Cincinnati riots of 1884

The Cincinnati riots of 1884, also known as the Cincinnati Courthouse riots, were caused by public outrage over the decision of a jury to return a verdict of manslaughter in what was seen as a clear case of murder. A mob in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, attempted to find and lynch the perpetrator. In the violence that followed over the next few days, more than 50 people died and the courthouse was destroyed. It was one of the most destructive riots in American history.

Cincinnati in the 1880s was a tough industrial city with a rising crime rate due, in part, to general dissatisfaction with labor conditions. The Cincinnati police force had 300 men and 5 patrol wagons. In this period they arrested 50 people for murder, but only four were hanged. By January 1, 1884, there were twenty-three accused murderers in the jail. The political system was corrupt, with leaders notorious for controlling elections and manipulating judges and juries. In March 1884, the city was still reeling from a devastating flood the previous month when the river crested at 71.9 feet (21.9 m). A full-page article published in the Cincinnati Enquirer on March 9, 1884, said: "Laxity of laws gives the Queen City of the West its crimson record. Preeminence in art, science, and industry avail nothing where murder is rampant and the lives of citizens are unsafe even in broad daylight."

On December 24, 1883, a young white German named William Berner and his accomplice, Joe Palmer, a man of mixed African and European descent, robbed and murdered their employer, William Kirk, a livery stable owner in the West End of the city. The murderers dumped Kirk's body near the Mill Creek in the Northside district. After the men had been arrested, 500 potential jurymen were called before Berner's lawyer accepted the jury of twelve. After a prolonged trial, on March 26, 1884, the jury returned a manslaughter verdict despite the testimony of seven different people to whom Berner had admitted his cold-blooded planning and execution of the murder. The judge, who gave a sentence of 20 years in prison, called the verdict "a damned outrage". The next day, the newspapers called for a public meeting to condemn the verdict. Tried separately, Palmer was convicted and hanged.

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