American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1856-12-13

Hung by the People.
For several days past. our city has
been rife with reports of horrible case
OF rape aud hanging, which occurred
some hundred miles down the Ohio riy.
err. AS the particulars of the case have
varied with the Information possessed
by each na'rator,a aud as the matter seems
to possess considerable interest in our
| midst, we subjoin the following account
Of the affair as furnished .y tho Mays
vile, (Ky) Eagle. 49,
Oae Of the most horrible outrages of
| the kind, was committed in the town OF
Manchester, Adams county, Ohio. about
twelve miles above this city, ON Sum
day morning last at g o'clock. a free
negro named Bill effected his entrance
into the house Of a Mr.. Morris (wt,o was
at the time absent in Cincinnati) by ifi-
ing out the sash Of back room win
dow He CROPPED his way in The dark
to tho next room, ~hcre Mrs. Morris
was asleep, and reached her bed before
| she awoke. She enquirad if tho intru.
der was her husband and upon the no.
gro's replying 'yes" she screamed and
sprang ont of bed. Bill caught at her
throat, and missing it hi, thumb enter
ed her mouth. which he clutched SO vi.
olently as To fracture her Jaw boSe; he
thew choke2 her unit! she was insensibe,
and after effcetng his hellish purpose
of ravishing her, escaped from the house
went home and to oed with his own
colored wife. His wife inquiring why
he painted so remarkably. he tried to d.
vert her attention by saying that he he'd
run all tho way from the liver. where
he had been hard at work pumping out
fiat boat.
Mrs. Morris screams having alarmed
tho neighbors, they rushed in in quick
succession, and learned of the outrage
by the appearance ofthings, for MrsM's
| tongue and throat were 80 swollen and
she so far exhausted that sho could not
speak until she had received medical
assistance. She then gave those pres
ent to understand that sho did not know
who the william was, but that in the
struggle she had scratched his face in
such manner as to certainly identify
| him. The circumstance pointed out
the negro, and The fao1 that he had
twice before committed or attempted
rape, once in lronton and afterwards
in Rockville Ohio, determined the ex-
asperated crowd 10 60 Immediately to
his house. They found him IN he'd with
his face badly scratched aud bleeding,
just as described by his victim. They
took him forthwith, before day, to Man.
chester Island, an island in the Ohio riv.
or just above the lows, where they hung
him up to tree, but the rope breaking
he fell and revived. He then acknow.
lodged the internal deed, aud would
have been hung up again bu. for the in.
terposition ofsome Of the loss excited in
the crowd, whose counsel prevailed, and
the negro was accordingly taken To
West Union, lodged in il,and chained
to prevent escape.
During Monday night Mr.. Morris
reached home from Cincinnati. On
Tuesday morning Gro Nd of ff,y-nine
men. with John Dsugheriy, IA brother
OF Mrs. Morris) at their head, left Man
chester for the county eeat, where they
broke open the Jail, bursting the locks
with axes aud hammers. On reaching
tho room where the negro was. Daugh.
eIty with one blow from an axe broke
his chain, and then raised the axe to
cleave the negroes scull, but tho arm of
the infuriatcd man was caught aud the
negro saved for different death.
At the time, the Adams county Court
Of Common Pleas was in session, atten-
ded by probably 1000 persons, who
were deeply Interested 10 the Trial Of the
lrishman Milligan who murdered old
man Sentsr aud his wife abou, a year
ago. The mob spirit spread 80 rapid.
ly that it was proposed to the Manches-
ter crowd to wait little, and if tho
Court should not sentence Miligan to
be hung, the mob would then hang both
together. But the Manchester crowd
were intent upon completing the work
they had undertaken, and being Joined
by several hundred men, took tho negro
Bill back TO Manchester, and over to
the Island, where they hung him upon
tho limb of tree some rs feet high
On his way from Jail, aud even under
his gallows. the negro cursed and swore
terribly, and vowed if he should get off
alive he would kill Mrs. Morris at sight.
After hanging until he was dead, his
body was cut down and, with the chain
still fastened to him, deposited in box,
and buried on the Island.
AT West Uniop, the jailor was absent
when the attack was made on the Jail.
But tho Sheriff Of the county rushed into
the Jail with gun in hand, an d attempt.
ed 10 prevent the rescue of the prisoner.
The gun was wrcHched from him, and
bis power dofed.
The law ofOhio Furnishes rape by con-
fiHoment in the penitentiary for 81 years.
In Kentucky, rape by negro upon
white woman is punishable with death.
II is the opinion of some we have seen
from the neighborhood, that if the law
of Ohio had punished with death, the
mob would not have taken tho negro