Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-16
THE LxNoHINa AT THE PLAINS.
Particulars OF the Shooting Of Lueius
weaver Monday Night. \.
His Remains Buried at the Expense
Of the County.
a Jury OF Inquest Fails to ind the
Parties IN the Heb.

n Jury OF Inquest Fails to lind the
Parties an the Mob.
The excitement on the streets yes
terday was the case of the lynching at
Strawberry Plains Monday night of
the negro. Lueius Weaver, informa.
ton of which was given by US. Every.
body was anxious to hear the
latest information. The first
news afioat on the street was
to the effect that Weaver
was still alive, but that was without
foundation. One of the men who was
on the guard arrived here by horse
back about noon. He gave a. graphic
description of the affair. He said there
seemed to appear all at once large
body of men il town, he thought at
least 100, and they made a mad rush
at the prisoner, completely overpow-
ering the guard and taking him down
the road where he was fiddled with
bullets. His information was that he
had fourteen bullet holes. None of
the men were masked, he said. When
the prisoner was taken, they were
guarding him on store porch, hav-
ing decided that was better than the
vacant house to which he was taken.
The mother of Weaver, and Hester,
an industrious old coIored woman, who
lives in North Knoxville with another
son who is at the point of death, heard
the news early in the morning and was
very much affected thereby. She af-
| firmed that her boy, who she says was
only Is or IS years, was not guilty of
the crime charged, for he was in
Knoxville at that time, and she can
bring witnesses to prove it. She said
he was guilty of other mischief, but
innocent OF that crime. She tele-
graphed for the body to be held and
went up on the 8 O'Clock train.
Further particulars of the affair are
given by our correspondent, as fol-
| lows:
STRAWBERRY PLAINS, July 10.
Mr.. EDITOR: Last night, about 81
| o'clock, the guard was overpOwered by
mob OF fifteen armed men. and Lu-
cius Weaver, the man charged with
the rape of Mrs. Howell, was taken
one fourth of mile from town on the
Sevierville road, where he was found
next morning lying in the road. He
was shot three times in the head, one
shot taking effect over the right eye,
and another under the upper lip, as
though shot lying down, and the
third shot rather in the back of the
head, which was sufficient alone to
produce death. No other marks of
violence were found on the body. The
carpse was then carried to a vacant
house in the edge of town, a rough
coffin was made and the corpse laid in
it. About noon telegram was re-
ceived by j. w. Borches from the
mother of Weaver, requesting that
they hold the body until she came,
which was done. She arrived on the
| four o'clock, p. NJ, train, took charge
of the body, and had it buried two
miles from town. 1t done at the ex-
pense of the county. The colored
people seem to be very mad, and,
strange to say, would not toucn the
| corpse or let him be buried
in their burying ground. John M.
Meek had to furnish place to bury
him. His mother seemed to take it
very hard. The good people of the
| community were opposed to lynching
Weaver, and it is generally believed
| that no citizen of this place was en-
gagged in the lynching.
Yours, &C.,
MILO MCBEE, JR.