page_title: Cincinnati riots of 1884
section_title: Saturday March 29
hierarchical_section_title: Cincinnati riots of 1884 / Saturday March 29
caption_attribution_description: English: Ohio National Guard troops manning a barricade on Main Street in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, March 1884. Troops were brought to bring an end to riots sparked by public outrage over the outcome of a murder trial.
context_page_description: The Cincinnati riots of 1884, also known as the Cincinnati Courthouse riots, were caused by public outrage over the decision of a jury to return a verdict of manslaughter in what was seen as a clear case of murder. A mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, attempted to find and lynch the perpetrator. In the violence that followed over the next few days, more than 50 people died and the courthouse was destroyed. It was one of the most destructive riots in American history.
context_section_description: The Cincinnati Enquirer supported the rioters in its Saturday morning edition, with a headline saying "At Last The People Are Aroused And Take The Law Into Their Own Hands, Enraged Community Rises In Its Might". The civic leaders, who had at first supported the vigilante action, became alarmed. They suspected that the mob was led by socialists and anarchists, the "dangerous classes". Although the Governor of Ohio, George Hoadly, was asked to call for reinforcements, he moved slowly and did not order deployment of additional militia units until 5:00 pm on March 29.
  Many of the guards failed to report for duty. Some of the 1st Regiment soldiers even participated in the riot. The out of town soldiers, who did obey orders, were unable to reach Cincinnati in time to prevent escalating violence by rioters who had been paid that day, and had spent their money in the bars.
  During the day, the defenders of the jail erected barriers in the surrounding streets, improvised from vehicles, construction materials, grindstones and barrels of salt. The militia abandoned the armory and moved to the jail with all the arms and ammunition. The jail was now extremely crowded and ill-equipped to feed the occupants. Two to three hundred policemen were present, although they refused to play an active role in the fighting, as well as 117 local militiamen and the criminals resident in the jail.
  In the evening, the mob gathered again in front of the courthouse and the jail. A gunfight broke out, lasting several hours. The crowd managed to set fire to the courthouse and blocked attempts by firemen to put out the blaze. The courthouse was destroyed. Rioters also started breaking into nearby stores. One store owner and his assistants shot three looters dead.
  Eventually reinforcements started to arrive by train. A force of 300 militiamen from Dayton met the crowd three blocks from the jail but then retreated back to the railway station. A more resolute force of 425 militiamen from Columbus arrived at around 11:00 pm armed with a Gatling gun, and managed to clear the streets around the jail and courthouse. However, fighting continued elsewhere in the city until 3:00 am.
caption: A more solid barricade on Main Street using construction materials from a nearby site
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