Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1916-01-13


t two companies of militia to the
there. The message stated that a
a general fight in the streets, men
lthers, cross the Mahoning river
.emselves today and massed on a
sion of strikers. Fifty pounds of
and an electrical connection
ent a mob started across.
was content with the small shops and
saloons on the side streets, but then
1t turned it's attention to the more pre-
tentlous stores on Wilson avenue, the
main street.
By this time it had lost all semblance
OF leadership and, splitting up into
oands or a dozen or more, went madly
ABOUT the work of destruction.
Saloon after saloon was broken into,
looted and fired, the flames spreading
70 business buildings on the street.
Famed by a strong vino the fire
spread up the hill and many residences
were burned.
Forced to Call Troops.
Mayor w. H. Cunningham and 10
policemen of the village early realized
that the situation vas beyond them,
and gathered at the police station at
49, 80 LAX VI INC II u M
Sheriff j. G. Umstead conferred with
Mayor Cunningham. who admitted he
vas unable to stop the rioting. This
condition the sheriff reported to Gem
eral Speaks, who had been sent to look
over the situation. and to Lieut.. Col.
Charles Weybrecht, of Alliance, who
accompanied General Speaks. 1t was
then the call was sent for state troops.
Meanwhile, the rioting had been in
progress for several hours and it 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 women
roaming the streets. The fire depart
ment had been called out at the first
alarm of fire, but the hose was quickly
cut to pieces. and, helpless, they called
on the Youngstown fire department.
equipment ready to send from the city,
but found it was useless to risk lives
and property as long as the mob held
the town.
Wild Disorder Prevails.
Scenes of the widest disorder We're
everywhere enacted and the fires
mounted higher and higher until to-
ward 10 o'clock Wilson avenue for the
entire length of the village was in
flames. Absolutely no attempt was be-
ing made to e~Xtinguish the flames or
save the thousands of dollar in prop
erty being carried away or destroyed.
Early in the evening the moi attacked
the postoffice and robbed the strong
box before applying the torch to the
building.
One of the handsomest buildings in
the village was the banking house of
G. V. Hamory. A saloon tfat stood
next to the bank was looted and fred
and the flames, spreading to the bank,
/ oon doomed the structure.
A dry goods store near Seve;-th street
and Wilson avenue shared a building
with a saloon. The particular party of
rioters who selected it for their prey,
made the mistake of attacking the dry
goods store first. AS they approached
the door a man appeared at a window
in the living quarters above the store
and fired one shot from his revolver. A
J %rioter, who had been identified this
morniner, fell dead in the street and
the rest fled.
Drink From Open Barrels.
At a dozen or more places in Will
son avenue, barrels of whisky. with
the heads gone, stood in the roadway
n surrounding them We're many men
n women gulping down the raw liq-
uor or passing it to lends in the
crowd, Who could not get close enough
to help themselves. a number of
clothing stores fell q prey to the rioters
and almost Immediately began ex-
changing their old clothes for the loot
they had seized.
BY this tire so much property had
been destroyed and the mob had he
come 50 ~inflanaed that the better citi-
2ens Of the town had fled. Many fam
lies came TO Youngstown and others
took the street cars to communities
farther away. rs the conviction vas
growing that If the disorder spread 10
YOUNGSTOWN. nothing could save the
city. Finally q dozen or more citizens
led by Oscar Diser. city solicitor of
East YOUNGSTOWN. and former member
of the Ohio legislature, gathered at
the police station and pleaded with the
police and other city officials to at
tack the rioters. It was almost mid
night before a force of some 40 armed
men had beer gathered in Wilson ave
nue.. Then with Diser to lead them,
they moved down the street.