The Cairo bulletin. [volume] (Cairo, Ill.) 1872-1878, 1876-06-02
Ihe Bulletin.
SIX MURDERERS LYNCHED.
4 SLsri0 Os~sPo~ Its pssSn
sss 1Rh.S Isoss bGsss by sbe
1yHrheTs


tf,om the Charleston News aud Comie,l
| John ID. Harmon, aged 70, and hi. wife,
Catherine 4. Harmon. aged 80. who lived
| at Winter seat, Edeeiield county, twenty
miles from Greenwood, were murdered on
! Wednesday night. The tragedy was first
announced on Thursday morning by ne
| gro man. stephen Lake, and when tbe
neIghbors entered the house the aged cou-
| pies front room was file with smoke. ON
| the left OF center, table were four lamps,
1 a Bible and vase OF roscs, and near the
| bIudgeon that had been used in the muir
| der lay the body OF Mr.. Harmon. Between
| his knees lay his hat. and nea: his feet his
speciac.e- About four feet from Mr.. Har-
mon near the fireplace. lay the body Of his
| wife. with two gashes on her head. She had
| fallen with her face slightly turned toward
| her husband, and had apparently diei
| without a struggle. The floor was dyed
| with blood. Tie tire had been kindled by
| the as.assins Ia cover up the traces Of their
| crime. The dwelling and storehouse had
been robbed OF everything of value in
clothing. money, jewelry and provisions.
| All the inquest the testimony of stephen
Lake, Betty Perrin and Larhin Holloway,
| all colOred, was taken. That Of Stephen
Lake was 10 conflicting that he was com
| mitted TO Jail at Edgeiield. Among the
| facts developed were these: That Mr.. IIsr-
| mon. on "wednesday, was in the Geld drop
! ping cotton, aud Larkin Holloway was
blowing: that the latter. al IL o'clock,
dropped his plow. saying that he was sick
and would 20 home : that the next day af-
ter the murder h's tracks were discovered
| leading to the spot, where other fOotmaThs
were found, and where a dogwoou club had
been ,ut and stripped and the bark buried.
| This club was found near tie murdered
| couple, n blow from which had cIu.hed Mr.
| II .rinOn's skull. The caOL'. sttry wac that
| she awoke late on Thur-tay morning. went
| 10 The house and knock cd, hgt faded 10 eel
| any answer, and inen went TO Stenhen :
| house and found him asleep. The. then
| Went 10 the dwelling, and stephen Went IN
| through the front door. which was open,
| and in the parlur found the dead bodies in
! pool of blood, their clothing and the floor
saturated with keio-ene-,he latter on lire.
| The bodies were buried in one grave at
Rehobolh church. The inquest was ad-
| io,irne'i from day Ia day, the excitement in
the community running very high, and
fresh Developments constantly being made,
and ut length oulioinsiing, last Tuesday
| morning, in confession.
Austin Davis. alias sam Perry, negro,
was caught on Tuesday night below Edge
! field touft House. At first he denied all
| knowledge ot the murder, but finding the
| proofs ac"umulatlng against him, lie finally
made clean breast laying:
After working ior one month for Mr..
Harmon, left on Monday preceding the
| day OF the murder. and returned on the
| W edne .day following. and met Lark fiol,
loway on Harmon place. at about II
o'c,ock, A. VI. Wcpalted, he going 10 his
| house and ! retiiipg To shade TO lest. lie
| returned 10 Inc alter about An hour and q
| half, aud ,ui dSgwood stuck tthe same n
exhibited 10 the jury. | asked him what
he would io with IT, He replied, " \ Oh
| will See | then came 10 Mir Harmon
residence, arriving ahou, supper time.
SAT on The stohr steps a few moments and
then went into the house Next time saw
IN the hsnds OF stephen Lake, being in
the house when Stephen Lake came in.
| Mis-. Harmon was alone III the room " hen
| entered. MIR. Harmon came in shortly,
and says. Well, Sam, yoa are back again. "
| replied, " les, sir Mr. Harmon then
| ash "a lne il | were going - work for him.
replied, Yes, sir. l suppose 80" He
thee a-kt 4 me for how much | would WoI h
ior Inn toc two AID halt moaths, stating
| he would 1--WE me wages at the rate of one
hundred dollars per year. He got down
his almanac, and with his lead pencil figured
what it would be per day and per month,
And while he was figuring stephen Lake
came into the house, aud after him Lark
Holloway and Tlda his wife, and stephen
Lakes wife, Susan. Betty Perrin, the
cook, came into the room at the rear door
at the same time. stephen Lake took his
position between Mr.. and Mrs. Harmon,
and when Mr.. Harmon attention was en-.
crossed with his calculations, S ,ephen Lake
struck him vi jlently on the head with the
dogwoOd stick, and immediately aiterwatd
struck Mrs. Harmon. and repeated The
| blows upon the head- OF each, both falling
PROSTATE. Marshall Perrin and Jen. Sei.le'
at this time came into the room, Marsha.
having small pine stick in his hand, Will
which he struck Mrs. Harmon twice or three
times after she was down. | remember
seeing others AT the door, names unknown
Alter Mr.. Harmon fell, Mark noll0wu,
turned him over, and stephen Lake pulled
ont his knife and cut his throat. IIOlOwa,
then went 10 Mrs. Harmon and turned he
over, aud stephen Lake cut her throat also
After this | struck Mr. Harmon with thi
dogw0Od club came rs used by Lake. OF
the forehead, lie not being dead when
struck him. After this, stephen Lake 20
keys out OF lIarmon's pocket, and went t.
the store. Battle Perrin got the burea,
keys, and all OF lis Went to searching draw
ers, etc.
The jury declared that the IIarmons wer
deliberately murdered by stephen axe
LarLin Holloway, Marshall Perrin, Aust;
Davis, Jeh. Settles, Jessie Lake, BETH
Perrin and Tiha Holloway. al negroe,
And these person We're then delivere
into the custody Of shfiil richard on fo
commitment to jail. But the sheriff Wa