The Leavenworth weekly times., 1876-08-03
And Sent to Kingdom Come, by Mean:
of a Few Strands Of a Hemp and
a Steady Hand to Tie the
Fatal Moose.
The Sheriff 0verpowered by a Band
Of l25 Masked Men Who Meant
Business and Carried il Out.
How Raphael Williams Met His
Fate.

lynched by party oil men who captured
him, before the arrival of the authorities,
who with considerable difficulty got him
out of their clutches and conveyed him to
the Jail at Platte City, Friday night. The
real name OF the prisoner was Rahpael Viii
liams, and he was not generally, so far as xe
have been able to ascertain, considered a
bad character.
He was, as stated, taken to the Jail and
confined in cell by himself, and although
there was some talk OF taking him out by
force and hanging him Saturday night, the
sheriff, DIR. f. Med. Cofiey, felt no appre-
heBsion of violence, yet he, together with
his deputy, Mr.. VIM. Moran, kept stric,
guard for fear OF an accident" Things
vent Oh all quiet enough until Sunds sy
night, when IL began to be Whispered about
| that a
of men were gathering from the country
about Camden Point, the scene OF the out
rsge committed by Williams, for the pur-
pose of overpowering the sheriff, and TAX
ing the prisoner out and
HANGING HIM.
These stories were, of course, of startling
import, but as there is usually much OF thai
kind Of talk on such occasions, it was
thought possible that the people would
hardly go so far as to take justice into their
own hands, and violently snatch the priso-
ner from the hands of the Law, in order to
send him to his last account before being
tried by the courts; but in this the officers
were
| MISTAKEN!
Between the hours of l and 2 o'clock.
in the morning, large body of men, num-
bering, it is thought, about one hundred
and twenty-fve-all masked-rode into
Platte City, from the country, on fine horses
and accompanied by a wagon, loaded with
heavy tools, such as sledge-hammers, picks
crow-bars and axes, to be used in the
DEMOLITION OF THE JAIL,
in case their demands were not scceded to.
The party was arr anged with the wagon in
the center and an advance and rear gnard,
the first of which cautioned people who
happened to be up to remain carefully in
doors, and see nothing, and the second to
see that their "hints" we're complied with.
One man, a barber, named Stivers, let his
curiosity get the better of his discretion,
and followed the parry short distance to-
ward the Jail, when one of the rear guard
suddenly wheeled on him and forced him
at the muzzle of
| NAVY REVOLVER
to beat hasty retreat, in the direction oi
his home. Tue cavalcade then proceeded to
the Jail, and in a manner that showed the
whole affair to have been well planned one
who spoke in a
| COMMANDING VOICE,
ordered the command to halt. The sheriff
was then called out, and a formal demand
was made for the possession OF the prisoner
This, DIR. Codey refused, saying he had nc
authority TO turn the prisOLer over. TIE
chief of the gang Immediately gave an or.
der, and some began TO unload the wagon
OF its contents which seemed to have been
taken from the section house of the rail
road. They began then to hammer at the
doors OF the Jail, in a way that together
with the threat that the structure would b<
demolished, caused the sheriff to endeavol
to Use force to stop their progress, when hs
and his deputy were seized, and overpower
ed and the keys taken from them. The
prisoner was soon found, and after being
bound and gagged, was thrown
inc the wagon, into which the
tools were returned, and the
whole party moved away in the direction
Of place called Tracy, about three-quar-
ters of mile from the Jail. Arriving in
| the vicinity Of large tree, the cavalcadr
halted, and the poor, quivering victim OF
their vengeance was given to understand
| that his
| LAST HOUR WAS COME.
The gags were removed from his mouth
and amid his loud and unheeded cries fol
mercy, the fatal moose was placed about his
neck and the wagon in which he WAS kept
was driven beneath the branches the tree;
one end of the rope was swung over a limb
and made last, lesvi, z the criminal stand
ing on his tip toes, in which position he
stood, while he was informed why the
SENTENCE OF DsArH
had been thus passed on him. One of the
party recounted in a thrilling voice the
horrors of the deed he had committed. AT
signal, the wagon was driven rapidly
from beneath the feet OF the victim and in
a second longer he was swinging in the air.
A few short struggles, and all that was left,
was the mo'ionlesa torn. sway ing to and
fro between the earth and sky. The grim
crowd OF execu,ioners, after waiting silently
and statue-iike on their horses, until the
last spark o. life had me, departed in the
gloom of the surrounding forest, satirfed,
doubtless, that they had done righteous
act.
THE BODY
was left until in the morning, about Z
o'clock, when q party, consisting of about
dozen white men and one coIored
man, visited the scene OF the horror
and cut the remains down and prepared
them for interment, the coroner having,
with jury, viewed the body, and returned
a verdict OF death by hanging, in accord
ance with the above facts. Attached to the
body was found the following note written
in bold clear hand
Platte CITY, No., July 81, 1875
Know all men by there presents, that,
whereas, one Raphael Williams did com
nit rape upon the person of Mrs.
a white woman, in the neighborhood Of
Buens Vista, Platte county, Missouri, July
9th, 1876, and that We regard this CRIME
the chief # crimes, and the Law deficient
in its punishment for like crime we deem
it necessary TO take the Law into our own
hands, hoping that when our General As
semblJ meets this winter they will increase
the penalty for this crime to capital pun
ishment. Take heed, that henceforth all
persons, black or white, regardless of color,
guilty of like crime will suffer in like man
ner.
We hope it will be the laat time that We
will be called upon to record such . crime
We are Of those sho wore the blue and the
gray, and those who remained at home as
private. .citizens, but have united to protect
our families against such treatment a one
OF our citizens received on July q, 1876.
The greatest excitement prevails over
the commission of the deed. Some think
the party Of lynchen was composed of citi-
zens OF Platte City, aided BY . few from
Camden Point, but - yet no one of them
has been recognized, nor is it likely that
they ever will be, although the grand jury
will take the matter in hand and endeavor
to discover their names.
The woman, Mn. Davis, Who was out |
ragged, is reported to have been lady high |
ly respected in the neighborhood where she |
lives, and the commission of the crime |
aso1sed the whole district in proximity |
thereto. She is said 10 be nov living in q |
critical condition and not likely to recover. |
LATER:-It was reported late last night,
hat the woman was dead.
TIE Kansas horse, ~Smuggler" ha. been
Einning new laurels on the turf, Is will be
een BY the following "In the race in
last Saturday between Snug
,lA~ ~ Il Ill T. 50