Description: Two photographs document the Fayette County courthouse in Washington Court House, Ohio. The second photograph is a close-up view of the wooden entrance doors, which are marked by bullet holes, the result of an 1894 riot following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman. The photographs measure 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). The Eclectic-style Fayette County courthouse was designed by architect David W. Gibbs and was completed in 1885. Three murals in the lobby outside the courtroom were painted by Archibald Willard, who painted the Spirit of '76. The first mural, Spirit of the U. S. Mail depicts a winged woman holding a bundle of letters in her left hand and a single envelope in the other hand that bears the inscription "A. M. Willard. . . , Cleveland, Ohio." The Spirit of Electricity portrays a woman floating above a body of water bearing a torch in her right hand. The Spirit of the Telegraph is pictured as a winged woman holding a length of telegraph wire. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3119_3737998_001
Subjects: Ohio Government; Architecture; Courthouses; Doors & doorways; Bullet holes; Riots; Justice--Administration of
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph captures a scene from the 1884 Cincinnati Courthouse Riot. A group of armed Ohio National Guard troops stands behind a barricade of overturned wagons on Court Street. The Cincinnati jail is visible in the background. The photo surface has two handwritten notes in white ink: "Court St. looking to Jail" (lower left) and "RAG Photos" (lower right). "RAG" refers to Rombach & Groene, Cincinnati-based photographers and engravers. In March 1884, public confidence in Cincinnati law enforcement was extremely low. The public believed that murderers and other serious offenders were not brought to justice promptly or received little punishment. Civil unrest was brought to a boil when seventeen-year-old William Berner was sentenced to only twenty years' imprisonment for manslaughter rather than murder. Berner had been charged with savagely beating his employer to death after being caught in the act of stealing $285. On March 28, 1884, thousands of citizens stormed the county jail and courthouse. The rioting, which lasted three days, required forces from the sheriff’s office, city police, and local and state militia to restore order. Fifty-four people were killed and more than 200 wounded. The courthouse and jail suffered enormous damage, and valuable records were destroyed from the assault and fire. The riot gained international notoriety and helped pave the way for removal of political favoritism and a larger police force. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL05826
Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio)--Riot, 1884; Riots; Riot control; Cincinnati (Ohio)--History; Ohio History--Military Ohio; Ohio. National Guard;
Places: Cincinnati (Ohio); Hamilton County (Ohio)
 

Description: Three photographs show angry protestors and National Guard troops outside the Fayette County courthouse during a riot in 1894. The first photograph measures 4 x 6 (10.16 x 15.24 cm); the others are 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). Rioting erupted at the courthouse following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman in Washington Court House. Dolby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twenty years at the Ohio Penitentiary. The crowd, however, demanded that Dolby be lynched for the crime. Governor William McKinley, who later became president of the United States, sent out the National Guard to protect Dolby. On the morning of October 17, 1894, the National Guard troops, led by Colonel Alonzo B. Coit, ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd continued to shout and began ramming the courthouse doors. Coit and his troops fired at the crowd through the doors of the courthouse, killing six men and wounding a dozen others. Bullet holes are still visible in the wooden doors of the courthouse. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3120_3738008_001
Subjects: Military Ohio; Architecture; Ohio Government; Courthouses; National Guard; Riots; Justice--Administration of
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)
 

Description: This photograph shows armed soldiers standing guard outside the Fayette County Court House, Washington Court House, Ohio, in mid-October 1894. A crowd of onlookers is facing the soldiers; inside the court house, dozens of people are standing the windows observing the activity outside. Rioting erupted at the Fayette County Courthouse following the trial of William Dolby, a biracial man accused of raping a white woman in Washington Court House, Ohio. Dolby pleaded guilty and was sentenced to twenty years at the Ohio Penitentiary. The crowd, however, demanded that Dolby be lynched for the crime. Governor William McKinley, who later became president of the United States, sent out the National Guard to protect Dolby. On the morning of October 17, 1894, the National Guard troops, led by Colonel Alonzo B. Coit, ordered the crowd to disperse. The crowd continued to shout and began ramming the courthouse doors. Coit and his troops fired at the crowd through the doors of the courthouse, killing six men and wounding a dozen others. Bullet holes are still visible in the wooden doors of the courthouse. Colonel Coit was indicted for manslaughter but was acquitted at trial. After the trial, Governor McKinley stated, "The law was upheld as it should have been...but in this case at fearful cost.... Lynching cannot be tolerated in Ohio." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: AL06618
Subjects: Riots; Lynching; McKinley, William, 1843- 1901; Fayette County (Ohio); Courthouses
Places: Washington Court House (Ohio); Fayette County (Ohio)