The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-06-01
A MOP that Wanted TO See u Man
HnnR

CLEVELAND, May Sl.-About II o'clock
this morning mob Of about 1000 peo.
pie, who had eongregated to see what
they could Of the execution Of Webb,
the colored murderer, at Mansfield. O.,
made = rush, oyerpowered the guard,
scaled the jail yard fence and in few
minutes had torn down the greater part
Of the enclosure. Sheriff Richie tele-
grsphed 70 Governor Bishop notifying
him OF the fact, and saying that unless
he hung Webb publicly the mob would
tear down the jail. Governor Bishop re.
piled, directing him to carry out the sen.
tence Of the law. At 1920 Sheriff Ritchie
and Sheriff Day. Of Knox county, ap-I
peared with Webb between them. On
reaching the outside, Webb glanced all
around with smile on his countenAnce,
After adjusting the moose about Webbs
neck and short prayer offered, the drop
was sprung. Lie was pronounced eI-
tinct In ten minutes after the trap was
sprung.
WHO wEBB WAS.
Webb was 8 negro and his crime was
as follows:
On the morning Of December Z, 1877,
Marshal Lemon received information
that horrible murder had been commit
ted on the farm owned by Wm. s. Fin
ney, abont two miles southwest Of this
city. On arriving at the scene Of the
murder he found that out Of & family Of
ten persons four had been assaulted, the |
old gentleman, VIM. S. Fnney, dead,
and his wife unconscious; Rev. James
Finney and wife terribly bruised and
bleeding.
The supposition Is the murderer en-
tered the house for the purpose Of rob
berry, and on the old folks awakening and |
discovering him, he assaulted them with
the butt end Of gun which he carried.
James Finney, son OF the murderer's
victim, who with his wife was sleeping in |
an adjoining room, stated "That they were
aroused during the night BY some unusu.
al noise, and his wife, thinking one Of the |
old folks might be sick, got up, and just
as she reached the door Of the room oc-
cupied by the old folks, the murderer
knocked her down with the gun, and the
next instant he was upon me. The butt
OF the gun was broken of when he struck
my wife. He struck me twice. / then
wrenched the gun from his grasp and
ran up stairs to the room occupied by our
hired man.
Minnie q. Finney, eldest daughter Of
james Finney, testified that she woke up
as her father was going up stairs, when
she saw the murderer; be staid in the
room but few moments alter her father
went up stairs, when he went into grand
pas room and returned with their lamp;
he came close to me and looked at me as
l was lying on the lounge; did not
move or speak, but opened my eyes; he
was black man; | knew him by sight,
but do not know his name.
A light snow had fallen during the
night, and Marshal Lemon discovered
fresh tracks leading from the house
through field, and about half way across
the field he found the lamp which the
murderer in his haste TO escape had car.
ried with him; Lemon followed the tracks,
which were quite distinct, until he reach.
ed Webb's residence in the south part OF
the town; be found Webb at home eating
his breakfast, and arrested him at once.
There were certain peculiarities about
the tracks which corresponded exactly
with the boots worn by Webb.
During the trial Webb was confronted
by Minnie Finney, who positively identi-
fed him as the person she saw in her
room on the night Of the murder.
Webb's wife, at the preliminary ex.
animation, stated that he came home
about o'clock in the night, and enter
ed by window, instead Of calling her
up, as he usually did, and otherwise act
ed strangely.