Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1871-04-14

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at homo late at night and fed his horses, and,
about an hour after, went to his stable to care
further for his jaded team, and while attending
to them heard noise and felt something rub
against his leg which he first supposed to be a
dog, but in q moment was satisfied it was man
crawling, and stepped back to kick him, when
the man exclaimed ''for Gods sake don't kick
me. came in here, l don't know how, and
have been asleep" Just then he got up and said
he had been drunk and was thirsty and wanted
drink of water. Mr.. Palmer told him to 70
with him to the mill and he would give him 4
drink, which he did. On getting to the mill,
Mr.. Palmer told the miller, Mr. Whitock, that
this man was in the stable under suspicious cir
cumstances and he wanted him (the many to OK
plain the matter, and sent negro man for his
neighbor, Mr.. Hudson The man, Thomas
Hodges, q noted desperate, then said he must
| 60, and told Mr. Palmer to stand aside and let
him out, Mr.. P. being in the doorway and
did not she would kill him in his tracks, at tn
same time presenting two pistols, one in either
hand. Before Mr.. Palmer could reply, he fred,
at him twice. when Mr.. Palmer wren ched the
pistol from his left hand. Mr.. Palmer thinks he
missed him by his efforts to defend himself, Mr..
Whitlock then came up on his right side and
caught hold of him, and as Mr.. Palmer wrenched
the pistol from his hand he heard another report.
when he and Whitlock seized Hodges and threw
him to the floor. Whitlock at the same time
selling stick, with which he struck Hodges
blow OR two, when he (Whitlock) exclaimed Il
am shot," Palmer, by this time, had regained
the pistol he had wrenched from Hodges and
| thrown to the floor, and, presenting tito Hodges
told him to keep still at the hazard of his life,
and afterwards with assistance bound and
brought him to Stanton and lodged him in
Jail.
Whtlock was then taken to his house and
medical assistance promptly summoned and eve
ry attention paid him. The ball entered his left
side just below the ribs and ranged downwards
The wound is not necessarily fatal, yet the ply
sicians fear he will not recover
Hodges had an examining trial OH Saturday
last, before Justice Lee R. Waddell when he was
sent on to answer indictment for housebreak-
ing with intent to steal shooting with intent to
kill, and in the case of the death of Mr.. Whit
lock, for murder also. Il
On Monday night last about IL o'clock. a
number of men, armed but not disguised, came
into town and surrounded the Jail, and placed
guards ut all prominent points to prevent inter
ruption, arresting all parties moving about =
They demanded an entrance Of the jailor, saying
they had prisoner they wanted to incarcerate.
| The jailcr, looking out of an upper window and
seeing quite large crowd, denied them admit
| lance, when they forced the front door and en-
tered. They then demanded the keys of the
cells, saying they wanted Hodges. By this time,
| ex-Sherif, Geo. McCutchen, who was in the Jail,
came down and requested them to leave he aud
the jailor refusing to give them the keys, saying,
| Hodges is our prisoner and we are bound to
protect him. They then replied, cit makes no
difference, we came for Hodges and intend 10
have him. and with a crow-bar forced the
doors Of the cell and entered. Those who firft
entered approached Smiley, when they discover
ed that he was not the man, and, one on the
outside, supposing they could not identify
Hodges, said "let me in, know linn, :" and i'm
mediately came in and said "ths is the man.
whsreupon they seized him and carried him off.
They took every precaution to prevent the direc-
ton in which they took him being known, and
at daylight this morning it was supposed that
he had been taken in the direction of the Par
kersburg road. Not until several hours after
was it known that he had been taken out on thu
Gresnvills road, when gen tleman from Grsen-
vile, coming into town early, found him sus-
pended to a tree on the eastern side of the road,
and reported the fact. Numbers went out from
town to the victim Of we believe, tho first act
Of LJnching that ever occurred in the county.
| He was suspended to the limb of an oak on the
roadside, about half mile beyond the residence
of Mrs. Brown. The limb is about eleven feet
from the ground-the rope with which he was
bung about Ave feet long, and his feet conse-
quently coming within ten or twelve inches of
the ground. The rope seemingly the kind and
size used as halter-hs hands tied behind his
back with an old leather strap, and his feet ma
acled with the chains put on him when he was
committed to Jail.
! Hodges is reported not only to have been en-
gagged in horse stealing for a number of years,
but also to have killed two men, one in this
county and one in Rockbridge, and to have shot
three Others prior to the shooting of Mr.. Whit
lock on Friday night. These facts probably led
known, or unrecognized by any with whom they
| conversed.
Our people are law-loving and law-abiding
and prefer the law to take its course, and conss-
quently generally regret the action in the
case of this man, notorious as he is as horse
thief desperate and murderer.
We have no doubt well meaning men were en-.
gagged in the lynching of Hodges, bnt when
good men violate the law it opens the door to
bad men for greater excuses. The law has been
sufficient heretofore to punish criminals and we
trust that hereafter it will be left to the law to
infict the punishment.
A jury of inquest was summoned consisting Of
Messrs. D. Henkel, Justice of the Peace, B
T. Bagby, J D. Tutwiler, VIM. G. Brown,
E. Mahony, W Poindexter, D. R. Blackburn,
D. W. Shot, l.. B. Waller, j. S. Churchman,
W. Andrews, NJ. P. Funkhouser, NJ B. Smart
who; after hearing the evidence, returned til,
following verdict:
"1hat at about II clock on the morning o.
April lth 1871, large number of persona te
the jurors unknown, and whose number is to th,
jurors unknown, went to the jail of Augusts
County and broke open the cell in which sale
Thos. Hodges WAS then confined and took sale
Thos. Hodges from the said Jail and convey et
him to the spot upon which this inquisition il
taken and hanged him by tie neck until he, thu
said Thos. Hodges, was dsad.''
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