The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1880-05-18

Further Particulars Regarding
the Death Of the
Prisoners.
Indignation Of the Citlsens. the
Corousr's Inquest,
Btc., Rtc.
O-ceola Sun. E1trs, May Is.
Lsai night 80 one Of those. quiet ~
riods when ,s would srem ~ though ell
nature ga ~ sep"ne. The pale beams
Of the moon lighted up the earth unsil per.
haps ten o'clock. when the ssinkling oi
the STAN and an occa~ionsl distant dash
Of lixhtning alone relieved The darkns-s Of
night. The preceding day had been the
ssroest of the season and people early re-
tired. little dr~sming that dark and ter
rible tragedy would be enacted in the town
Of Osceola before the morning light again
dsvDed-thsi y company Of men uese
srminG themselsrs preparatory to On o.
ssult on the Jail, which st that time con.
tsined fou. prisoser. Chesley Pierce, Who
fatally stabbed william Boh0n three mile-
from Osceols on thu night Of January 18Th
last John NJ. Parks, charged With being
accessory to the murder Of Boboo Viii
liam K Smith, charged With numbering
David Tsipple,t, uesr Johnson City, April
10Th Last, and William Gilbert, under in
dictment for grand larceny.
About half.past twelve o'clock Q mob Of
men, armed and masked, vsriousIy esti.
mated ai from City 70 three hundred, we're
gathered sbout the county Ill. The 6rst
i.ilos, Tom Emerson, wss some one out
side calling fOr him TO get up. they wanted
to zee him. After parieying about e.
teen minutes and demanding that the keys
BE- given up. il vas suggested
that the doors be broken open. The aug
eession Was Immediately acted upon and
the men proceeded up stains, one Of them
covering Emesson With . revolver Once
up stairs the lock Of the outer door Of the
Jail Vas quickly Smashed aod the crowd
iuroed their attention to the locks on the
doom Of the cells, 10 one Of which was
confined Parks and Pierce. and In the
other Smith and Gilbert. Sledge ham
meris soon removed all fastening, and mob
and prisoner we're together. The mob Al
once took out Pierce and Parks, Who Offer
ed ND res,sleoce, Parks evidently under.
standing the situation and simply remark.
ing that he had done nothing 10 he hung
for. smith desperately coalended for his
life, but waa overpowered. Ropes were
placed around the necks Of the prisoners
and the mob then marched their victims
down the stairway, and on rssziniug the
open air. the company formed in rank
With the prisoners under Close guard
They marched out on tn Chestnut stree,
and were evidently intending to get on the
Humansville road. When the mob had
arrived where Cbestr Ut inicrsects Fourth
street and where the Wsrsav and Hu.
mansville rosds diverRe. Smith broke
away from his csptors and rs.,. He IA
twice ordered to halt, but, preierring death
by . bullet 10 being lynched. be paid nc
attention To the command. The leader o
the mob then called his men to shoot, and
he fell. riddled With bu!leta. The mol
then passed down the Humsnssille road,
dragging Smiths body with them, until
the oniskists Of the town we're reached.
when they left the highway and repaired
10 grove oil locust trees an what l. known
a. the the Wilson tract Of land, in Happy
Hollow. Here PIERCE and Parks were
swung up one tree and Smith wss tied to
another, leaving about one third Of his
body on the ground. The mob. havin1
finished their terrible work, disappeared in
. sou,herly direction.
4 fS.Ih>>s q. a.. -
the time Smith attempted TO get away.
He sent into the country, took bore he
longing 70 Mr.. COrbin, and vent eat. iii
bert met . gentleman on Weaubleau prai
RE to whom he related the sction Of Oh,
mob last night, and stated that he recoy-
aised several member Of the gang bu
failed to give any names. He further sAit
thst he did not steal the hor.e, but would
turn il loose when his escape wa assured
We understand the owner Of the horse is u
clo-e pursuit Of him.
The bodies Of the v;ciims Of the lynch
en we're left suspended until this morning
when they were removed TO the eour
houae end . coroner's inquest held b,
Squire +. H. Wright. Following IL tn,
testimony:
4
Thomss Ewe~rsoo being duly sworn says
I am the jsiler; live in the jail q
Osceola, ST Clair county, Mo
At about twelve O'Clock lae
night sOWe one calico To me and said, "l
want to zee you, Tom ! said nothing
They then said, "The keys are Whist y,
want" PARTED With then, sboni fifieer
minutes; then one man spoke and said
"Boys, bust her in" and they struck The
hall door leading up stairs With siedee d
something and the door swung op~n, and
about fifteen or swent. men started mp the
stsirs; the last man stopped on the siairs
about half way up and opposite the doos
TO the ruom ! vas In and threw his pistol
dovo on me, end said. "Don'i you stir -
About this time . man put pistol st the
window near my bed and said, Don't you
| get OPP" The man that seemed TO act q
leader said - they vent up stsin, Boy
don't shoot :" They broke the lock on The
outer Jail door, then the lock on cell No. !
where Parks and Pierce were; then the
lock On cell No. . fell from the stroke Of Q
sIedge hammer and Gilbe:t wss taken out,
but il seemed from the noise that Smith
resisted. think they brought all four Of the
prisoner down vish ropes on their necka %
they came down stairs Perks said, Boys. I
hasn't d,ne anything to be hung Tor. u
When they vent out and started TO leave
! got up end vent TO the outside door in
the other room and sac . man run and
heard shooting over on the street near the
cuivert. There SCENE to be about one
hundred and fifty men outside. I think
they had rope on Gilbert, ~ they came
down don't III NIX he could have come
down after the rest left or my wife would
have seen him.
n. Webber on his oath ssys: Live ness
Jail; hesrd noiae; vent out in yard could
not see how many there we're in the croWd
heard eight Or ten shoss when they GOT
down near the culvert. Did not tnov any.
one the crowd made " siand back and not
come near them.
Ben Decherd on oath says: Live south
Of Jail; heard pounding ~ Jail late lest
night; heard men coming away; - they
vere near culvert cav zane one start to
run and msn called out "Hsli - twice