Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 86

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

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This was' true of some of the companies from Springfield and other points but the gal- lant Daytonians for the most part concluded their services on that day. The Fourteenth Regiment from Columbus arrived an hour later at half-past ten and marched from the Little Miami depot to the scene of the battle. They marched down South Court street and drove the mob before them. One company charged the mob up Main street and two others at- tacked the great mass on Court street. For a moment the crowd wavered but soon a num- ber of them leaped forward at the soldiers and fell dead from another volley. A num- ber of the soldiers were wounded by the mob including several officers. Finally the com- mand to fire directly into the mob was given and volley after volley crashed into the rioters. The crowd finally gave way and rushed up Court street. The Fourteenth proved them- selves the masters of the situation. A Gatling gun was brought from the jail but the fight- ing was really over. From time to time some rioters would dash forward but a few shots served to disperse them.

The engines were then brought out without hindrance and finally made an attempt to 'save some of the Court House. The northeast corner of the building with the recorder's office and the grand jury rooms were partially saved. Practically all the records in the clerk's office, a large part of those in the Probate Court and the auditor's office, the entire Law Library with the exception of one volume and some of the records in the recorder's office were de- stroyed. The determined conduct of the Four-

teenth had its effect on the mob and the re- sults of the efforts of the firemen seem a con- vincing proof that a little determination at the outset would have stopped the whole matter.

About nine o'clock that evening occurred one of the most dramatic episodes of these exciting days. A portion of the mob con- cluded to force an entrance to the gun store of William Powell & Company on Main street between Fourth and Fifth for the purpose of securing arms and ammunition. Their re- ception was entirely unexpected. Guilford Stone and several of the clerks had prepared a barricade of empty boxes and behind these he and his clerks lay armed with repeating rifles. As the mob rushed in after crashing through the door, it was met by a tremendous volley and the first man dropped dead. The shots followed in quick succession until five men were stretched upon the ground, two of them stone dead. Thereupon the crowd fol- lowed the example of the Dayton soldiers and left in a hurry. They rolled a few coal oil barrels in front of the store and ignited them but did not succeed in doing any damage. Later on, intent on revenge, a squad of rioters captured two cannon in Power Hall and started with it to Powell's. Lieutenant Burke with a squad of police came upon the rioters as they reached the store and soon dispersed them, after taking several prisoners.

The original purpose of the riots had been lost sight of by this time and the only motive that gave any further cause for alarm was that of revenge. Every discontented quasi-crim- inal felt that he had been aggrieved in the failure in his one effort to administer the law without the aid of courts. On Sunday all sorts of rumors filled the city and the crowds hung about in a threatening attitude in front of the barricades. It was said that Music Hall was to be attacked and that Hunt's Hotel owned by Colonel Hunt of the First Regiment had been marked for destruction. Troops con- tinued to arrive during the day and the city buildings were used as barracks. Soldiers oc- cupied the jail, City Hall and city parks. One man was shot on North Canal street as he had become a little, too obstreperous. Towards evening the crowd at Court and Walnut streets became a little more riotous and some shots were fired at the troops. A volley of blank cartridges made no impression. The next vol- ley contained lead and the street was cleared. A little before midnight a crowd that had tried

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to find a juror named Bohne, with the inten- tion of serving out to him the fate which Berner had deserved, having failed in their laudable undertaking rushed down to the Court street market house and fired upon the bar- ricade. For the first time the crank of the Gatling gun was turned and the air whistled with bullets. A number of the rioters were wounded and quiet was again restored for a time. It was necessary to use the gun several times during the night but a little after mid- night it became apparent that the trouble was over. There was a little skirmish at Music Hall, where rioters were endeavoring to get a cannon. A number of thieves were caught in raiding some pawnbrokers' shops on Cen- tral avenue near Sixth street.

The exact number of victims can, of course, never be known. There were said to have been 20 dead bodies lying at one time at the morgue. The hospital contained about 150 wounded and dying. The total number of killed is estimated as more than 50, while several hundred were wounded. A great many others were wounded but the injuries were so slight as not to become known. One or two prominent citizens suffered from their over enthusiasm or excessive curios- ity.

The Court House itself, which had been built in 1851, was practically a ruin and had to be re- built. It had a frontage of igo feet with a depth of 190 feet and was 60 feet high, with three stories. It will be remembered that the first Court House, built in 1802, was burned in 1814, through the carelessness either of some soldiers quartered in it or of some debtors con- fined therein. The second Court House known as. the "Old Court House" was built on Court street and completed in 1819 and burned July 9, 1849. The jail, the one still in use, was built in 1861 at a cost of about a quarter of a million dollars.

As a result of the riot, those persons who were unfortunate enough to be charged with crime and were obliged to stand trial about that time found a decided change in conditions. The closing scene of the whole affair came when United States troops were ordered to the city. .By this time almost all the disorder ceased and after the arrival of these troops quiet was en- tirely restored. (The Cincinnati Riot, by J. S. Tunison and Oscar Edgar ; Our Police, by G. M. Roe ; Court House Riot, by Harry M. Millar, in Hlowe's Ohio.)

THE COMMITTEE OF ONE HUNDRED.

In the fall of 1885 the complaints against false registration and illegal voting led to the estab- lishment of what was known as the Committee of One Hundred, composed of citizens from all political parties. This organization took a lively interest in election matters. Registrations were carefully scrutinized, the residence of voters ver- ified by personal inspection and a number of violations of law discovered. Warrants were sworn out upon charges preferred and given to the Board of Police Commissioners, but arrests failed to follow. As a result of the labors of this committee, in the spring of 1886 the committee preferred charges against the Board of Police Commissioners, and upon the response to these charges filed by the commissioners the members of the board were removed by Governor Foraker. Thereupon a dilemma arose from the fact that it was discovered that no provision of law ex- isted for the filling of places when all the seats were vacant. This was soon remedied by the passage of a law prepared under the direction of the Committee of One Hundred by Col. D. W. McClung. This law, passed March 30, 1886, created a non-partisan Board of Police Com- missioners and is the basis of the organization as it now exists. A little later the newly created board became involved in litigation with regard to its revenues. One of the sources of revente was the tax upon sellers of intoxicating liquors resulting from the Dow law. It became neces- sary to test this law in the courts and the board employed Thomas MeDougal and C. B. Mat- thews to take charge of the litigation, which re -. sulted in a ruling by the Supreme Court satis- factory to the board.

In the fall of this year work was begun on the Mount Auburn cable road and shortly after- wards the so-called Kerper line, a cable road to Walnut Hills, was begun.

In October the body of Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase was brought home for burial in Spring Grove Cemetery and elaborate memorial services were held in Music Hall, which were attended not only by the bar but by the citizens gener- ally.

Among the visitors this year were Michael Davitt, the well known Irish agitator ; Herr Wil- helin Liebknecht, the distinguished German socialist and parliamentary leader ; and Edward Aveling and his wife Eleanor Marx Aveling, also a distinguished socialist.

Work on the new Court House, built to re- place the structure burned in 1884. was so far

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completed as to enable the removal of the county offices to the building on the 8th of November and on December 6, 1886, all the courts returned to the new building. This event was celebrated on January 15, 1887, by a banquet at the Gibson i louse, tendered by citizens, to Henry C. Urner, John L. Stettinius, Wesley M. Cameron and William Worthington, trustees to rebuild the Court House, and James MeLaughlin, the archi- tect. At this Judge Alphonso Taft presided and Isaac M. Jordan acted as toast-master.

Another incident of 1886 was the series of revival meetings held by Sam Jones through- out the summer in Music Hall, which were attended by many thousands of citizens and which continued for a number of months.

THE RAILROAD LABOR RIOTS.

In the spring of 1886 came the railroad labor riots. In the carly part of May the freight handlers of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Day- ton Railway had struck for increased wages. A large number of them thereupon marched in an organized body across the city to the freight depots of the Little Miami Railroad, intending to force their fellow freight handlers in the employ of that company to join them. The recollection of the riots of two years before, however, with a knowledge of what was going on in other parts of the country, gave to this ac- tion of the dissatisfied workmen an importance perhaps beyond its merits. The superintendent of the Little Miami road, the only road then operating in the city, had notified the police that his men had been threatened with personal vio- lence and refused to go on with their work unless they were afforded police protection. An anxious conference of business men had been held, at which were present a number of the officers of the city, and for a time the sentiment of the gathering seemed to be that the police were powerless to aid at this juncture. Robert J. Morgan, at that tune police commissioner, and Milo G. Dodds, however, insisted that it was the duty of the city to protect with all the force it could command the men of the Little Miami road, who were anxious to carn their livelihood, and finally this judgment prevailed. As a re- sult the strikers above referred to were met in . their march by a squadron of police under the command of the chief, Colonel Moore, and were ordered to halt. The majority of the strikers, who were law-abiding citizens, showed signs at once of yielding ; three of the leaders endeavored to break through the lines and were arrested,

whereupon the main body in a quiet and orderly manner dispersed. This little rencontre, inof- fensive in itself, created great alarm, especially as the factories were empty and 30,000 men were said to be on strike. To make assurance doubly sure, the Governor was called upon for troops and five regiments of militia were sent here and placed under the command of Mayor Amor Smith, Jr. Three regiments encamped for several days at Carthage or at Burnet Woods while Cincinnati's own regiment, the First, was located at Industrial Hall in the Exposition buildings. Of course there were many to criti- cise the action of the mayor as being unnecessary. Ile called a meeting of the representatives of the labor organizations which was held in his office with one of the strikers, James M. Morley, act- ing as secretary. A full and complete discussion of the situation was had in the most amicable tone, as a result of which Mayor Smith made it apparent that although he would not inter- fere between the strikers and their employers he would not permit a breach of the peace or in- terference with men who were at work. A proclamation was issued assuring protection to men at work, particularly to those who were laying the new streets. This brought forth a protest which simply resulted in making it still clearer that the law was to be observed and that no breach of it would be permitted. As a result the troubles were finally adjusted without bloodshed.

Another very unpleasant incident of the year 1886 was the exposure of the corruption of the officials in charge of the City Infirmary. This was brought about by the Board of Revision and as a result of the investigation 36 indictments were found, followed by a number of convic- tions.

THE OWEN LAW.

In 1888 the enforcement of the Owen law, which prohibited, the keeping open of saloons on Sunday, aroused great excitement. This law was opposed by a large number of citizens in addition to the saloonkeepers as a class. Its enforcement, therefore, was a matter of some difficulty. Warning was given that the law would be enforced and that the saloons must be closed. The chief of police instructed his men to make a note of all offenses and to make ar- rests on the following day after swearing out warrants. Seven arrests were made on Sunday (without warrants) for disorderly conduct oc- curring in the presence of the officers. Arrests

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continued for violations of the law covering seven Sundays until they numbered 1,950. The first case tried was that of Henry Munzebrock, who had been arrested on a Sunday for dis- orderly conduct. After a jury trial he was found guilty and sent immediately to the Work House. A stay of proceedings to enable him to perfect his appeal for a revision by the upper court was refused him. His case was taken before Judge C. D. Robertson upon a writ of habeas corpus, where it was shown that he had been arrested without a warrant. Judge Rob- ertson following a decision of the Supreme Court of the State immediately ordered his release. The haste with which Munzebrock had been sent to the Work House and the alleged ignominy of his treatment there at a time when it was known that the case would be reviewed by a higher court led to somewhat of a reaction in the public feeling. Twelve other cases regarded as those of flagrant violations of the law were tried but conviction could not be secured, as the juries disagreed. As 'a result the prosecutor in the Police Court refused to prosecute further cases on the ground that to do so would involve the city in needless expense.

CENTENNIAL YEAR.

The centennial year ( 1888) was celebrated by the great Centennial Exposition of the Ohio Valley and Central States which, inaugurated July 4th by a grand street pageant, continued for 100 days. This exposition described in an carlier chapter was largely attended by visitors from all parts of the country and was regarded as a great success, although it did not quite pay expenses. During its continuance many con- ventions and organizations met in the city. The most noteworthy of these was probably the an- nual conclave of the Knights of Pythias, which occurred in June. The procession held by the visiting Knights was by far the most striking that had been seen in the city up to that time. Twenty-five thousand uniformed men were esti- mated to have taken part in it and 100,000 peo- ple must have been included among the specta- tors. The gathering had a special local interest from the fact that it was reviewed by a fellow citizen, Howard Douglass, at that time the su-

Another important gathering of this year was ' that of the American Medical Association, which took place in May.

THE CENSUS OF 1890.

By the census of 1890 Cincinnati was shown to have a population of 296,908, which was an |

increase of 41,769, or 16.4 percent over the population of 1880. The number of manufactur- ing establishments in the city was 7,832 as against 3,275 10 years earlier. These employed 84,167 wage earners at the total wages of $36,- 728,51I as against 54,513 with total wages of $19,553,029 in 1880. The capital employed in these establishments in 1880 was $50,531,900 and in 1800, $104,483,032. The cost of ma- terials used, which in 1880 was $62,374,570, in- creased in 1890 to $92,545,231, and the value of products, including custom work and repairing, from $105,255,165 to $196,063,983.

THE A. R. U. STRIKE.

In 1894 occurred the great railroad strike of the American Railway Union, headed by Eugene V. Dcbs. This originating in the Pullman shops in Chicago soon developed into a sympathetic strike whose influences were first felt in Cin- cinnati on June 28th. On July 4, 1894, the United States attorney acting under instructions received from the Attorney General filed a bill for injunction in the United States Circuit Court upon which after argument an injunction was issued against Debs and other labor agita- tors and strike managers. At that time the Cin- cinnati Southern Railway was in the hands of Samuel M. Felton as receiver, appointed by United States Circuit Judge Taft. A strike leader, Frank W. Phelan, who attempted to in- terfere with the operation of this road while in the hands of this receiver by inducing em- ployees to strike, was arrested by the United States marshal for contempt of court and after a trial of some days he was found guilty and on Friday, July 13th, was sentenced by Judge Taft to six months' confinement in the jail at Leba- non, Ohio. This, as well as the determined atti- tude of the courts throughout the country, broke the strike in Cincinnati, which ended July 18th.

On October 31, 1895, at 10 minutes after five in the morning a severe earthquake shock was felt in Cincinnati, which lasting about 80 sec- onds, extending from south to north, shook houses, broke windows, overturned furniture and did considerable damage, but fortunately no in- jury to persons. It was accompanied by a cracking, hissing noise and created considerable alarmı. Previous earthquake shocks had been felt in 1795, 1811, 1812 and on August 31, 1886.

THE STREET CAR ROUTES.

In 1896 practically all the street car routes in the city, at that time 37 in number, came

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under the control of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company as a result of a con- solidation effected August Ist, under the provisions of the Rogers law passed by the Legislature on April 22nd of that year and approved by the Board of Administration of the city. . The company was granted

a 50-years' franchise in consideration of a new transfer system, which was inaug- urated October 3rd of this year. The Main street electric line was still operated by the Cincinnati Inclined Plane Railway Company although its right to do so was in litigation and the route had been granted by the Board of Administration to the Cincinnati Street Railway Company. The Main street line was operated under a franchise originally granted in 1864. It was the first to build an inclined plane (in 1872): Shortly afterwards as a result of the decision in the United States Court, the Cincinnati Inclined Plane Railway Company was ousted and the road became a part of the system of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company and also of the Sycamore street cable line, formerly owned by the Mount Auburn Railway Cable Company and of the Mount Adams and Eden Park cable line. The purchase price of the last named road was on a basis of $95 in stock of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company for every $100 in stock of the Mount Adams road. The capital stock of the latter road being $2,500,000, the amount paid for this property was $2,375,000 in stock of the Cincinnati Street Railway Com- pany. The sum of $178,000 in cash was paid for the Mount Auburn cable road. In addition to these payments a mortgage indebtedness of $902.000 was assumed. The authorized capital stock of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company was $18,000,000 of which $16,440,- 450 had been issued up to December 1, 1897. The president of the road at the time of the consolidation, as for many years prior, was John Kilgour and the secretary, James A. Col- lins. During the year prior to this consolida- tion 60,000,000 passengers were carried on the Cincinnati street cars. The equipment of the company at this time included abont 225 miles of track and about 1,000 cars. In con- · nection with this consolidation, which prac- - tically resulted in the street railroad system as it is to-day operated under the lease of the Cincinnati Traction Company, it may be well to mention a few incidents in street railroad

history. As will be remembered the first street cars were horse cars and were estab- lished in 1859, the routes in operation being the John, Seventh, Third and Pendleton lines. In September, 1884, the first cable cars ran up Gilbert avenue on the Walnut Hills cable line. These were quickly followed by the Mount Auburn and Vine street cable lines. The first electric cars in the city ran in the summer of 1888 on the Colerain avenue line from the old Brighton House to Centre street, Camp Wash- ington, although the Mount Auburn electric road was the pioneer in the use of this power.

THE INCLINED PLANES.

The Mount Auburn Inclined Plane was the first of these remarkable structures (so char- acteristic of Cincinnati) to be built. This was opened to the public in 1872 and ran from the head of Main street the length of 900 feet to a point on the crest of the hill known as Mount Auburn, 312 feet higher. After the ter- rible accident of October 15, 1889, which re- sulted in the releasing of a car at the head of the incline and its rushing with lightning like speed to the foot, carrying death and destruc- tion with it, this plane was remodeled in 1890 at a cost of $200,000. After the control of this line had passed into the hands of the consoli- dated system, this plane was demolished and abandoned. . The second inclined plane was that on Price Hill built by the Price Hill In- clined Plane Company. This was on Eighth street and was opened on July 13, 1875; it ascended 800 feet with separate tracks for pas- senger and freight traffic to an elevation of 350 feet. This was built at a cost of $300,000. It is no longer used by the street cars .. A year later the Bellevne Inclined Plane at the head of Elm street was opened. It was remodeled in 1890 but reconstructed in 1892 at a cost of $375,000. Its length is 980 feet and its eleva- tion 300 feet. In 1877 came the opening of the Mount Adams Inclined Plane, which was re- modeled in 1880 and reconstructed in 1892 at a cost of $300,000. Its length is 945 feet and it ascends to an elevation of 268 feet. The latest to be built was the Fairview Inclined Plane which was opened in 1894. This cost $200,000. Its length is 633.8 feet and elevation, 210 feel. From the summit of each of the hills attained by these inclined planes can be had a view of the city which lies spread ont like a map at the observer's feet.

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THE HILLTOP RESORTS.

For a number of years there were located at the head of each of the inclined planes then in existence public gardens with amusement halls in which various forms of entertainment were given and refreshments of all sorts were served. These were the Lookout House, at the head of Main street, the Bellevue House at the head of Elm street, the Price Ilill House at the head of the Price Ilill incline and the Highland House on Mount Adams. At the Highland House particularly were held many notable gatherings. Here Mr. Thomas gave his series of summer orchestra concerts and here for a number of years a comic opera com- pany performed throughout the summer. These performances were attended by the best class of citizens and many of them, especially those at the Highland House and for a short time those at the Price Ilill House, were regarded as very important social events. The enforce- ment of the Sunday law which made it impos- sible to sell beer or alcoholic liquors of any sort took away from these places of amuse- ment a large source of their revenues and final- ly resulted in their complete abandonment. Nothing has taken their place. The only sub- stitutes that in any way resemble them have been the summer night concerts at the Zoolog- ical Garden, Chester Park, and at the Lagoon and Coney Island, all of which are more re- mote from the heart of the city than were the hilltop resorts. The abandonment of these re- sorts has been a distinct loss to the city and has taken from it one of its most characteristic and harmless forms of amusement.

'The last horse car in the heart of the city which ran on the Third street line was aban- doned October 26, 1895, and the road was re- constructed into an electric route. The first all night electric cars were run in September, 1895, on the Colerain avenue route. In 1901 the Cincinnati street car system came under the control of the Cincinnati Traction Com- pany by the lease of all the lines of the old company. Under the terms. of this lease, the lessee guarantees dividends upon the stock of the Cincinnati Street Railway Company up- . on a rising scale which eventually will reach the rate of six percent. There are in Cincinnati (June, 1903) about 40 routes operated by the Cincinnati Traction Company and also the Mill creek valley route and three routes oper- ated by the South Covington & Cincinnati

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 86

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048