The Van Buren press., 1871-12-26
ChICOT COUNTY.
Mob Law Fiendish Conduct Of an Arm
ed Band of Lynch hLaw- Men.

Wcpublish below an account Of the
horrible occurrences in Cbicot county, to
which we made brief alnsion few days
ago, taken from the Memphis Acalaache
of the goth inst This account agrees
substantially with advices We have re-
ceiycl from onr Immediate informants-
what action will be taken by the State
authorities
In the Avalanche Of yesterday appear
cd short paragraph, stating that mob
Of negroes had hung three white men in
Chicot county, Arkansas, From gen.
tlcman direct from the scene our repre-
sentative, last evening, learned the fol
lowing particulars of the horrible affai"
Last Monday week a negro lawyer
named Wynn, who came from Washing
ton to ChicOt county recently, and settled
in Lake Village, had quarrel in a gro
cery store, in the latter place, owned by
Mr.. Curtis Garrett, with John H. Saun
ders, an old citizen of the county AT
the time Mr. Garrett and another gentle.
man, named Jasper Duggan, were in the
store. The negro (Wynn) and Mr.
Saunders got into
A DISPUTE ABOUT TAXATION
and words I'm high until they clinched,
when Saunde stabbed the negro with a
knife, killing him almost inst,ntly. The
three gentlemen-oaund,r Garrett and
Duggan--were promptly arrested by
Sheriff Walker. who locken them up in
jail Neither of the gentlemen offered
any resistance. The only charge against
Garrett and Duggan were that the form
er handed Mr. Saunders the knife with
which the cutting was done, while the lat
ter stood at the door in such manner
as to prevent Wynn escape. Both gen
tlcmen denied the charge, and expressed
themselves as willing to go into trial at
once.
That evening
AN ARMED MOB OF NEGROES
Entered the town with the avowed pnr-
pose Of hanging the three prisoners.
From some reason they did not carry
their purpose into execution, but remain
cd in town all night The next day the
sheriff compromised matters by allowing
about fifty negroes to act as guards over
the Jail The guard was kept up until
one o'clock last Friday afternoon, when
another mob ofnegroes, numbering over
one hundred, entered the town, all hal
looing, yelling, firing off their pistols.
and breathing dire
THREATS or VENGEANCE
Against the whites. Going to Mr.. Gar
rett's store the place where Wynn was
killed, they sacked it completely, break
ing up and destroying whatever they
could not carry off. A few of the ne
groes were disguised, but the large ma
iority were unmasked
After they had been in town about an
hour, they sent fifteen men to the sheriff
with a peremptory demand for the keys
ofthe Jail Sheriff Walker very properly
refused to doliver them up In about
ten minutes another detachment went
and forced the sheriff to give them the
keys
AT THE PERIL OF ms LIFE.
Getting the keys, the black demons
vent bowling through the streets until
hey got to the Jail, which they opened
md took the prisoners out Without
giving the men an opportunity to bid
heir friends farewell, this mob of howl |
ng, screaming, numbering devils, TOOK |
he three men to spot at the edge of
he town, aud jnst back of the house of
Mason, one of the negro leaders of the
ounty. where, without being allowed
ime to ask mercy of their God,
THEY WERE SHOT DEAD.
At least fifty balls were poured into the
'ody Of each of the unfortunate men To
nish their hellish deed with the proper
clai, the lnurlerers then took the bodies