The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-01-10

dences, some occupied by the rioatera
were burned.
Mayor Cunningham and his ten po-
licemen realized the situation was be-
yond them and gathered at the police
station. Sheriff Umstead had been
blinded temporarily by red pepper
thrown in his eyes by rioter. Later
the mayor and sheriff conferred and
a call was sent for state troops.
DRINK CRAZED MEN.
Meantime the rioting had been in
progress for several hours and 1T was
seen that the business section could
not be saved. Every minute the crowd
seemed to grow until there were hun
dreds of drink-crazed men and women
roaming the streets. The fire depart
ment had been called out at the first
alarm, but the hose was quickly cut
to pieces and helplessly they called on
the Youngstown fire department.
Chief Joseph Wallace had men and
equipment ready to send from the
city, but found it was useless to risk
lives and property as long as the mob
had the town. Scenes of the widest
disorder were everywhere enacted and
the fires mounted higher and higher
until toward 10 o'clock Wilson avenue,
the entire length of the village was in
flames. No attempt was being made
to extinguish the flames or save the
thousands of dollars in property be-
ing carried away or destroyed
Early in the evening the mob had
attacked the postoffice. It was a
small building and the dozen or more
men who entered it made short work
of it. The strong box was robbed
and the torch put to the building.
One Of the handsomest buildings in
the village was the banking house of
G. ". Hamory. The mob paid no at
tention to it until after 10 o'clock.
Then it was recalled that a saloon
had stood in that section and there
was rush to the place. The saloon
was looted and 9ired, and the flames
spreading to the bank, soon doomed
the structure.
A drygoods store near Seventh
street and Wilson avenue shared a
building with a saloon. The party
which selected 1t for their prey made
the mistake of attacking the dry
goods store first. AS they approach
ed the door, man appeared at win
dow In the living quarters above the
store and fired one shot from his re-
volver. A rioter, who had not been
identified this morning, fell dead in
the street and the others fled. They
withdrew to the other side of Wilson
Avenue and after a conference tossed
brick through one of the plate glass
windows No shot came from above
and, encouraged, they stormed the
place.
BARRELS OF LIQUOR.
At a dozen or more places in Will.
son avenue, barrels of whiskey with
the heads gone, stood in the roadway.
and surrounding them were many
women and men, gulping down the
raw liquor or passing it to friends In
the crowd who could not get close
enough to help themselves. A num-
Der of clothing stores fell a prey to
the rioters, and almost Immediately
men began exchanging their old
clothes for the loot they had seized.
This change of apparel was made in
the street, lighted almost to monday
brightness by the flames from half a
hundred buildings. All this time so
much property had been destroyed
and the mob had become so inflalhed
that the better citizens had fled.
Many families came to Youngstown
and others took the street cars to
communities farther away, as the
conviction was growing that if the
disorder spread to Youngstown, moth
ing could save the city. A dozen or
more citizens, led by Oscar Diser, city
solicitor of East Youngstown gath
cred at the police station and pleaded