Metropolitan Area Outlined -Howard M. Wilson, of the Civic Department of the Chamber of
Commerce of Cincinnati, in the month of March, 1926, states after making a careful survey of
the situation, that : "The metropolitan district and adjacent territory would include the
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 579
densely populated regions within a radius of fifteen to twenty miles from Fountain Square that
are industriously, economically and socially a part of Cincinnati," He said : "This area also
includes parts of Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties in Kentucky,"
Mr, Wilson's figures show there are 45,529 acres in Cincinnati proper, with a population of
442,976, The metropolitan district of Cincinnati spreads over a larger territory and includes
Norwood and other towns and contains 211,938 acres, with a population of 648,722, Finally,
taking in a still larger sweep of territory, with 482,282 acres and a total population of 728,285,
Page 98 of the historical work known as "The Queen City," by Rev, Charles F, Goss, published
in 1912, reads as follows :
To me, growth, development, evolution are the most significant of phenomena, for they are the
indubitable indications of life, and I begin my effort to convey to the minds of my readers a true
conception of the town of Cincinnati with the census, because, in this way, best of all, it may be
seen that there was a steady increase of population,
In 1800 there were, roughly, 750 people,
In 1805 there were, roughly, 960 people.
In 1807 there were, roughly, 1,500 people,
In 1810 there were, roughly, 2,320 people,
In 1813 there were, roughly, 4,000 people,
In 1815 there were, roughly, 6,000 people,
In 1819 there were, roughly, 10,283 people.
Among the arrivals, in that progressive period, were many men whose lives greatly enriched the
community,
In 1802 came Ethan Stone, Samuel Perry and William Pierson. 1803—Christopher and Robert
Carey, grandfather and father of the Carey sisters; Thomas and Thankful Carter, grandparents of
A, G, W, Carter, In 1804, Colonel Stephen McFarland, General Findlay, Jadeciah Ernst and his
sons, H, M., Jacob and Andrew Ernst; Peyton S, Symnes, Benjamin Smith, P, A, Springman,
George P, Torrence, Jonathan Pan-coast, Robert Richardson, James Perry, Peter M, Nicoll, Adam
Moore, William Moody, Benjamin Mason, Casper Hopple, Andrew Johnston, Ephraim Carter,
James Crawford, William Crippen, Henry Craven, General Mansfield, and his little son E. D,,
and Joseph Coppin,
After this time beginning with 1806 (the year when the little town began to boom) the arrivals
were too numerous to mention en masse, and a process of sifting must begin,
In 1806 Rev, Adam Hurdus, founder of the Swedenborgian church, arrived,
In 1807, Evans Price; 1816, General W, H, Lytle and the L'Hommedieu, Fosdick and Roger
families came,
In 1813, James W, Gazley and Thomas Price,
In 1814, David K. Este,
In 1817, Bellamy Storer, Joseph Jonas, the first Jew, and William Robean, a ship carpenter who
had worked on Fulton's steamboat the "Clermont"—afterwards the head of the copper and brass
works of the city. It was not all gain, however, for the community was impoverished by the
deaths of William McMillan, 1804; Major Ziegler, 1811 ; Rev, John W, Brown, 1813; John
Cleves Symmes, 1814; and by the permanent removal of General St, Clair, and the temporary
absence of General Mansfield and his family,
580 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
If the personelle of the community was thus radically altered during this period we may be sure
that its physical condition was subject to changes quite as great,
In 1802 the little hamlet consisted of an old fort falling into decay, many houses of logs, and a
few clapboard or of brick or stone, irregular and rambling, isolated from the world, a mere sentry
box on the frontier, inhabited by nine hundred independent, carelessly-dressed, loose-moraled
and, too often, ill-mannered people.
As the years pass, closer connections with the East, constantly increasing numbers, better houses,
expanding business, slow refinement of social life,
First Bathtub in America —The city of Cincinnati has the distinction of having placed in
position the first bath tub ever used in America, Adam Thompson, a cotton and grain dealer,
made frequent trips to England and during the thirties he acquired the habit of bathing, The bath
tub was as yet a small affair and but seldom seen in any country. Lord John Russell had used one
in 1828. He was about the only man in England who took his bath semi-weekly, Adam
Thompson, of Cincinnati, just mentioned, installed a bath tub in his home in the last days of
December, 1842, in Cincinnati, He used it for bathing in winter, and this caused wide-spread
publicity, and the newspapers devoted their columns to violent discussions of it, Certain patriots
stated that this type of bathing was a degenerate luxury, designed to corrupt the democratic
simplicity of the Republic, The medical fraternity denounced it as "dangerous to health, and
bound to result in phthisis, rheumatic fevers, inflammation of the lungs, and the whole category
of diseases,"
Legislation reflected the common feeling, The Philadelphia Common Council, late in 1843,
considered an ordinance prohibiting bathing between November I and March 15, and it failed of
passage by only two votes, The same year the legislature of Virginia laid a tax of $30 a year on
all bath tubs, Boston, early in 1845, made bathing unlawful except upon medical advice, but the
ordinance was later repealed, President Millard Fillmore installed the first bath tub in the White
House in 1851, This action broke down practically all prejudice, with the result that by 186o
every hotel in New York had one bath tub and some had two and even three,
The Cincinnati bath tub put into use by Thompson was a great improvement on the small one
used in England, It was built by a leading furniture dealer of Cincinnati, and its material was
mahogany, It was seven feet long and nearly four feet in width, To make it water tight the interior
was lined with sheet lead, carefully soldered at the joints, The whole contraption weighed 1,750
pounds and the floor on which it stood had to be reinforced in order to withstand the weight, The
exterior was elaborately polished, In this elegant bath tub Thompson took two baths December
20, 1842—a cold one at 8 in the morning and a warm one in the afternoon, The now much prized
bath tub had a hard time to become popular, but finally from 1862 on it has been considered a
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 581
necessity in the well planned house or hotel, and the making of them has come to be a great
industry,
Americanization in Cincinnati —One of the most vital problems in Cincinnati as well as other
large cities in this country is the most practical way of handling the influx of increasing
immigration from foreign shores, Remember that from one to three thousand foreigners are
landed at Ellis Island daily and the problem of how to handle and Americanize such a throng is a
vast one, Here in Cincinnati this problem has long since passed an experimental stage, In many
communities throughout the country it was evolved directly as a result of the World War, A quiet
and constructive interest in the foreign-born has been manifest in Cincinnati since the autumn of
1912, The subjoined facts concerning this problem have been taken from the publication known
as "The Loyal American," In the ultimate establishment of a hospitality house for the
foreign-born, much credit is due to Alexander Landesco, He was a Roumanian, who, after a
liberal education in Switzerland, came as an immigrant to the United States, After graduating in
law he located in Cincinnati. Being a man of pleasant personality he made many influential
friends, He became secretary to the mayor of Cincinnati and later established a bank in the heart
of the foreign colony. Being in close touch with the Roumanians, Serbians, and Hungarians of
that particular district, Mr, Landesco at first worked with the Immigrant Welfare Committee,
having modest quarters near the bank, For the next few years the attention of foreign-born was all
that might be expected considering the limited resources of the pioneer society for their welfare
in this particular community,
In June, 1917, increased interest was awakened in practical Americanization through the entrance
of the United States in the World War, At an initial meeting were present representatives of the
Americanization Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, the Immigrant Welfare Committee
and the public schools, This represented a body comprised of such dynamic executives as Dr,
Randall J, Condon, superintendent of the schools, Judge Howard Hollister of the United States
District Court, Alexander Landesco, Dudley C, Outcalt, Frank P, Goodwin, of the Board of
Education, Rabbi David Phillipson, Messrs, Aram and Grant, C, R, Hebble and A, M, Boulware,
of the Chamber of Commerce, It was estimated that $4,000 would be needed for Americanization
work in Cincinnati, Subcommittees were appointed to raise this sum, The need of a community
house or center where representatives of all nationalities could gather was strongly pressed, A
site was suggested in an old tenement house at the corner of Central Avenue and Bank Street, It
had formerly been Rosen's Cafe, a most antiquated structure in the form of a flat-iron, Nightly the
men of the district would flock to the barn-like saloon on the first floor to steep their minds in
drink, and gamble their
582 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
money away, while upstairs were herded their women and children in almost inconceivable
numbers, living under squalid conditions, Gambling and fights galore and the babel of many
tongues had made the place a landmark in the neighborhood, Only the coming of prohibition put
a cessation to the evil influence and exploitation of the foreign-born,
Upon this old building the Americanization executive committee secured a ten-year lease,
Improvements were begun immediately, An eye to future needs marked the development of the
American House, for the men behind the movement had already visualized the on-rush of
war-weary immigrants to America, after the cessation of the never-to-beforgotten World War,
Upon the ground floor was an up-to-date auditorium, a reception room, kitchen, and public baths
; on the second floor, business offices, two well-equipped class-rooms, a music room and ladies'
rest room, Each of these was very handsomely furnished by one of the women's organizations of
Cincinnati, Two floors above were still at the disposal of the committee as future demands were
made,
On Thanksgiving Day, 1918, the American House, the first community center in the United
States exclusively devoted to the foreign-born, was formerly opened, The first director was
George Eisler, who retained the incumbency for a year and then resigned to accept a similar place
in Buffalo, His successor was Dr, John L, McLeish, formerly Educational Secretary of the Allied
Armies of Northern Russia, comprising Americans, British, Serbians, Italians and Russians ; his
headquarters at Archangel embracing a two hundred mile front,
From the day of its dedication the American House has been a buzzing bee-hive of activity, At
the outset its main alien groups were Roumanians and Serbians, With the outstretching of its
influence, however, it soon became a city-wide proposition—its activities extending to every
group of foreign-born in the city,
Thanksgiving Day, 1920, the Americanization executive committee, through the generosity of a
number of friends, served a turkey dinner, complete in every detail, to Ho foreign-born members
of its class in English and civics, Immediately thereafter a series of beautiful tableaux were
presented representing high lights of American history.
The rules of the California Immigration commission have been adopted by Cincinnati and are
about as follows :
1. Don't snub foreign people—make friends with them,
2. Don't laugh at their questions about American life—answer them,
3. Don't profit by their ignorance of American law—help remove it,
4. Don't distrust the foreign-born—make them trust you,
5. Don't mimic their broken English—help them correct it,
6. Don't drive the immigrant into financial failure—success makes for citizenship,
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 583
7. Don't underrate his intelligence—he had brains enough to come here,
8. Don't call him offensive nicknames—how would you like that yourself?
9. Don't "Americanize" by fear and threats—"Americanize" by square deal,
10. Don't make the immigrant hate America—make him love America,
Cincinnati's Americanization policy is actuated by the cardinal principles of brotherly love, relief
and truth, Coercive measures are neither countenanced nor permitted, Moral suasion governs
every relation of the committee with its foreign-born friends, Much has already been
accomplished but the field is broad and a mighty volume of new work is just now presenting
itself,
The reports from this organization show that way back in 1920, from February to December,
there had been handled 2,161 individual cases ; affidavits executed, 575 ; letters and circulars
sent out, 7,500 ; positions secured, 75 ; homes visited, 700 ; children attending "Junior Town,"
1,094; foreign-born pupils in English, American History, civics, music and sewing, 2,922 ;
number of entertainments, concerts and movies, lectures, picnics, etc,, 443 ; total attendance at
entertainments, 20,525,
The Cincinnati Historical Society —This society was organized in August, 1844, with James
H, Perkins as president ; John P, Foote and William D, Gallagher, vice-presidents ; E, P, Norton,
recording secretary ; Robert Buchanan, treasurer ; A, Randall, librarian, In 1847 Dr, S, P,
Hildreth presented to the society the manuscript of his "Pioneer History." This work was
published in 1848, The transfer of the Columbus organization to Cincinnati took place in
February, 1849, at which time the two societies were united, members of the Cincinnati society
elected members of the older association and all the property of the Cincinnati society donated to
it, The first president of the new society was William D, Gallagher, The constitution was revised
in 185o and its primary object was announced to be "research in every department of local
history, the collection, preservation and diffusion of whatever may relate to the history,
biography, literature, philosophy and antiquities of America—more especially of the State of
Ohio, of the West and of the United States," Early presidents of this society included E, D,
Mansfield, John Johnson, John P, Foote and Robert Buchanan, In 1870, Judge M, F, Force
became president. The b00ks of the society were at first stored in the front room of the fourth
story of a brick building at Third and Race streets, but about 1853 they were transferred to the
basement of the Cincinnati College and were later removed to Mr, Buchanan's store, In 1860 the
effects of the society were packed in boxes and deposited in the public and school libraries, then
in the Mechanics' Institute building at Vine and
584 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
Sixth streets. At the end of the Civil War only four members of the society remained in
Cincinnati, These were Messrs, Buchanan, Graham, Caldwell and Force, Subsequently three
other members did more than any other set of members ever accomplished—Julius Dexter,
Robert Clarke, and Eugene F, Bliss. These men, with four others, reorganized the society in
1868. At that date the library contained 700 bound volumes and 1,250 pamphlets, Miss Elizabeth
Appleton was librarian from 1880 to September, 1886, when she was succeeded by Mrs, C, W,
Lord,
In 1871 the library was removed from the rooms of the Literary Club to five rooms in the upper
story of the College Building on Walnut Street, between Fourth and Fifth, which were furnished
rent free by the Cincinnati College. Here it remained fourteen years and was moved, in 1885, to
107 West Eighth Street, just west of Race, The Garfield Place building held the library for
sixteen years, at the end of which period it was transferred to the Van Wormer Library on the
grounds of the University of Cincinnati, In addition to the large number of bound volumes, which
as long ago as 1912, amounted to in excess of 18,000, together with 65,000 pamphlets, there are
a goodly number of collections of manuscripts of much value to the student of history, Among
these are the Torrence papers and letters ; the Walker papers ; the Gano papers and letters ; also
the Robert Clarke collection ; books of the New England Society ; the Centennial Collection ;
and on the walls of the building hang numerous portraits of prominent Cincinnati personages as
well as handsome, rare-to-be-obtained views and maps bearing early dates, Among the society's
reports are found the Journal of Captain John May and that of David Zeisberger, the latter a
Moravian missionary among the Ohio Indians, the same having been translated by Eugene F,
Bliss from the German into the English.
Then there are descriptions of old cemeteries around Cincinnati, including the First Presbyterian
grave-yard, From 1906 to 1923 the society issued printed quarterly reports well bound, but this
was discontinued in 1923 and since then annual report volumes have been published, The great
need of the Historical Society is more room for the safe keeping and better display facilities than
is afforded in their present quarters.
In the matter of officers it should be stated that the present efficient librarian, Miss Belle Hamlin,
has been thus associated with the society for more than twenty years, and none but her associates
in the work can begin to estimate the practical, lasting good she has been to the society.
The present corps of officers are as follows : President, Joseph Wilby ; vice-president, Frank J,
Jones ; vice-president, George Hoadly ; recording secretary, Fred W, Hinkle ; treasurer, James
Bullock ; librarian, Miss Belle Hamlin ; curators, Harry F, Woods, David L, Jones, Elliott H,
Pendleton, John J, Rowe, Lucien Wulsin, Committee in charge of
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 585
publications, Charles T, Greve, Frederick W, Hinkle and Miss Belle Hamlin,
Cincinnati-Grecian Expedition —As a part of the great work being undertaken and really
accomplished in a measure this year, by the American Archaeological Expedition at Nemea, in
Greece, may be named the discovery of a very large cave containing masses of Neolithic pottery
estimated to be 4,000 years old, This expedition is being financed this year by citizens of
Cincinnati, Ohio, upon the initiative of Professor William T, Semple, the son-in-law of Charles
P, Taft, The project is styled the "Cincinnati Excavation in Greece" and is being looked after by
the Cincinnati Society of the American Institute of Archaeology, About $5,000 has been raised
by the members of the society for the excavation,
The overhead expenses of the excavation, which includes the supplying of the scientific
instruments and the like is borne, according to Dr. Semple, by the American School of Classical
Studies at Athens, Greece, The University of Cincinnati became a member of this school two
years ago by the payment of $5,000, which was raised by citizens of Cincinnati,
Among the chief contributors to the expedition fund were William Cooper Procter, Mrs, Mary
Emery, Herbert G, French, L, A, Ault, George H. Warrington, Charles P, Taft, E, W, Edwards,
George W, Armstrong, Jr,, and Arthur Morgan,
The Methodist Book Concern was established by the General Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church in 1789, The first agent was John Dickins and he opened business in the city of
Philadelphia on a capital of $600, the amount of his own personal savings, Mr, Dickins closed
his administration with the debts and assets being equal, about $4,000 each.
Bishop Asbury had accumulated during his life time $2,000 and when he died he left the
principal sum to The Methodist Book Concern with the understanding that the income should be
given to the support of the widow of John Dickins for her life time, John Dickins was succeeded
by Ezekiel Cooper, and during his administration of four years the asset.; had accumulated to the
sum of $27,000, The Methodist Book Concern was removed from Philadelphia to New York in
1804, Philadelphia let it go without protest and New York received it without joy, In 182o the
General Conference, yielding to pleas from the West, determined to establish a western branch of
The Methodist Book Concern in Cincinnati, Rev, Martin Ruter was elected assistant agent to
direct the new plant under the instruction of the New York agent,
The reasons for the establishment of the western house were :
First—The depreciation of western currency, After the discontinuance of the old Bank of the
United States in 1810 the book concern had thousands of dollars lying idle in the banks of
Cincinnati because the money was almost worthless in New York,
586 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
Second—The difficulty in the transportation of goods, They all had to be carried over the
Alleghany Mountains to Pittsburgh and thence by the Ohio River to their destination,
Third—The tide of immigration to the West was increasing rapidly,
In the report of the western agent to the General Conference in 1888 there is this brief historical
account : In a single small room on the corner of Fifth and Elm streets, in the city of Cincinnati,
the Rev, Martin Ruter, under the authority of the General Conference of 1820, began the sale of
Methodist books, The 15x20 feet of space was ample to handle the books published by the house,
namely, the works of Wesley, Fletcher, Clarke, Coke, Asbury's Journals, the Hymn Book and
Discipline, The agent was manager, buyer, stock-keeper, salesman, entry-clerk, book. keeper,
packer and shipping clerk.
In 1839 the western branch of The Methodist Book Concern was chartered as "The Western
Methodist Book Concern," and so continued to be known until the General Conference of 1912
when the two houses were united and the institutions became as they are now, "The Methodist
Book Concern," In 1828 the book concern at Cincinnati was moved to a small house on the north
side of Shillito Place, then to the west side of Walnut Street below Baker, between Third and
Fourth streets ; then to the west side of Main Street above Sixth, from there to the southwest
corner of Eighth and Main streets, then to Fourth, near Home Street, then to Fourth and Home
streets and in 1916 to its now superior building of six stories in height and a floor space of
16,500 square feet to the floor, equal in equipment and output of any publishing house in the
world,
The depositories directly connected with the Cincinnati house are Chicago, Kansas City, San
Francisco, and a salesroom at Portland, Oregon,
The Methodist Book Concern has determined that the division of product shall be books and
graded lessons at New York, uniform lessons and Sunday School periodicals published at
Cincinnati, There are now employed at the Cincinnati house 416 people, The output of mail is
from ten to fifteen tons of Christian literature, Its product goes to the uttermost parts of the
world, Thirty-two and eight-tenths per cent of all second-class mail placed in the Cincinnati
postoffice comes from The Methodist Book Concern, It publishes the most widely circulated
religious literature of the world ; the Senior Quarterly issuing in the current month 925,000
copies, It is publishing story papers weekly for young people, the total circulation being about
1,100,000 copies weekly, Combined assets of The Methodist Book Concern is about six and a
half millions of dollars,
The net produce of The Methodist Book Concern is distributed among the annual conferences for
distribution among the retired preachers of
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 587
Methodism, From 1836 to 1924 there has been distributed for this cause by The Methodist Book
Concern $6,854,000,
The American Bible Society —What is now an auxiliary of the American Bible Society is
situated on Elm Street, Cincinnati, and was first established in this city as "The Young Men's
Bible Society," The date was 1834; its purpose was the circulation of the Holy Scriptures in
Cincinnati and Hamilton County, It became auxiliary to the American Bible Society in 1909 and
its present officers (1926) are as follows : E, P, Bradstreet, president ; J, C, Marshall,
vice-president ; W, B, Matthewson, secretary ; H, J, Nippert, treasurer ; Rev, F, H, Marston, D,
D,, corresponding secretary, During 1925 the records show that over 12,000 copies of the
Scriptures in Hamilton County were circulated during the year,
This institution carries a full stock of Bibles and Testaments in forty languages and are always
sold at actual cost, The central agency to which Cincinnati belongs includes Ohio, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi,
Concerning the foundation of the Young Men's Bible Society of Cincinnati, it may be stated that
the fiftieth annual report of the society contains these words : "Fifty years ago, March 71, 1834,
at a meeting held at the Second Presbyterian Church, on Fourth Street near Race, the Young
Men's Bible Society of Cincinnati was formed, Our city then numbered about 29,000 inhabitants,
and by intelligence, energy and public spirit, already claimed the proud title of 'The Queen of the
West,'
"Rev, Lyman Beecher, D, D,, was president of Lane Theological Seminary and pastor of the
Second Presbyterian Church ; Rev, Joshua L, Wilson, D, D,, was still pastor of the First
Presbyterian Church, the church of the pioneers ; Rt, Rev, Charles T, Mcllvaine, D, D,, was the
Episcopal Bishop of Ohio, Rev, John T, Brooke was rector of Christ Church, Rev, William H,
McGuffey, D, D,, was president of the Cincinnati College, and Dr, Daniel Drake was the dean of
the Medical College of Ohio, Around these distinguished leaders was gathered a band of
remarkable young men who left the impress of their character and talents upon the city of their
choice—an impression not yet effaced, They were foremost in every good word and work ; they
formed the Young Men's Mercantile Library Association ; and they formed the Young Men's
Bible Society of Cincinnati, Salmon P, Chase, Charles Schultz, Stephen S, L'Hommedieu, Oliver
M, Spencer, Flamen Ball, Dr, F, A, Waldo, Henry Starr, Nathaniel Wright, Robert W, Burnet,
John Shillito, George W, Neff, John H, Groesbeck, E, D, Mansfield, D, B, Lupton, William T,
Truman, and many others, contributed largely of their time and substance, The first subscription
list of this society amounted to $2,290 and secured the establishment of a depository with a
supply of Bibles and Testaments from the American Bible Society valued at $3,000,
588 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
Salmon P, Chase was the first president, and served ten years, His name and fame are part of the
Nation's glory ; a man of commanding presence and great ability, a lawyer of great distinction,
and orator of remarkable power, a Senator of the United States, a Secretary of the Treasury (who
re-created the National credit and supplied the funds which preserved our national existence) and
Chief Justice of the United States. More than all he was an humble, consistent Christian, In his
letter resigning the presidency of this society he says : 'So long as I live I trust I shall be enabled
to manifest appropriately a deep interest in the work of distributing the sacred volume to all the
children of our common race, of whatever birth or complexion, whether bond or free,'"
But in reality this society was the successor of one started by one woman who possessed the true
spirit of trust and Christian devotion in the person of Mrs, Charlotte Chambers (Ludlow) Riske,
who established a society in her own home May 10, 1815, preceding the establishment of the
American Bible Society, Mrs, Riske, being influenced by a circular letter sent out from a Bible
house in Philadelphia, sent word by a servant that a meeting would be held at her home on a
certain day and when the time arrived no one was present but herself, She tells the incident
herself as follows : "I went to the room appropriated for the purpose at hour designed and seated
myself at the table, I was filled with the august presence of the Invisible One whose eyes
searcheth all hearts, After reading a portion of the Scriptures from the Prophet Joel, beginning at
the verse 'Fear not Oh Lord—rejoice and be glad for the Lord will do great things.' I closed the
book and prayed for Divine aid, Opening a blank book I made minutes of the meeting—where
only the Lord and I were present, I sent word two weeks hence that the meeting would meet again
and when the time arrived thirty women were present and society was formed."
Charlotte Chambers died in Franklin, Missouri, late in the autumn of 1821, It was her faith really
that established the present Bible society as known in Cincinnati today,
First White Man Buried in Cincinnati —As early as 1754 a party headed by James McBride
descended the Ohio River as far as the mouth of the Kentucky River, and after a partial
examination of the country returned with an account of their discoveries,
If the story reported by the late Dr, A, E, Jones, in his "Early Days of Cincinnati," as told to him
by Joseph Coppin, who came here in 1805, be true, it would seem that in 1764 there were visitors
to the present site of Cincinnati. According to this account, Coppin stated that "soon after his
arrival in Cincinnati he with some other boys were looking at some men digging a drain in front
of the old red tavern, which stood on Water Street, below Main, near where the suspension
bridge lies on this side, The old tavern had a porch along the entire front, and on it sat a very
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 589
old man, the oldest looking man he had ever seen ; his hair was as white as snow, literally,
"He got up and leaned on the bannister a few minutes, looking at the men digging in front, and
then tottered to where the men were at work, Leaning upon his cane, he asked what they were
digging for, They told him they were making a drain, 'Well,' said he, after looking over at Licking
and all around him, as if getting the points of the compass, `within six feet of where you are
digging there is a man buried,' and pointing with his cane said, 'dig right there and you will find it
; if it is not rotten, you will find a bullet hole over the right eye,' Rather to gratify the old man,
than from any confidence in what he said, they dug where he had indicated, and sure enough,
about three feet under ground they found the skeleton, and the bullet hole over the right eye in the
skull ; and the ball rattled in the skull when they pulled it up, Astonished, he was asked how he
knew the skeleton was there. He replied : `In 1764 I was a British soldier in General Bouquet's
army when he made his expedition on the Muskingum, and after we returned to Fort Pitt, a squad
was sent down the Ohio to see if the French had established any trading posts north of the falls,
We landed right here one evening, and pitched our tent there,' pointing to a certain spot with his
cane. 'We built our fire here to cook our supper, and while sitting around the fire, eating, a shot
was fired from the direction of the corner of Main and Front streets, and one of our men was
killed, As it was dark we were afraid to move far away to bury him ; we put out our fire, and dug
his grave and buried him where you found his skeleton,' This was a burial `way back,' and is
probably the first white man buried within the limits of our city," (Early Days of Cincinnati, p,
33.)
Use of Gas —In 1880 this was written concerning gas in Cincinnati :
The Queen City, unlike many large cities, has never had its own gas-works. The Cincinnati Gas
and Coke Company was organized in 1841, and has since enjoyed a monopoly of the city's
supply. In 1865, at the expiration of the twenty-five years during which the company was to have
the exclusive right of furnishing gas to the city with privilege of purchase then, the purchase of
the works was provided for by the council, but not consummated, and ten years' extension of
privilege was given to the company, The value of their works and appurtenances is more than
$6,000,000, and the stock of the company owning them is among the most valuable in the city.
The cost of light to the corporation of Cincinnati in 1880 was $200,313.69, including that of two
hundred and four new gas lamps erected, and two hundred and nineteen gasoline lamps, The total
number of gas lamps in use January 1, 1881, was 6,334; gasoline, 1,018; lineal feet of gas pipe in
use, 212 miles and 2,160 feet,
Industrial Expositions —The measure of enterprise and final success of almost any city may be
seen in its public expositions of the various enterprises for which the city or community is noted,
While the great National and International expositions held in this country have attracted
590 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
much attention, beginning with the Crystal Palace of New York in the fifties, and coming on
down including the Centennial at Philadelphia ; the Wool-growers' Association, Chicago, in
1868 ; the Columbian Exposition, Chicago, in 1893 ; the New Orleans Cotton Exposition ; the
Various Corn Palaces in Iowa ; the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of Omaha in 1898 ; the St,
Louis World's Fair Exposition in 1904 ; the Lewis and Clark Exposition of Washington, in 1908
; the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, New York, where our beloved President McKinley
was assassinated in September, 1901 ; the Jamestown Exposition, in Virginia ; and the great
World's Fair at San Francisco in 1915, have each and all been wonderful expositions to behold,
But in a local and State matter the various fairs or expositions have claimed their full share of
interest and also been pronounced for their signal success, These latter include those held at
Cincinnati beginning in August, 1869, as a reproduction of a similar one held in Chicago the year
before, Concerning this exposition the following was written and published in the "Centennial
History of Cincinnati" :
The permanent organization was in charge of John Shillito as chairman who was assisted by an
able corps of officers and a number of committees, The early part of August, 1869, was selected
as the date of the exposition and invitations were extended to manufacturers of cotton, wool,
flax, hemp and silk, and to cotton and wool growers to take part in the undertaking, David Sinton
offered his newly erected four-story building on the east side of Vine Street, between Third and
Fourth streets, for the use of the association, and here on August 3d the Exposition of Textile
Fabrics was opened with appropriate ceremonies and speeches by George W, Jones, the chairman
of the executive committee, Governor Rutherford B, Hayes, Mayor Torrence, Judge Storer, Hon,
Job E, Stevenson and Hon, Benjamin Eggleston and other orators of this and other cities, The
exposition was a great success both in point of attendance and displays, Thousands of visitors
were attracted to the city and 155 exhibitors from 10 different States exhibited about 3,000 lots
of goods, At the conclusion Mr, Laws, the original promoter of the undertaking, conducted a
trade sale of the exhibits before what was claimed to be the largest and wealthiest company of
gentlemen that had ever assembled at an auction sale west of the Alleghany Mountains,
The success of this undertaking suggested annual industrial expositions and on a larger scale, As
a result came the First Cincinnati Industrial Exposition held under the management of a general
committee consisting of five representatives from each of the three business institutions—the
Ohio Mechanics' Institute, Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade.
Charles F, Wilstach acted as president ; Messrs, Laws and Kirby, vice-presidents ; Mr, Gould,
treasurer ; Mr, Frazer, secretary, and John
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 591
B. Heich, superintendent, The question of site was largely settled by the fact that the German
musicians of the city were at the time making arrangements for holding a festival of the North
American Saengerbund' in Cincinnati during the summer of 1870, for which purpose they were
about to erect a great temporary building on the ground opposite Wash ington Park, formerly
occupied by the Cincinnati Orphan Asylum, This Saengerfest structure with three additional
edifices built expressly for the exposition was chosen, The central building was 250 feet long by
110 feet wide, built in a succession of grand arches 72 feet in extreme height, The entire edifice
was surrounded by galleries, To the north and northwest of this were buildings, one 224 by 80
feet, the other 112 by 104 feet in dimensions and to the southwest of the principal building was
another one-story structure 184 by 15o feet, The total floor space of the exposition buildings,
including the connecting structures and several smaller ones was 108,748 square feet or about
two and one-half acres, To this must be added the wall surface which increased the space to
about four and one-half acres, The floor space was larger than the total area afforded for exhibits
at the World's Fair held at the Crystal Palace in New York in 1853, The grounds were easily
reached by lines of omnibuses and carriages as the street railroads had not yet been built in that
direction, The exposition was opened on September 21, 1870, with addresses by Mayor Wilstach,
Mr, Goshorn and Senator John Sherman, On this occasion the attendance was quite limited, there
being less than 500 people distributed throughout these immense buildings, It became necessary
to reduce the price of admission from fifty cents to a quarter and as a result 300,000 people
visited the buildings before the close of the exposition on October 22d, Almost every conceivable
product of industry was exhibited at this, the first of the long series of expositions, each one of
which was to surpass its predecessor, The first exposition was not only popular but it was a
financial success, The guarantee fund was untouched and a balance left in the treasury, In the
following year, at which time A, T, Goshorn was president, 400,000 persons were admitted
within the gates. Another great success was achieved so far as the exhibits and attendance could
constitute success but there was a deficit of about $15,000 caused by the large building account,
The Third Industrial Exposition was also in charge of Mr, Goshorn and was attended by 540,000
people, A new building for the art department was constructed in the open square on the east side
of Elm Street, now Washington Park, and connected with the main building by a bridge over the
street, A horticultural hall was built and a department of national history organized, The exhibits
covered seven and one-half acres and were contributed by 3o States, Although the receipts
amounted to almost $100,000, there was a deficit this year,
The Fourth Industrial Exposition, held in 1873, was affected some-
592 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
what by the cholera and the financial situation of the country, W, H, Blymyer was its president,
An immense guarantee fund of $226,000 was raised but the guarantors were not called upon as
the exposition yielded a profit of over $10,000, which was used to reduce the indebtedness of
former years,
D. B, Pierson for a time, and afterwards George W, Jones, acted as president of the Fifth
Industrial Exposition held in 1874, Many new features were added this year, On the opening day
a great military parade attracted large crowds to the city, Addresses were delivered by Governor
Allen, Governor Hendricks of Indiana, Mayor Johnson, President Jones and S. Dana Horton, An
exposition regatta was held on the river on September 14th and achieved a great success, The
exhibition fell behind this year about $10,000,
John J, Henderson was the president of the Sixth Industrial Exposition held in 1875, This opened
with a grand industrial parade through the streets and was especially noteworthy for the offering
of prizes of increased value for exhibits in various departments, The exposition made a profit of
about $9,500, which, together with an assessment on the guarantee fund, was used to clear the
exposition of debt, The fact that a National exposition was to be held at Philadelphia in 1876 led
to the abandonment of a local exposition for that year and the erection of the permanent buildings
which were begun shortly after this time accounted for the failure to give expositions in 1877 and
1878,
After the Musical Festival of May, 1875, Reuben R, Springer, through John Shillito, offered to
give $125,000 to build a permanent structure for musical festivals and other purposes if the lot on
Elm Street, at that time occupied by the exposition buildings and owned by the city, could be had
for perpetual use without taxation and if the citizens would contribute an equal sum, The Music
Hall Association was formed in 1875 and the money was soon raised and the conditions
complied with, Mr, Springer later added $6o,000 to his gift. The building was completed in time
for the May Festival in 1878, The various exposition buildings, including Music Hall and its two
wings, occupied a frontage on Elm Street of 402 feet,
In October, 1878, the board of commissioners representing the three organizations under whose
auspices the expositions were held, was organized with Edmund H, Pendleton as president ;
James H, Laws, James Dale and E, V, Cherry, vice-presidents ; John Simpkinson, treasurer, and
Hugh McCullum, secretary, Under this management the seventh Industrial Exposition was held
from September 10 to October 1, 1879, The opening exercises were attended by President Hayes,
Governor Bishop and Generals Sherman and Sheridan, Twenty-four States were represented by
the exhibitors and over 400,000 visitors attended the exposition, which netted a profit of over
$15,000,
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 593
The Eighth Industrial Exposition was in charge of President Melville E, Ingalls and his
vice-presidents, etc,, as before. This exposition lasted from September 8, to October 9, 188o, was
quite successful, netting a profit of $3,000, exclusive of the gross receipts of the last day which
were donated to the Art Museum fund just started by the gift of $150,000 by Charles W, West,
The Ninth Industrial Exposition, held in 1881, had for its president R, H, Galbreath, Captain W,
W, Peabody had charge of the Tenth Exposition and also of the eleventh, held in 1882-1883,
Both of these were featured by grand street pageants under charge of the Order of Cincinnatus, A
feature of the Eleventh Exposition was the lighting by electricity, introduced then for the first
time, Both of these expositions were successful financially,
The Twelfth Industrial Exposition was held in 1884 under charge of Edwin Stevens as president,
A Government display was a leading feature that year, but the unfavorable weather caused a loss
of $22,000 to be assessed to the guarantors, Mr, Stevens was also president in the Thirteenth
Exposition held in 1886, when the specialty was the Japanese Village, which netted a profit of
$6,000,
A, T, Goshorn, who had been director-general of the Centennial Exposition at Philadelphia,
encouraged the celebration of the centenary of the settlement of the Ohio Valley and Central
States, started July 4, 1888, by a grand street pageant, continued one hundred days until October
27, 1888. James Allison was the president on that occasion, Honorary commissioners included
the governors from Ohio, Kentucky, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia, Illinois, Tennessee,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa and Kansas, Two vast temporary buildings were erected in
addition to the permanent exposition buildings and Music Hall, The buildings covered forty-three
acres of ground and afforded over a million square feet of exhibiting space, Congress made a
large appropriation for defraying the expenses of a display by the government departments,
which was one of the most striking features of the exposition that year. The State of Ohio made a
fine display illustrating the growth of a century, This exposition was backed by a guarantee fund
of $1,000,000, subscribed by the citizens in Cincinnati, It was not a financial success and the
guarantors were called to make good the deficit.
The Prince of Wales —Among the events of the year 1860 was the visit of the Prince of Wales,
at that time making a tour throughout the United States under the incognito of Lord Renfrew, The
members of the party were given, by the mayor, a special invitation to visit the city and were
elaborately entertained during their stay,
The Prince arrived in the city on Saturday, September 29, Rooms had been engaged at the Burnet
House to which he was immediately
Cin. —38
594 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
taken, The great crowd of people who surrounded the hotel made necessary special police
protection ; even the passage ways of the hotel were so crowded that it was impossible for the
guests to make their way to their apartments, When the Prince and his party went out to drive in
the morning the streets were so blocked as to make it almost impossible for them to get away
from the hotel, In the carriage with him sat Mayor Bishop, the Duke of Newcastle and the Earl of
Germaine, and in the carriages following were Lord Lyons, Major-General Bruce, Major
Teasdale, Captain Gray, Dr, Ackland, President J, W, Sibley, of the Chamber of Commerce,
President John F, Torrence of the city council, judge Bellamy Storer and Rufus King, The party
drove rapidly through the principal thoroughfares and finally went out to Clifton where it was
entertained at "Mount Storm," the beautiful residence of Robert B, Bowler. Here an elaborate
banquet was served and Menter and his band discoursed various selections including of course
the national airs, The party was here joined by Bishop Mcllvaine, In the evening a magnificent
ball was tendered the Prince at Pike's Opera House, "There was present at the opera house a large
and brilliant assemblage, A more select company never convened to worship at Terpsichore's
shrine, As the ladies, accompanied by their devoted attendants, entered the auditorium they
ranged themselves in the lower tier of boxes, Never did the Opera House present a gayer
appearance from proscenium to proscenium and at the rear and on either side of the stage were
living exotics that rendered the house redolent with their grateful perfume, At the head of the
grand stairway were draped together on the wall in peaceful confraternity the banners of England
and the United States, The Prince and suite made their entry at twenty minutes before ten o'clock,
accompanied on the right by the Duke of Newcastle and on the left by Mayor Bishop, He walked
down the center aisle to the parquette, The orchestra played 'God Save the Queen' as he entered
while the assemblage arose to their feet, He retired to a private box for a few moments and then
reappeared, which was a signal for commencing the festivities of the evening, The Prince opened
the dance with Mrs, Samuel N, Pike as his partner, and successively danced with Miss Rebecca
Groesbeck, Miss Mattie Taylor of Newport, Miss Helen McGregor of Mount Auburn, Miss Alice
Hilton and Miss Edith Burnet, His partners were selected for him by the floor managers at his
request, He danced in every quadrille and as the merry notes of the music stilled to silence the
sixth set the hour of twelve had arrived. The Prince and his party then retired highly pleased with
the entertainment," It is interesting to note that of the twelve dances on the programme for this
evening, but one was a waltz, There were two polkas, a schottische, a mazourka, five quadrilles,
and two lancers, The composers whose names figured on the programme
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 595
were Strauss (five selections), Flotow, Julian, Oberst, Tillney, Waller-stein and Labitzky,
The following morning the royal party attended divine services at St, John's Church at Seventh
and Plum, where Bishop Mcllvaine conducted the services, assisted by Rev, Dr, Greenleaf of St,
Paul's and Rev, Mr, Heather of St, John's and Rev, Mr, Bronson of Sandusky, Here again the
crowd was so great as to make it necessary to surround the church by police and at the end of the
services to spirit him away by a side entrance, In the evening the Prince left the city for
Pittsburgh,
Visit of Lafayette in 1825 —From newspapers and from book accounts including those by local
historian Carter, together with an able address by L'Hommedieu, found in Cincinnati "Pioneer,"
No, III, page 15, the subjoined account of the great Frenchman's visit to Cincinnati, accompanied
by his son, has been gleaned :
The most notable event of the year 1825 was the visit to the city on the 19th of May of General
the Marquis de Lafayette, accompanied by his son, The distinguished foreigners were making a
tour of the country and approached the city from Lexington, Kentucky, where they had stopped to
visit Henry Clay, A deputation of citizens was appointed to meet them on the other side of the
river and escort them to Cincinnati, The river was crossed in an elaborately decorated barge
rowed by six prominent citizens, Strange to say the party arrived on this side in safety, It was met
and welcomed at the landing by Governor Morrow and General Harrison in company with the
officials of the city, including a special committee of the Council—Calvin Fletcher, Lewis
Howell and Oliver Lovell, The occasion had brought thousands of people here from the country
and all within a circuit of one hundred miles seemed to be on hand, The whole public landing
between Main Street and Broadway and Front Street and the river was densely crowded with
men, women, and children and the windows, balconies and roofs of the buildings fronting the
river were alive with people waving their welcome, As the party landed the band played "Hail to
the Chief" and the crowd cheered vociferously, Governor Morrow delivered an address
welcoming him to the city and State, after which he entered a fine open phaeton owned by Major
Daniel Gano and drawn by six magnificent bay horses, This was the only equipage of such
magnificence in the city and it preceded a vast procession including Captain Brinkerhoff's
Artillery, Captain Avery's Infantry, Captain Harrison's Lafayette Greys, Captain Emerson's
Guards and companies from other points, to the corner of Front and Broadway, Here had been
erected a platform from which General Harrison delivered an address of welcome to which
Lafayette responded with much feeling, Another address of the day was that of Joseph S,
Benham, at that time distinguished as an orator, He had been selected to represent the people
596 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
in welcoming the great French man and delivered a great oration upon the "Old Court House"
grounds before a most numerous concourse of people, which was pronounced by the multitude as
a great effort, entitling Benham to be enrolled among the chief orators of the land.
Benham was a Kentuckian, a large and portly man, standing almost six feet five inches high with
large head and dark auburn flowing hair, broad shoulders and capacious and "unbounded"
stomach, covered by a large buff vest and brown broadcloth frock coat, He had a graceful and
easy delivery and his voice was extremely deep but melodious, and, according to a narrator, the
occasion was a most impressive one.
In the evening Major Gano's orchard was utilized for a public reception and afterwards a ball was
given at the Cincinnati Hotel and attended by people of the city prominent in social, business and
professional life.
A special feature of the visit was the organization of a new lodge of Free Masons, called
Lafayette, No. 1, of which the distinguished Frenchman was elected an honorary member, Upon
the occasion of his death ten years later his obsequies were publicly celebrated by this
organization.
Lafayette remained until midnight of the following day, when he departed by the river, Mr,
L'Hommedieu tells us that "the day of his arrival, as well as that which followed, and his
departure at midnight, will be remembered, by those who witnessed the scenes, as long as their
memories last, All was grand ; but the closing scene, at twelve o'clock at night, with the
illumination on both sides of the river, the crowd of many thousands of our people on the
landing, the beautiful display made by all the steamboats in port, the procession of military
companies, the firing of cannon from our landing, from the boats, and from the arsenal at
Newport, with the martial music, seems to me, after the lapse of fifty years, the most brilliant
sight of my life.
Cincinnati Riots —Unpleasant as it is to record lawlessness and riots in the otherwise fair
municipality of Greater Cincinnati, it is but the part of a faithful historian to at least briefly note
their occurrence,
Without referring to the earlier riots of the city let us hasten on to state some of the causes and
facts connected with those from 1836 on to the present time :
The year 1836 was marked by a number of outbreaks growing out of the anti-slavery agitation
which was becoming more and more fierce, This was a question of intense interest in Cincinnati
because of the city's peculiar location, being as it were the outpost of freedom thrust into the
heart of the slave land and the first station of the "Underground Railway," In 183o, of the 7,500
negroes in Ohio, 2,200 were in Cincinnati, Most of the negroes who had reached maturity had
been born in slavery and had bought their freedom for the purpose of crossing into the free land
where they could raise their children without their having fastened upon them a lifelong bondage,
They were not welcomed generally in the
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 597
Buckeye State, although Cincinnati, as was true of other Southern communities, at that time
needed their services as laborers, The expression "other Southern communities" is not used
unadvisedly for in those days this section was regarded as being more Southern than Northern in
its sympathies as well as climate,
The law of Ohio required free negroes to be registered and to give bond that they would not
become public charges and any person who harbored an unregistered free negro was liable to be
fined, Negroes of course were excluded from voting, their testimony could not be received
against white persons, even to support the testimony of white witnesses, and they were not
entitled to education at the public expense, although they paid part of the school taxes, In
addition to this, very few of them were able to obtain any employment except as common
laborers as they were not permitted by public sentiment to follow a trade.
Race Riot in 1841 —The excitement about slavery, which was forever smouldering in the
breasts of Cincinnatians, broke out in two serious disturbances in 1841, the first occurring on the
25th of June, On that day Cornelius Burnett (not Burnet), his three sons, and three other persons,
were arrested on the charge of assault and battery upon Robert Black, a constable, and the owner
of a slave who had been traced to Burnett's residence, The Burnetts resisted the attempt to
capture the fugitive and were arrested and sent to jail, during their detention in which place a
mob attacked their home, but were dispersed before they had done much damage,
This was a small affair, however, compared with another which occurred in September of the
same year and was precipitated by the antagonism which had always existed between the Irish
and the negroes, two parties of whom met at the corner of Sixth and Broadway one day and, as
usual, picked a quarrel with each other, It was not of serious proportions at that time, but
brooding over it, awakened a desire to put the issue to the test of brute strength,
The next month the trouble broke out again and upon the Irish demanding the surrender of one of
the negroes as a hostage or a prisoner, his companions joined him in his resistence, and still more
blood was shed, The next evening the tumult began afresh and finally, on Friday morning, a mob
composed largely of river men and Kentucky toughs, took possession of Fifth Street, where the
esplanade is now, and so terrorized the police and citizens as to be able to hold their ground, and
finally to demolish a negro house, This act of violence, however, consolidated the black people
of the neighborhood and a large band of them, well armed, appeared upon the scene,
So ominous was the situation then that J, W. Piatt, and after him Mayor Davies, attempted to
allay the excitement by an appeal to reason ; but their voices were drowned in a tumult of
derision, and finally the
598 - GREATER CINCINNATI AND ITS PEOPLE
whites, charging upon the blacks, were met with a deadly volley of firearms, The fighting
continued, at intervals, and at midnight a six-pound cannon was planted in the streets by the
rowdy element and frequently discharged in the direction of the negro settlement,
On Saturday morning J, W, Piatt, J, C, Avery, Bellamy Storer and W, T, Disney addressed a
public gathering, denouncing the mob ; but adding fuel to the flames by also denouncing the
abolitionists, Each day and hour the frenzy increased, and every plan to allay the excitement
failed, The negroes gave bonds to keep the peace, but even this did not avail, and they were
finally taken under military escort into the jail, where alone they appeared to be secure. Their
disappearance did not cause the mob to disperse, however, and rushing hither and thither, they
finally concentrated their attacks upon the office of the "Philanthropist," which they demolished
and threw the pieces into the river, So great had become the peril by this time that Governor
Corwin was obliged to come to the city in person, and before the mob could be finally quelled, as
many as twenty or thirty had been seriously wounded, and several had been killed,
This brief recital of those deeds of violence will afford conclusive proof that the police force of
that period were not mere supernumeraries and will, also, excite a curiosity as to the nature of
that inflammable substance in the soul of our city which was forever bursting forth into deeds of
violence,
Riot of 1842 —As another illustration, there was the bank riot of 1842, On the evening of the
preceding day the Miami Exporting Company made an assignment, and in the morning the Bank
of Cincinnati closed its doors, As soon as this was known a panic occurred and crowds of excited
citizens, collecting together, began to break in the doors and to destroy the property, Mayor
Davies, for some reason or other, proved incompetent to meet the emergency with the force at his
command ; but Captain O, M, Mitchell, with ten of the City Guards, rushed to the scene and with
threats dispersed the crowd, which, however, reassembled and had finally to be broken up by a
rattling fire in which two or three citizens were wounded,
Riot of 1848 —There was also a fierce riot in this year, the circumstances of which were truly
dramatic, Two soldiers of the Mexican War had turned up in the city, possessed of land warrants
whose value was great enough to tempt an old German and his wife, with whom they boarded, to
a horrible crime, Having failed to persuade the soldiers to part with the warrants in any other
way, they coached their daughter to charge them with an assault upon her virtue, This charge they
spread abroad in order to provoke the arrest of the soldiers, and thus enable themselves to get
possession of the coveted documents, At the trial
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS - 599
public opinion rose to a fever heat, and a crowd of impassioned citizens would have sacked the
jail and lynched the soldiers but for the courage of Sheriff Weaver, Fearing that the force at his
command was insufficient he summoned the "Citizens' Guard" and the "Grays" to his aid, and
when, after repeated warnings to the crowd to disperse, they still persisted in their determination
to seize his prisoners, the faithful officer ordered the soldiers to fire, The volley was so well
aimed that eleven persons in the crowd were shot to death, some, as usual, being entirely
innocent, At first the tide of public opinion turned against the sheriff but when it was at last
discovered that had the crowd succeeded in their purpose they would have hung two truly
innocent men, a swift reaction followed,
The Riot of 1853 —The famous Bedini riot occurred in the same period, In 1853 there came to
America and to Cincinnati a distinguished prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, the Papal
Nuncio Bedini, and his arrival was the signal for a violent outbreak of passion among the
Germans, In 1850, out of a population of 115,438, more than 51,000 were German born or of a
German parentage, among whom were many heroic spirits that had been imbittered by those
injustices which had provoked the rebellion of 1848, In their hearts they cherished an undying
resentment towards anyone who had attempted to suppress their liberties in their home land and,
believing that the papal nuncio was such a man, they assembled in a mass meeting and demanded
that he should leave the town, Some of them, upon its adjournment, were impelled by their
excitement towards the home of the archbishop on Eighth and Elm, where Bedini was a guest,
but at the Eighth Street Park they encountered the entire police force, headed by the chief, who
was acting under the orders of Mayor Snelbaker, Instantly trouble began, Heads were broken
with clubs and shots were fired with such effect that fourteen people were wounded before the
crowd gave way, The Germans were wild, and at a subsequent meeting sent a committee of one
hundred to demand the resignation of the mayor. Upon his refusal to yield to their childish
demands, a half formed determination to go and compel him to do so was defeated by the
eloquence of Bellamy Storer, who persuaded the angry Germans that they were transgressing the
boundaries of their rights,
Riot of 1855 —Another riot occurred in 1855 and was precipitated by political and racial
animosities, excited by an election, The story was noised about that the Germans "over the
Rhine" proposed to prevent the casting of ballots for J, D, Taylor, the mayoralty candidate of the
American or "Know-nothing" party, This rumor was a match in a powder mine and before long a
crowd consisting of thousands of excited people were barricading the streets, So confused were
the elements in conflict and so complicated the situation that no definite plan of action was
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