Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-10-09
Hanging Negroes In Tennessee, b
Judge Lynch's Code,

o.
oyR Tsnnossee exchanges, by yestor
dnysa mail. furnishes US whb he panico
lats ofsihe hanging Of two iegro es, j.
liaersay parts Of ,ha. State, pnder the
lslloglng circumstances. Tho first Il
Tom the Memphis Eagle:
The negro boy, aged about seventeen
belonging TO Mr.. VIM. Turner, of the
vicinity OF La Grange, Tenn, whom We
plen.ioned yesterday morning as having
the'dSy pjeyisus. kiIledstho osersoef, Nj.
James. was apprehonded the same day,
jund- taken 10 La Grange, where he was
lodged in tho calsboose Tor safe keeping.
About one o'clock yesterday morning the
calabcose was broken open by some per.
sons unknown. the negro taken thence
10 the scene oflhe murder, and hung ill
he was desd-dead-dead! where, in
fact he was found hanging by his master
yesterday morning, when Tho rising sun
had lifted The mantle Of darkness which
had enshrouded the operations Of the
Code Of Lynch. The murder OF Mr..
James was most awful one, and Justly
neriled the sternest legal vengeance; but
we live in land Of laws, and ven.
geace should be left TO the laws. We
learn lhnt one Of The persons concerned
in the execution Of the negro. wen, be-
fore the jury Of inquest. and confessed
his participation in the tragedy, and
gave the names Of The others engaged
with him. t...n,I .4 ....a..... -.
The other we find in the Nashville
True Wing, as furnished that paper by
a correspondent wfiling from Sperta,
Tennessee, under date Of September
2Glh:
We have been in the midst of teri.
BILE excitement here for the last day or
Two. Some weeks since runaway ne.
gro came across a poor defcnse!ess wo.
man on the Cumberland mountain, and
after violating her person in the most
heinous manner, murdered her. The
were Of such an aggrava.
ling character that the citizens of the
country determined on his
speedy execution. After he was caught,
all the preliminary arrangements were
made to hang him, but milder council
and he was for the time deli.
lered over 10 the hands Of the law. At
he present term Of the court true bill
vas found, yet when his case was called,
n consequence Of the excitement, it was
continued for one term. The multitude
became apparently ungovernable; so,
when our excellent Judge, the Hon. J.
;. Goodal, was informed Of the fact, he
'rdered the Sheriff TO summon a guard Of
welve men to protect the negro until
be next term Of the court. But large
lumber Of the citizens Of White county,
bout dark, repaired TO the Jail, broke ,
pen the doors, after overpowering the {
uard, took the negro out and carried
i'm to tree, some two or three hundred /
ards off, to the execution; before doing [
'hich, he was given half an hour TO t
ray. AT. this juncture, Parson King, of
his place, and Tim. H. Williams, ESQ.,, ,
lade short appeals to the crowd 10 stay
,sir fell purpose, but to no avail f
When the time expired allotted him, he
as swung up, and remained there until T
lis morning. The coroner, think, now o
as his body, holding an inquest over it. D
S to the motive which urged the people b
do this deed, it cannot be impugned. II
proceeded not from bad heart, for a u
are recital Of the barbarous and inhu.
an act which caused them to do it, p
oull make ones blood run cold. Yet s
law abiding people should never go in. d
such rash proceedings wilhou, the ir
ost mature delibera,ion, as there rarely d
'er occurs case justi(ying them. a