The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-08-24
LYNCH LAW IN PENSACOLA.
Two Negroes Hung.
Full Particulars.

On Saturday last at about A. NJ two ne
groes, JEFF Brown and Morris Morse, charged
with optraging theperson of a young married
woman (white), and who, under evidence and
confession, were undoubtedly guilty, were
taken from Jail by the people of Pensacola
and hung.
The police of the town came up after the
affair and attacked the party who had execu-
ted the men. Shots were exchanged, but
there was no one hurt. The negroes were
cut down by the police, but the work had
been effsctually done, and they were dead.
The hanging took place in the neighbor-
hood Of Seville Square, on vacant lot corner
of Satragossa and Florida Blanca streets, op-
posite the Episcopal Church.
The two negroes were confined in the Jail
charged with the outrage of the young woman
"a young married woman, the mother of a
young infant-who is still suffering from the
injuries received at the hands of the black
fends.
Through the Express and the Gazette full
particulars of the affair were given to the
people, and these particulars created great ex-
citement and indignation.
1t was known that ga Judge who tries pris-
oners at convenience presided over a court
to which prisoners charged with capital
ofense are returnable, and fears were ex-
pressed by the excited and indignant people
that the brutes would escape the justice that
the law provides, and thus fearing they took
the law in their own hands and dealt justice.
At the time the prisoners were taken from
the Jail, Mrs. Broughton, "who lives on the
premises, and is jailor de facto was in charge
What took place at the Jail is thus described
by Richard Evans, jailor, in his testimony
before the coroner's jury, which "sot F" on
the bodies of the two negroes.
Richard Evans, who being duly sworn,
says on the evening OF the Goth August, 1875,
Col Wentworth came to me, wanted to know
if had heard any reports in relation to the
two parties that committed the rape. l told
him 1 had not. He said he did not know but
what the reports he saw published in the En-
press and Gazette might excite the people to
extreme measures in regard to lynching the
two nersons who had committed the rape. He
tOlu uC w hOOP SOOu WdtCu, dAu oOO IL tHO
people were excited, and if so to come and let
him know. I went to jail and staid until
about o'clock, and returned then to Jail
twenty minutes of II o'clock, and remained
until about half-past IL o'clock.
I saw nothing about there, no excitement.
I left the Jail and came through the city and
found everything all quiet / went home and
to bed, and between and 3 o'clock this
morning, the 2lst of August, 1875, I was
walked up by the city marshal and Geo. Muir
ray, policeman, who reported to me that the
prisoners who had committed the rape about
a week ago were taken out of Jail and hung.
1 then. in company with the marshal and
three policemen, proceeded 10 the East side
of Seville Square, and found the two prison
ers, JEFF. Brown and March More, the two
prison ers, hanging on separate trees. L then
went to the county Jail and found the out
side door of the cell that the prisoners were
in locked.
I asked of Mrs. Broughton how the pri-
soners was got of Jail; she said that crowd
of about 100 men came there, broke the door,
and got them out. 1 then asked her if she
had the key; she said she had. I then asked
of her if they had taken the key; she said they
had not-the key was there; they came there
and unlocked and locked the door; she heard
it unlocked and locked. then got the key
from her and unlocked the front door, and
found the staple of the inside door was drawn
out and found lock and staple on the ground
in front of the front door. All occurred in
the county Of Escambia, State of Florida.
Besides the two negroes executed there
were two others, one Jourdan Williams, who
made his escape, but will probably be cap
tured and share the fate of his companions IN
crime; and one Berry Dorson, who died in
the Hospital at Pensacola, from injuries re-
ceived at the hands of the other three.
Dorson stated to Marshal Touart and to
Mr.. Richard Evans that he was one of the
four men that had committed the outrage,
mentioning the others, those executed and
the one named, and that he had repented of
his crime on leaving the scene, and had
threatened to inform on them, and that they
then attacked him and tried to kill him, and
left him on the railroad track for dead.