Saturday visitor. (Newark, Del.) 1876-1876, 1876-02-12
Hanged by am angry Mob.

CHARLRsroN, W. Va, Jan. 26.-There
have been many exciting occurrences
in the Kanawha Valley, but nothing
has taken place in this region ene-half
so startling as the work of death done
this morning at one o'clock by an orga-
nized mob of 1000 men, acting under
the orders of Judge Lynch.
Five men were in the county jail yes
terday, all held to answer for murder.
Two were the Belcher brothers, who
wantonly killed young man on Camp
BELLS creek, last fall. By the various
arts known to the legal fraternity, their
trial has been put off from time to time
and it seemed at last that Justice never
would be done in their case. Two 9TH
er murderers were John Dawson and
Rufus Estep. each 81 years old, who,
on Christmas night, cut to pieces. al
most in sight of his home, Thos. Lee,
a coal miner, and an honest, industri-
GUS and law abiding citizen. They not
only hacked the poor man to pieces
with their knives, but threw him over
the bridge into the stream, and follow
ing the body as it was borne away by
the current, stabbed it again and again
whenever they could get within reach
of it. The murderers were taken on
the next day and placed in Jail.
Among the miners the excitement
Ewas intense, and on the last day of the
year crowd of three or four hundred
men, who had taken an oath not to
touch drop of liquor until justice
should be melted out to the nesassins,
came quietly down from the salt works
and mines, marched to the Jail and de-
manded that Estep and Dawson should
be delivered to them for punishment.
Several influential citizens tried to stay
the mob, but in vain; and it was only
the vigilance and promptitude of the
Sheriff and his dernties that saved the
lives of the wretched murderers at that
time. They were smuggled out of the
Jail and taken IN a skiff twelve miles
down the Kanawha river, and the next
day they were lodged for safe keeping
in the Petersburg Jail, one hundred
and hfty miles away. The County and
Circuit Courts being then in session,
they were brought back under guard
of twenty armed men. famao i0d
Yesterday an application was made
for change of venue, the prisoners,
able counsel holding that their clients
could not get fair and impartial trial
because of s'the excitement, irritation,
public opinion and public preiudices
now existing" Judge Smith would
not render 9 decision, but adjourned
| the case until this morning. Ii
The court room had been packed all
day. Hundreds of Lees excited friends
we're in town determined that his muir
derers should be made to answer for
their crime. No insult was offered to
the prisoners, and no disrespect was
shown to the Court but it was plain
that the people were only waiting for
4 one more excuse to take the law into
their own hands and this was afforded
by the action of the Court. Oh ~
But while the tempest of wrath was
gathering, there came tidings of anoth.
or murder in the county. Tom Hines,
4 formerly q taller in Cincinnati, had
been too intimate with the wife Of Bill
l Dooley, o colored shoemaker, and had
made up hls mind to put Dooley out Of
the way. So yesterday he cut the shoe.
makers throat. He was then taken and
lodged in Jail. The negroes, who uE
to this time had taken no part in the
movements of the mob, were. nov
aroused. Hundreds came into town
and cried for vengeance. All that the,
needed was asIeeder and fsader, the,
! soon found. al eight O'CLOCK nigh
, the Btxeet3 Wire crowded &isx excite,
men, white and black, and little late
a steamboat came down the river will
more than hundred men from up tn,
country. 4 ad,..rft eaN a1i
, By midnight there seemed to be al
organized plan. At the word rusl
was made for the Jail. The warden wa
easily overpowered and Esttp and D4w
. son were taken out. The negroes thel
! broke in and brought out Hines witt
yells of malediction. The two crowd
were now united, and in good orde
and with but little noise they marche,
to the bridge at OampbelI's Greek
where the murder of Lee had takei
) place. The doomed men were give
time to pray. Estep and Hines wep
and begged for life, but Dawson curse,
Q his clptors, dared them to hang him
| he expressed the hope that he woul,
meet them all in hell. He died utter
ing the most awful blasphemy. Este
was then drawn up by the hands of
dozen strong men and was choked t
death after several minutes of horribl
torture. The negroes took Hines to
tree abort a hundred yards fIon tn
bridge, and in a few minutes he wa
!. swinging in the air. A guard was lei
! to see that the bodies of the thre
3 murderers were not cut down till dawn
and the men quietly dispersed.
, PARIS, Feb. 5.-The journal des De
bats ciasslnes tue Senators elected yes