The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1875-06-19
LYNCH Law IN MARYLAND.
JOHN SIMS, THE NEGRO WHO 30 FoULLY ASSAULTED
MISS JACKSON, TAKEN FROM THE ANNApo-
LIS JAIL AND HANGED TO A TREE.

About 8 o. clock on Sunday night last large
body Of men, with blackened faces, masked and
otherwise disguised met by preconcerted plan
in the neighborhood of Odenton, fifteen miles
from Annapolis, and speedily organized them
selves for the purpose of proceeding to that city
to capture and lynch the negro, John Sims,
charged with committing rape upon Miss Ad-
die jackson, ON Saturday, the 9Th inst a full &C
count of which appeared in the Union oflast week.
The party was generally mountd on horse
back and heavily armed with guns and pistols,
but some fifteen or twenty, un4 . obtain
horses secured hand cars on thel b.M.. ore and
Potomac railroad. The horsemel started from
Odenton at half-past ten and theparty in hand
cars left about an hour and a-talf afterward.
The whole party reached Annapolis at two
O clock A. M. on Monday morning and proceeded
Immediately to the Jail, on thu eastern side of the
town.
Reaching the Jail they surrounded it, and at
tempted to secure an entrancethereto by strategy.
A single individual of the patty, with man APP
parently under arrest, approached the door of the
Jail and rang the bell. Thejailor appeared at a
window and asked who washere, the reply made
was "Curran, with prisoner" (Curran is a
policeman Of Annapolis) The jailor replied
"that's not Curran and you have no prisoner"
The man then replied that as the jailor had dis
SOFCICU puIpUoo thCJ WOul0 Scii hiu tuuL
they had not brought prisoner, but had come
for one, and that they were determined to have
him if they had to force the Jail to get him. The
party then at signal from heir leader proceed
ed to batter down the gates # the prison, which
process occupied about two minutes. Reaching
the door the woodwork was battered in, the men
crawling through the openings made between the
iron bars and fastenings, with they were unable
to force, and covering the jaibr with pistols pro-
ceeded toward the cell OF Sins.
The jailor fought bravey and desperately for
his prisoner but was soon ovGpowered He re-
fused, however, to give up the keys of Sims CELL
or to tell which of the three negroes in Jail was
the man But the lynchers knew from the ac-
counts given that he was the oHly enc chaned to
the floor and thus they discovered him.
The iron fastenings were broken from the floor
and Sims was carried out some two miles on the
road leading towards Baltimore An effort was
made to gag Sims, which he resisted, and bit one
of the lynchers in the hand. He .alked freely
with his captors while he was beirg carried to
the place of execution, although pistol was held
at his head to prevent his making any cutlery
Arriving at point ON the railroad where a
private road crosses the railroad Al Mr.. N. E.
Berry's farm, large white oak tree was reached,
which had been selected beforehand as suitable
place for the tragedy, Sims was placed on horse,
Win Tue ldthl nOUSc dEUuuu HIS DeCh, one emu VI
which was fastened to limb of the tree. The
horse was led from under the doomed man, and
in ten minutes, without struggle or scarcely a
sign of pain, he was dead man. The body was
left hanging to the tree after his lynchers became
satisfied that they had accomplished their work
successfully, the party dispensing in various direc-
tons.
On his way to the place OF execution Sims made
full confession of his foul deed, and said that
all the circumstances as stated by Miss Jackson
were correct. He was asked if he wanted to pray,
and replied that che did not wish to pray, that
he knew he was going to that dreadful hell"
Sims was not roughly treated by his captors,
and no indignity to his person nor tantalizing
questions asked. The party were grave, sober
and calm, but in dreadful earnest. The whole
affair was conducted quietly and orderly !.
Tn Monuay morning the body Of Sims was cut
down, and an inquest held, the jury rendering a
verdict that he came to his death at the hands OF
party of men unknown to them.
The Washington papers state that a number OF
the lynchers were from Baltimore city 1t is I'M
derstood that those who did the lynching were
some of the best citizens residing in the neighbor-
hood of the tragedy, and not by the rough ele-
ment, as might be supposed.