discord In HOOsierdOm.
A Fourth of July Picnic Turned Into a
Pitched Battle-All Kinds of
Weapons Used-List of
Dead and Dying.

Chicago, July GA special from Eng
lish, Ind, says: The scene of the fright
full picnic riot at Siberia, in which three
persons were killed and fifty injured
resembles battle field after severe en-
counter, except that the dead and wound
ed have been removed. Broken bottles
clubs and splintered chairs litter the
ground for a half acre. The sod, torn up
by the struggling masses, is tinged with
blood. Garments torn of in the des.
perate ARRAY are strewn everywhere.
Up to this time there never had been a
serious outbreak between the German
Roman Catholics and their opponents in
this vicinity, although there had been
minor encounters, indicating that the
feeling of bigotry was growing. Threats
were made that the toughs would make
trouble at the picnic. Such threats had
been made before, and, as no trouble re-
suited, little attention was paid to them.
For this reason none of the picnicers
were armed or otherwise
PROVIDED FOR THE ONSLAUGHT,
which seems to have been planned. The
desperate fight, which lasted an hour,
was precipitated by local roughs, whose
numbers were augmented by additions
from the swamp locality along the Ohio
river. They came to the picnic inAamed
with whisky and armed with clubs and
knives and started. a fight in which a
thousand persons engaged. Many of the
injured are women and children. The
dead are: Fred Elmer, William Gels,
Frank Hart.
The fatally hurt are: Peter Bennett,
Robert Dodge, Abner Strout, Samuel
Wilson, and an unknown woman fatally
kicked.
Siberia is midway between Louisville,
KY, and Evansville, Ind, and is fifteen
miles from a railroad. The district is
woody 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 belong to the
floating population, it may be difficult to
arrest any number.
THoUsAND PEOPLE PARTICIPATED.
A Thousand people participated in the
conflict. The facts we're first reported
by DR.. William Lomax, of Bristow, over
the telephone from White Sulphur Wells.
The doctor and two assistants were called
to dress the wounds of the men and
women cut and shot.
Beer flowed freely at the picnic and
everything went smoothly until many
we're hilarious and the visitors undertook
to clean out the Dutch. These visitors
we're armed with pistols, knives, brass
knuckles, wagon spokes and other
weapons. The Germans had few, if any,
weapons, but by the use OF beer bottles,
clubs and stones more than held their own.
At least twenty are supposed to be fatally
injured. Samuel Wilson had his skull
crushed with beer bottle in the hands
of woman, whose husband had been
stabbed by Wilson. Another. woman re-
ceived kick in the abdomen, which may
cause her death. The hamlet consists of
a store, restaurant and Catholic church.
The latter is now converted into hospi-
tai.
NOT FULLY CREDITED AT INDIANAPoLIs.
Indianapolis.-The reported terrible
riot at Siberia is not fully credited here.
There is suspicion that, when full facts
are known, the rloting will be found to
have been not nearly so horrible as the
taking.