Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-10-15
Outrage on a Young Girl.
AN AUGUSTA COUNTY MAN HUNG BY A

VublAkS OU b 1UuuS QuI'
AN AUGUSTA COUNTY MAN HUNG BY A
MOB.
On Friday the LIST inst, George Lowry,
a white man employed at the saw mill or
McChesney & Ellis, near Sherando, in this
county, took David Thomas, his wlfes
brother, aged eighteen years with him over
the mountain into Nelson county. On Sat
urdav morning they reached the residence
of Mr.. Robert Massie, on Tye River, and
tvinp their horses IN the woods, went to
the house. Mr.. Massie, and his wife had
gone to Jonesboro to church and their sons
were at work in a field some distance off,
leaving alone in the house daughter,
about nineteen years old. Lowry and
Thomas entered, and the latter presented
a pistol. threatened the girl with death and
went on up stairs and robbed a bureau OF
Sill so. Lowry renamed down stairs,
seized the young lady. and choking her.
brutally outraged her person. They then
left, Thomas dropping some OF the silver
money at the gate. The young girl blew
to the house, to whom she told the sad
story. The neighborhood was Immediate
" aroused, and an accurate description OF
Lowry and Thomas given them. Ina few
hours over hundred and fifty men were
securing the country. The two criminals
had fled over the mountain to their homes
near Sherando.
On Saturday evening i've armed men ap-
peared in the village bunting them. They
discovered Lowry in the store OF Mr.Trevy
near by and captured him. They would
have shot him there but for the Temon-
strances of the citizens. They also cap
tured Thomas, and as they filed off with
their prisoners another party of twenty
five armed men came out of the woods and
silently fell in behind them. They took
Lowry to Miss Massie late that evening
and she fully identified him. The next
morning. for fear of any mistake. they
aeain took him before her in broad day
light. She again identified him, but said
that the boy had not laid his hands on her,
only threatening her when he came in with
pistol.
The two prisoners were committed 10
jail on Sunday night, where, on MONDAY,
Lowry's wife who went from Augusta,
ioined him. She did not leave him until
Thursday the 9TH inst. About O'Clock
that night crowd of about $50 persons
assembled around the jail and breaking
the doors open seized Lowry and carried
him to an oak tree on DIR. billiards. farm
about a mile distant, where they hung
him. He cried ssmurder" and begged for
his life from tl.e moment that he realized
what the intentions of the mob were until
he was swung up to the tree. A number
of the citizens of Lovingston were up and
begged the crowd to desist but it had no ef-
feet on the men who were silent and de-
termined, not one of them being heard to
inter a word. The next morning at 10
o'clock the remains were cut down and an
inquest held and verdict rendered in &C
cordance with the facts.
Lowry was man about forty years
of ACE add leaves wife and six children.
He was an industrious and peaceable man.
but at times was given to drink and it is
snpposed that he was drunk at the time he
committed the horrible crime for which he
40 promptly paid the penalty of his life.
This is the fourth criminal that has suf-
fered lynch law in Nelson, in the last fiji.
teen years. One of the most noted was
the horse thief and ex-convict ''Dr
Jomlni." who rode through the streets OF
Lovingston and shot two well known cltl
zens. The people turned out en- masse anc
shot him dead in field. Another cas-
happened dnring the war in which the cit
liens hung man named Low. for murder
ing young man from Augusta count,
named Brown, who was clerking at stor
in Nelson.