Rensselaer Republican, Volume 16, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1884 — CINCINNATI’S HORROR. [ARTICLE]

CINCINNATI’S HORROR.

4 Tlu’ee of Terrible Mob Violence. Repeated Assaults Upon the >' City Jail.* i Burning of the Court House—Scores of Men Killed. Some months ago William H. Kirk, are- ; speeted citizen of Cincinnati, was'killed in I his stable by the blow Of a hammer and i robbed of $10) in money, put into a wagon, i hauled off toward Cumminsville, and dumped ! into Mill Creek, where bis body was found two days later. Joe Palmer and William Bcr- I ner confessed that they did the murder and robbery. On Jrial, few days ago, Berner testified that Palmer did the actual killing, while he only looked on and got his share of the money. Much to the surprise ami indignation of the community, tho jury rendered a verdict of manslaughter against Berner, and assessed his . punishment at- .twenty years in the penitentiary. Tho verdict was declared privately, by the Judge who tried the case, to lie an outrage, and the jury, after leaving the court room, were hooted at by the crowd, wRJi suggestions that they should | be hanged. There was furious indignation among all classes in (im innati. One of the | jury was driven from the city and another ; severely beaten. A call for a mass meeting of citizens, signed by prominent business men, brought out an immense croivd, who literally p icked the large] Music Hall until there, was . not even standing room. The meeting, held Friday evening, the 28th ult., was presided over by Dr. A. C. Kemper, and speeches were made by two or'three leading citizens denounciatory of the prevalence of crime and the lax administration of justice. After the adjournment of the meeting a surging, howling mob started at once for the jail. The bloody and exciting scenes that followed are chronicled in the telegraphic reports herewith appended: The-news that a lynching party was assaulting the jail spread like wild-fire, Sffifcßoofi the entire neighborhood swarmed with thousands. The advance guard ot the would-be-lynchers arrived with a piece of joist and rushed down the steps leading to the basement entrance of the jail office. These were backed up by the crushing crowd behind. First, a window was smashed and a wild yell went up from the crowd. Another shattered window and a wilder yell. Then the thump, thump of the improved battering-ram, pounding against the office door, began, and every thump awoke a responsive yell. Bricks and stones were hurled at the jail windows, and the shouting mob grew wilder as success seemed nearer. The door at last gave way and the crowd poured into the jail office. Sheriff Hawkins and the few deputies who were inside were powerless to stem the fierce human tide, besides the Sheriff had given orders that his officers should not-use=their weapons on the mob, believing that such a proceeding would only make bad worse. Wild with excitement in finding themselves in iwssession ot the jailoliice, it wasJshoit work to force the door to the cell floor. Soon the stairs and corridors, indeed the entire interior of the jail, was alive witli the mob yelling and hunting for the murderers they came to hang. They soon found their work had been for naught so far as Berner was concerned. Disappointed and disgusted, the ardor of some of them b v.ran to cool. , . About this tjme a squad of fifteen policemen, who had been stationed in the tunnel that leads from the jail to the court-house, were brought into the jail corridors and began to clear the mob from the second floor, or the rotunda — At 9:55 the fire bells struck the ominous 621, the riot alarm, and followed liy a regular alarm, as for lire, giving the number of the bux located at the court-house corner, just back of the county jail. The alarm started thousands of people all over the city, and from all directions they flocked by scores, by hundreds, toward the county jail. Police, too. to the number of thirty or forty were hurried to the scene in patrolwagons. Bricks and stones were hurled through the jail windows, and down at the jail floor was a gang of men with axes or sledges,heavily poundingon the jail door. The crowd in the meantime every few minutes broke out in bloodthirsty cheers, groans, hisses, and maledictions on the murderers and Hamilton County justice. There were no less than 500 men in the crowd for every officer, and the mob showed the most dogged determination and fierceness from the first. Once a light was struck in an up-stairs room of the Sheriff’s residence, and men were seen carrying pictures and furniture out of the room. One man attempted to close the Inside shutters, but instantly the mob hooted at him and a shower of bricks and stones riddled the glass and broke the shutters to splinters, and effectually cleared the room. But for self-pro-tection the gung of men with the axes, at the doors below these windows, called out to tho mob behind them to cease throwing stones, as they accomplished nothing except to scatter the broken glass down on the heads of those at work at the doors. At 11:30 o’clock the sound of axes at the Court street entrance announced that a fresh attack was being made from another direction, and cheer after cheer rent the air. When the wagon started through the crowd of people who were densely packed around it the greatest consternation and excitement was created; Col. Reilly arrived shortly alter the riot alarm was sounded, ams after taking in the situation entered the jail through the Court Hoqse and tunnel. At just about midnight the mob on Sycamore street succeeded in battering open the entrance a second time, and swelled into the jail-oflice. Here thev were stopped by the heavy iron g&te shutting off the office from the jail proper. Behind this were the policemen awaiting the attack. Which was not long in being made. The mob had a heavy piece of timber a foot square and eighteen feet long. Fifty men swung this back and forth against the iron gate, and in a very little time they broke it squarely in two in the middle. Tfien followed a hand-to-hand fight between tho police under the leadership of Cot Reilly, EMttSSE Police, The first man to enter through the breach was a negro, who was instantly seized by half a dozen policemen, who hustled him up stairs and locked him up. Other rioters, to the number in all of twenty-five, were similarly treated, and were all locked up in upper cells. Under strict orders from Chief Reilly, not a shot was fired during all this melee, although several of the fighters, both rioters and officers, were knocked down and more or less injured. All sorts of weapons, knives, and revolvers were captured with the prisoners. It was impossible to ascertain any of the names of the rioters at the time of the arrest. The officers did not stop (qi thqt, them off to the uppermost cells as rapidly as possible. The mob Was too mueh for the officers, however, and while a few hundred were left down stairs to fight the policemen, hundreds of others carried the heavy battering-ram up-stairs to where the murderers’ cells were. The mob continued determined. At exactly 12 o’clock a heavy beam borne by strong men was applied to the south Sycamore entrance, and after three or four vigorous blows the door gave way and the crowd poured In. Almost immediately afterward they made their way into the corridor. “Where is Berner’s cell?” was the crv. Some one answered: “Nd. 13," and that number was soon found and a vigorous batterv began. At this time the military began firing from above, and the mob were at once arrested in their mad career, and forced to retreat, though very sullenly. It is charged that the militia shot recklessly, and,, some of their number were wounded. Corporal Cook, of Company J, was shot in the chest, and another grivate.was shot through the ear, and another 1 the month. Officer Adam Mechlev was struck on the head with a brick and knocked senseless. He was taken off in a patrol wagon. Officer Von Secuern was shot in the head near the ear, but not fatally. The shot came from some one on the inside. The crowd had forced Its way into tho jail yard and soon learned the way to the underground passage- Some of these started Into the tunnel while the few police at that time at hand attempted to suy them. Another man, a citizen, was shot in the arm above the elbow. All the windows of the basement and first and second stories of the jail residence are broken In the sash torn out, the doors broken down, iron gratings torn out or bent into all sorts of strange shapes from the force Of bowlders and heavy beams applied to them, and there is general destruction. The stair-ways, some of them are considerably demolished, even though of iron, and inside doors are battered and 6i ATI2 o’clock the people were in full possession of the lower reception-room of the jail for the second time. A brawny fellow, a blacksmith, they said—was at work with a sledge hammer nnon the iron barred gate leading to the cell room. It gave gradually but surely before what seemed herculean strength. As bar by bar was shattered, cheers arose from the crowd back in the reception-room and jail-yard and were taken nn by the crowds ontiide. ’ ■ Stovriy ta*t surely the toon gate gave way. and

finally went down far enough to admit of two or three men entering abreast. Just before this Sheriff Hawkins, perhaps because he found the resistance of the ivrtlice almost passive, sent for tie party of Sboflt forty citizen soldiers, who were -under arms 4n their azrnory hard by. These men were matched over and wore taken iuto the jail through the tunnel fi om Main street. Just as the p irty working at thte gates were About to take possession of tho cefl-room-the order was driven to fire, or at least filing coinmenctd. Tt.e result was. beside the distressing casualties, to give the police, for the moment at least, moral control. '1 hey took advant ige of this and cleared the jail through the Sycamore street entranees, while the wounded were taken out by the M;yn street way. ? A portion of the mob broke into the armory ot the State Guard and captured all the nuns and ammunition of the troops, and thus armed, returned and confronted the militia. The military again fired on the mob, killing four and wound.ng fifteen. The mob returned the fire bijt did no damage. The heavy firing drove away, but the mob worked with fiercer de ermin'atibn than ever. The jail was fired by rolling coatorfl iiarrels into the basement and firing them. At the same time a cannon was brought up ,by a crowd of about fifty men, the leader of whom said they were thirsting for revenge. The can non was fired a number of times, but produced no effect. Tire police by this time (4 a. pi.) had gained full control ot the jail, and the greater part of the tupb hail dispersed. A summing of thu casualties of this night of horror showed eight persons either dead or dying, and seventeen wounded, some of them dangerously, ‘ —tIt now appears that Berner, after his sentence, was disguised aiid placed in a buggy with Deputy Sheriff Domiikck Pevoto and driven to Linwood, where, they got aboard the Morrow accommodation, and went to Loveland to await the arrival of Criminal Deputy Joe Moses with the necessary papers for his committal to the penitentiary. It became known . that Bernerwas at Loveland and aterowd gathered. M hen the train with Moses aboard came in, and Devoto and Berner went to b .arc! it. the -e rewd-nladc a,ttis h for Berner; H e ran t lirough the car and escaped, and is still at, large. ~ Quiet reigned throughout tho early part of tho day, but, in anticipation of arenewa of trouble, Gov. Hoadlv ordered three regiments of State! troops aud two. batteries to tho city. Tha_ apprehensions of . the Governor and ot the city authorities were fully realized. Early in the day anonymous -circulars were distributed through the city,calling for the organization of a vigilance committee ot 309 in each ward; A Gatling gun was taken to the jail, and the streets were barricaded qbypoliceandsspldiersfor 1 <:■().yawls. A militia regiment" was placed inside the Jail, and seven-ty-five policemen were stationed outside. About 8 o’clpek stones were thrown through the jail windows, and pound dynamite cartridges were displayed by rioters. At 10 o’clock the treas-urer's-office in the court house was set on fire. The troops fired on the mob from the windows, with deadly effect. Captain Desmond, of the militia, endeavored to suppress the flames andwas shot dead by the rioters. The fire-engines were not allowed to work. Tho yells of the mob could be heard for six blocks, and they appeared to be thoroughly organized. The Dayton militia arrived at the depot, but found it impossible to reach the battle-ground. The iiaint s consumed the courthouse, with the county records and one of the’most valuable law libraries In the United States. The 14th regiment, marched to the jail at midnight, but the 4th regiment turned back to the depot after hearing of the atrocities being perpetrated. About 10 o’clock a. m. the Gatling gun was turned upon the rioters with deadly effect. The mob broke into the Armory of Battery B, took three cannon, and dragged them several miles, creating intense consternation. A police squad tired on them, and recovered the pieces, butnot before the mob had broken several stores open to seat ch for ammunition. The artillery was turned over to the Sheriff. Firing between the mob and tho militia stationedabout the jail was kept up at intervals through the night. Twenty-eight persons were killed,, and "Sixty or more severely wounded. The police were entire masters of the situation shortly after midnight, and the Sabbath broke on a quiet but very feverish city. Smoldering ruins, pools of blood, and pickets of militia maraed the section about the Court House and jail. The monetary loss was fully $1,000,00 >. All the criminal indictments were destroyed, and now there is nothing to show against the prisoners in the jail. ’1 lie <s>unty records are safe. Five <’ead bodies lay on Sycamore street. '1 he wounded had sought shelter behind protecting buildings on Walnut street, and pool after pool of blood spotted the ground, while iu the hallways the floors were smeared with blood. The troops were lying on their arms,, taking such rest as they could get when not called for special duty. The polfcs, worn out, were also lounging. about in such manner as was most comfortable. The prisoners in the jail were locked in their cells, trembling with fear. Not one slept through the night. One of the saddest episodes of Saturday night was the killing of Capt. John Desmond. He had been apprised of the purpose to burn the court house, and was sent with a squad of militia to try, to put out the fire. The mob fired on him and the ball crashed through his head. At the same time Private McGuire was shot through the breast and fatally hurt. Capt. Desmond was a young lawyer of mneh promise, a fine looking soldier, the pride ot his regiment, and one whose loss is on every account deeply deplored. The fire engines were powerless; first, because the firemen refused to go out without an escort of tioops, and second, because the crowd could easily have cut the hose and prevented the use of the engines. So the tire had its way. Mayor Stephens on Sunday morning ordered all saloons closed for twenty-four hours, and it was fairly complied with. He then asked Governor Hoadly to send on all the available mill- ’ tia, and special trains were soon set in motion, the Sixth Regiment, from Chillicothe, being the first to arrive. All persons were warned to keep off the streets after dark. At 8:30 last evening the rattle of the Gatling gnn showed that the conflict with the mob had recommenced. Briggs Swift, a prominent packer, while conversing with a friend on Seventh street,was seriously wounded by a volley fired by the militia. The rioters broke into Music Hall, whence they were ejectedby two companies ot the 6th regiment. After this the mob dispersed, and quiet was restored. The casualties of Sunday night’s fighting include eight men killed and fifteen wouujK'L TJe total killed sol ‘ three da Y s was seventy-five; wounded, 150. It appears that Berner, one of the murderers of Kirk, who escaped at Loveland, ran several miles up the track, spent some hours in an empty freight car, and then took to the woods. He was found by two bailiffs;.-who were driving along in search of him. He gave way to tears like a child. The officers drove to Foster’s Crossing, remaintng until dark, when they prothe penitentiary, notwithstanding determined attempts to lynch him T. C. Campbell, the Cincinnati lawyer, who was Berner’s chief counsel, has been warned away from the city. Following is a partial list of the killed and mortally wounded: ; James Condon, carriage blacksmith; John Havenkanrp, coal-cart driver; Fritz Havemyer, hodcarrier; Frank Hettusheimer, employed in furniture factory; Ben Fink, shoemaker; John Sagger; Joseph Besold, cigarmaker; Mike O’Day, driver; Anton Fouler, John Dickey, Frank Bergman. Thomas A Green, colored; Anton Singer, shoemaker; John Goeble, bartender; Sam Henan, Jacob Metzer, stonecutter; Fred Sleusser. bartender; four bodies unidentified; John J. Hennessy, Henrv J. Peiser, an unknown man, Walter Fay, Peter Roell, brewer; C. Breslau, Capt. J. J. Desmond, of the Lytle Greys; Police Officer Joseph Stem, Police Officer Pbilip Nunn, Henry Kates, cabinet-maker; C. T. MetMarv Smith, Will Bates, P.Raate. John Hetten. calf,"Jesse Bright. John Griffith, Martin Rafferty, sfaelm, Alfred Hopkins, Charles Bloom, J. Camper.