Minnesota weekly times., 1856-10-18

ASv9S0-
The correspondent Of New York paper, who
has been travelling through Western Missouri
during the past summer, thus describes scene Of
horror which occurred at the Court. house in
Lexington. ~ V9'
!" Sheriff withers, having I. !" niger woman -
who on the previous day hid been ncgl ctful Of
her taskw1rk, sent for blacksmith to come and
chas,ise her. lie came, bolted the door, tied the
woman's hands together, lashed them over her
head to the ceiling and commenced whipping.
The screams OF the woman brought her husband
| to the rescue. Hs broke open rhe door, and with
butcher knife in his hand rushed orward to cut
his wife loose. The slave and bl cxs,nth en-
countereJ each other, and in the fray the latter
got bis arm cut. The slave finally surrendered
and was led away to gaol, while the woman
received " double whippicg. These are the facts
Ut the Case.
News Of this "ho rble outrago'' was soon
circulate ed, and the ex:item mt became intense.
One lel.ing man was he ird to say: IS God damn
me If don't sink INV soul to hell if don't nut
Il stop to this slave rebellion. if 1 can only get
three men to join With" When asked how he
would do it, he said, s.. will take this slave and
that other ono that is in gaol, and hang them
both on the same tree, and let them hans there
u week." Three men came forward TO assist
him, and the hour of four O'Clock that after
noon was agreed upon for the execution. The
excitement grew waxing wilder and fercer every
hour. until such stOr.n Of passion ragged as was
fearful to behold. At four O'clock the mo ,. mum.
bering two or three hun Tered, moved toward the
courthouse. The "boy,"a qu,drOon Of about
forty wears Of age, brought into the building.
and placed within the bar. Colonel Reed was
c"l.ed upon to preside, and Colonel Walton ex-
planned the object of the meeting.
lie sid "a great crime has been committed
ax,G. .Ostsa
We bad come toge her, not to imbruc our hands in
the ll0Od Of innOcence hut rebellion of slaves ia
becoming common. Something must he done to
put stop to it, To protect our wives, our children
and our sac ed homes"
~ member Of the legislature elrncstv remon-
| straied against mob law, and recommended that
a day be appointed to whip the boy, and have all
the slaves of the county present. lie was not
heard through, for the SPEECH did not suit the
mob. \ committee OF twelve Was appointed to
decide Immediately what punishmen; the boy
>hOud receive. The committee retired. but soon
returned, with Colonel Reed at their lie I'd. who
read the following annOunc 4ment: Is Your CON-
mittee have decided that the buv receive one
thousand aShes on his bare back two hundred
to be administered thus evening he can bear it),
lis in ths judgment of the committee his phys,cai
nature can bear up under It. Also, We advise
that a committee Of three physicians be appointed
To snperintend the operation, AMI tn, ee citizens
to lie chosen to whip him. Also, that the person
whose arm WAS cut BY the slave have the privilege
Of giving him the last TWO hundred lashe-."
The report WAS almost unanimously al"pted:-
| those voting 'nay" being in favor of han .ins
him. The 81 we waS ordered to remove his cloth
ing, AMI one article after another VIA. ,kcn oil.
until he stood with nO;hing to cover his naked
n 81. lie was then ordered to knrcl down in
front of Colonel Reed, while his finds. ext. ling
'ver the top of IL bench, wore tied to the Hoor.
Let The Reader now imagine Colonel Reed uron
the bench, cigai in mouth, three honored phy"i.
cians on the right, and three burly slavuhol iers
(whips in handy IN the left of poor slave who
Was KneelnS before them, with his whole person
bared to the chilling sphere, the tn rinOmeter
marking zero. Oulsi.'e the bar. are "a or three
hundred Border Rufians all eager for blood.
Such was the SCENE presented in the court hou..
| Ut Lexington, in the State Of Missouri, on the
last Friday Of February, 1876.
The whipping commenced; /; Col. Reed srrun.
to his feet with Curiosity more tn IN i hundred
heads were pecriny in to get n sight of the mis-
cradle victim. But before a dozen l;,shes hlj
heen administered, the klive fell on the Aoor
bleeding and writhins in agony. The slave.
holder struck tho harIe: and ordered IN to get
up. The physicians interfered, AM felt his pulse
aud declared that he could never stand such
lashes.
Some one cried out. 1888 yet to com, - and
the whipping was resumed. Lash upon lash was
inflicted. until one hun Ircl had been given, hen
his whole back, from the top of hi, shoulder.
DOWN to his very feet. WAS Il mass OF blood and
m .nglel flesh.
The whipping WIS continued without ssasion
amid the most piteous and bsscechin. wal, anu
cries, such as gen lem:n, y gentlemen, have
mercy - SO Lori!" go Lord, come down in
mrcy!" $50 gcn'iemen!" go Lord!" unit.
they bec1me fainter and died away upon the ear.
When they commenced giving him the sec md
hundred, left the room i'm anguish of spirit.
exclaiming to myself" Oh, that [ were !; dog
| TINT might not cIlI man brDther!''
| lie was not permit tied to rise until two hun.
dred la>hes had been given. lie WAS taken oul
the next dav, hut it Was decided he WAS too sore
| to whip. On tho third dry he was taken out anu
whipped again in the presenc. of large crowd /:
but when they h I'll given him twenty, strength
| completely failed him.
Whether h :, whnle Of the thousand ,shcs were
Administered, or whether he sunk before rcce wing
the complete penalty, have no means of know.
| ng /; but | do know that some Of tae lead ng
| shareholders pledged ihemsel es to each Othe,
to c,rry it through, despite the Indignation of a
portion of ths cornmnnity AMI the entre.tics of
| nis master; although ut first the M ,ster hau
given him up t" tho mob heartily, ami was will
ns they shouli hang him.