The New York herald., 1878-10-13
- - IL ~ ~ -
Bloody Scenes Enacted
in Indiana.
RUFFIANISM RAMPANT.
Negroes Lynched for Crimi-
nal Outrage.
A M A r T. I A l. M O b.
Preparations to Resist the
State Militia.
The Cringing Prisoners Hanged in the
Court House Yard.
A M A r. II I A l. M O b
[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.

lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.
EVANSVILLE, Ind, Oct ~, 1873
| The mob murder OF the five negroes At Mount
Vernon last night the cuImination OF . state
OF affairs that has been allowed TO devoops
| In the southeastern corner OF Indiana For
two or three years murders have been committed
| almost with mpunity several counties and in
thirty years only two men have been convicted and
| paid the penalty out OF scores OF dark crimes.
| Al the village OF Owensvi!e, Gibson county,
far from the Perry county line, vcs a regularly
organized band OF assassins and horse thieves led by
| ono Aody Compagnioneppe. This dark and
| murdsrous villain pursasd one man for
| three years, attempting to tako his lilo
| on four occasions. besides keeping the country
in constant state OF He taken from his
house last January BY thirty masked men. dragged
through the streets and shot TO death with pistols
| HIS accomplices, i've In number, have all
| escaped punishment. Tho mobbng was partially
inquired into, but no great ehsrt was
made TO ferretn out and so strong was the sympathy
OF The people for object OF the assassns hatred
that he was nominated sheriff Of the county. All
the leaders OF tho mob known. but no knowledge
has crept Into tho Grand Jury room
wfSKiNG ASSASSINATION.
For three months quiet reignsd, and then . reign
terror broke out In Possy county In tho past few
| months four deliberate murders and four Of
| female outrage have been committed, and, In
| all but one instance, tho negroes OF Mount
| Vernon, who are lawloss and violent class,
absolutely known to be tho perpetrators but escaped
without arrest. The authorities have been disgrace
| fully lax In the execution OF the State
| law, and month by month q feeling OF
| strong indignation and the thirst for vengeance
| has been growing Three months ago 1--WE women
living in the outskirts OF the town attacked by
thros negroes. Attempts were made at violation One
Of the womsn-Molis McCool-in trying TO escape was
shot by assalant and killed. Several weeks later
henry vi.rting, aged German, was assassinatsd
| Main street. his pockets rined or the few
cents IN them and his body left In
| the gutter. Three weeks ago . stock drover at
the county fair assassinated In his stock pen
| midnight, Tor plumber. The murdsrers white
man and Two negroes, but mono have been arrested,
although detectives havc declared their ability to
arrest all OF them Possy county would furnish 500
TO pay their informant Tho authorities declined to
| nay except for conviction, and all have escaped
/ CARMEL OUTRAGE.
| The immediate cuuss OF Fridays awful work was
disgusting OF crime committed last Monday ght,
| just before midnight Eight negroes who had bee n
drinking at the expense OF certain politicians, went
| 10 . house Of bad repute IN tho outskirts OF the
| town, and under the prctence OF having message
| for OF the inmates, succeeded Ia
having the door opened. They Immediately
rushed In upon the women, who alone.
ana with cooked revovers inaugurated =
| fearful scene They rhed tho house for
money, and then, forcing the women into
/ a room, put out tho lights. and py main
force committed q sorss Of revolving outragss that
would be siokening to detail They kept tho women
In that room for hour. and then left them almost
| dead from fear OF iitroaiment. Wnon the news
spread the morning here great excitement,
but interest tho State election prevented any
| ton during that day.
ARREST OF rHE vroLAToRs
The outraged women recogn gnzed several OF the as-
| sailants on tho street. and warrants were sworn
| out, upon whieh Jim Goods, Bill Chambers,
| JeG Hopkins and Ed Warner were ar
| rested quietly during Tuesday evening and
Wednesday and lodged In jail Warner was found in
| bed, ieigning to DO sick. Thoy were ar
ruignsd before q Judge. Identified by the women
and again committed to jail on Wednesday.
1t Understood by the officers that Dan Harris JI
| one oil the gang, would DO found hiding at
| mis- fathers house on Tuesday night. and ar
| rangemsnts were made 10 capture him. Al
| two o'clock on Tuesday morning Oscar Thomas
| Deputy sheriff; Edward Hays, Deputy Marshal; /;
| Charles Baker and William Russell, all good men
| and the two former brave and tried officers,
| went to make tho arrests. Hays and
|
others with pistols old Dan Harris had announced
| that be would Kill anybody who should attempt TO
| enter his house.
MURDER OF OFFICER THOMAS
/ Arriving at tho house Russell and Thomas, after
| parlsy demanding admittancc, started around tho
house 10 advance on tho front door. There was q
| window In the sids. As the two men,
walking abreost, reached Il, Russell suddenly
starting said, 'Look for that gun" and the sam
| instant gave Thomas q push. The cleaning barrel
| Of q shotgun was protruding, and before Thomas
| was out OF line barrel was discharged
and eighteen buckshot pierced his breast, shoulder
neck and face, cutting the jugar vein and pone.
trat,ng the Lett breast near the heart Thomas
/ staggered, aud Hayes up 10 see what
was transpiring, and encountered the same
gun which was nrcd him without effect. He placed
| his own weapon In Inc window and nrsd the dis
| charge, tearing old man Harms badly.
! The negro t4en retrealed out the back door
| As ne climbing . fence Hayes smptod
tho otner barrel OF his gun the charge wounding his
man in the side and bringing him to the
| ground, where his gun was left and a
box OF caps found. Hayes then turned
| and caught Thomas, who was reoiing, and who
said, Boys shot TO tho death" One Of tho as
sistants Tor surpson, and another stationed
| at the back door, as IL was thought Dan Harris Jr
was tho house. Before the surgeon arrived Thomas
was dead. IL discovered there only two little
| children In the house. The officers continued to
search Tor Harris I'll six o'clock. The old man
| had walked some distance through the folds unul
he dropped from loss Of blood and crawIcd TO the
roadside, where farmer coming 10 town discovered
him and hauled him up TO a house. wnero the
officers captured him.
BLOOD BLOOD DEMANDED
News Of tho murder Of Thomas had spread
the murderer to the jail Al about six
o'clock they found great crowd armed
with pistols aud guns bungsrug for the lives Of the
men jail, and for Harris In particular. Several Of
oxcitod surged up to the old man and tried
to shoot him, and IN spite Of the bravery OF the
officers would have succeeded but for counter at
tack. A coisrsd man ventured near aud es-