Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-11-18

This morning, according to the previous
understanding, men from this and adjoin-
ing counties gathered at this s-place, and
at an early hour took up their march to
Greensburg, meeting with accessions at
different PORTS along the road until the
crowd numbered two or three hundred
men, including a considerable number of
spectators. The mob proceeded to the Jail,
which is built of stone and very strong,
and found the doors locked and the jailor
gone. A number of men immediately
seized large piece of heavy, timber, and
with several tremendous blows, bursted the
door from its hinges. An inner door was
speedily broken with crowlars and sledge
hammers, and portion Of the mob stood in
the debtors room, fronting the cells in
which the miserable men were confined.
The locks of the cell doors were soon
broken and the doors pried open. when a
most horrid and sickening and revolving
sight metetbe gaze of those present. One
of the men, Elias Scaggs, man weighing
tive hundred pounds, was found weltering
in large pool of blood in the last agon-
les of death, the blood squirting in large
Jets from gbastly and seii-inf1icted wound
in the neck, having with a razor cut his
throat from ear to ear. His body, convuls-
ed in death, was dragged into the debtors
room, and from thence down flight Of
steps on to the street paving. The remain
ing three men, namely Bill Saul Thomp-
son, Sloan Despano, and George Hunter,
were then brought from the Jail, bound,
and mounted behind men on horseback,
when the crowd, in double file, amid
throngs of SPECTATORS took up their return
march to this place, "a distance of twelve
miles. During which; two Of the misera-
ble men displayed considerable firmness,
asserting their innocence in the most posi-.
tive lerms-Thompson 'wept and prayed
audibly good part Of the way, calling on
all to s0itness his innocence. rIpis % ~9li'V'
The crowd having arrived at the place,
determined TO lynch Btko also, a negro,
belonging to the murdered man. who had
been implicated by Scaggs as the real
murderer. At this juncture, amid the
yellings and howlings of the crowd, the
expostulaions of the Sheriff and our ex-
celIent jaiIor, sand amid confusion worse
canfounded," Robert Calvin, ESQ.,, prom
inent and influential citizen having sue
ceeded in gaining an elevated position and
in catching the eye Of the. crowd, address
ed it in short speech, which for point, ap-
propriateness, and good sepse, have hard,
ly ever heard excelled; and it was as ef-
fectual as it was sensible, for after an un-
successful effort of one or two inexp-rien-
ced orators, the mob left the negro in Jail
and conducted the three men u short dis
tance TO an elm tree, and began making
preparations to hang them. ~.
AT Thompson's request, a prayer was
offered up in their behalf, he praying and
weeping aloud during the time. He was
then mounted on horse, and after again
asserting his innocence for the last time, a
rope was put about bis neck, the end thrown
over limb, and the horse driven from un-
der, and Thompson was launched into etcr-
nifty. He seemed to die easy-one or two
spasmodic jerkings Of the limbs, shudder
and oil was over. Despano soon shared a
similar fate, dying much harder. At this
stage Hunter, gave evidence Of making a
clean breast, which after some delay and a
good deal Of reluctance, he did, confessing
the guilt of Scaggs, Thompson and Hun
ter, and duplicating five others as being
concerned in the murder. 5~2p aJs.