The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-10-17
Horrible Doings at Mount Vernon, Ind.

Mt. Vernon, Ind, Special to the Cincinnati Com
mercial. October IL.
Our people are wild with excitement to-
night, and the scene in the Public Square
beggars description.
Three white girls were ravished by eight
powerful, burly negroes, last Monday night,
who gained entrance to their dwelling in
the Eastern suburb, by pretending that one
of their number brought message from
white gentleman friend.
The unfortunate girls were seized and
overpowered, and loaded revolvers were
presented at their heads. Their trunks and
bureaus were searched, and they were told
| that they must give up the rings on their
| fingers.
| Three of these brutes are in Jail, and it is
hoped that all will be captured.
| This horror had scarcely begun TO grow
old when the news spread rapidly that Capt.
Oscar Thomas, Deputy Sheriff, had been
shot and killed while attempting the arrest
of one of the negroes guilty of the outrage
upon the girls Thomas went to the negro's
house, and received discharge of buckshot
full in the face and breast, from gun poked
out of window. With the words "I am
dead man they have killed me-" he fell
back in the arms of Ed. Hayes, late City
Marshal, and in fifteen minutes time was
corpse.
The negro fired at Hayes, who immedi-
ately laid down the dead body of Thomas,
and discharged load of shot into the left
arm and side of the negro, wounding him
seriously, but not mortally.
The mob has been restrained during the
day, but tonight the Public Square is full
of armed men, maddened with the rumor
that the negroes are advancing from
the country upon the city, threat
ening to pillage, burn and sack the town
They declare their intention Of iberatine
the black tiends, who are in Jail, guarded
by few armed men.
Lynching is inevitable, and nothing car
suppress the mob.
LATER-Four negroes have lust beer
hung to trees in the Public Square, and il
is rumored that affth was killed in ths
Jail. e
LATEsT.-The mob in Mt. Vernon an
! parently were not glutted with vengeane,
, by the hanging of the four negroes OF
Friday night, and the butchery of old maj
Harris in the Jail corridor. There SCENE,
+ to be feeling that vengeance would not b.
completed until the body of the unfortu
nate Deputy Sheriff, Oscar Thomas, kilIe,
while in the discharge of his duty by tn
: elder Harris, was under the ground. Thi
I feeling was shared by nearly all the citizens
and consequently the dangling bodies of tn
, four lynched negroes, Jim Goode, JEFF Hop
kins, Ed. Warner, and Bill Chambers, wer
! allowed to hang the entire day for the mu
/. titude to gaze upon, until after four O'Clock
e when the body of Harris was buried. TIL
4 Coroner was then allowed to cut them dowr
!. and begin his inquest
q Since the excitement has somewhf
@ abated, there is good reason to believe tht
a at least one of the negroes executed, JET
Thompson, was not one of the party col
cerned in the rape of the white wome1
and would have been able to prove an ALL
n by respectable white citizens, with who
Is he was in consultation concerning the ele
st ton at the time the crime was committe
70 Since the hanging, this testimony to h
2, innocence of that crime has bee
established. 1t is also claimed tn
s. old man Harris, who has hither
been regarded an upright man, acted und