The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1881-02-24
MOB VENGEANCE.
The Laprade Murderers Hanged
at Springfield.
Five Negroes Taken from the
Court Room and Swung up
in the Vestibule.

field. The Nashville military were
called out by the governor and pre-
vented lynching until the trial was
under Roadway, when it was thought
safe TO order them off. A jury was
empaneled Tuesday and the trial at
once proceeded. Two of the muir
derers turned States evidence and
gave graphic details of the horrible
murder of Laprade. Following is
the evidence CT Duffy:
lived with Bob Daniel, IN Rob
ertson county; left Mr.. Daniel on
Saturday, in August; went to Bells
Chapel, Sunday, and hired myself
to Mr.. Jim Young; know defend
ants at the bar.
The witness then pointed the
prisoners out and identified them,
and told where each had lived pre-
vious to the killing of Laprade. He
continued:
Bells Chapel was one mile back
of Jim Higgins house; saw there
the prisoner Jim Higgins and the
other prisoners, ten in all-Bob.
Threat, Arch Jamison, Lun Small,
Lock Mallory, Jim Elder, Jack
Bell,--Mallory land two others
whose names the reporter could not
get), we met at the forks of the
road to make arrangements to kill
Laprade; had meeting previous to
this for the same purpose; Jack
Bell was the first to mention the
matter to me; he told me that Jim
Higgins and Arch Jamison had
formed a conspiracy to kill Mr.. La
prade; they believed he had money;
there were present Jack Bell, Arch
Jamison, Jim Higgins and myself
at Higgins house, and we agreed to
help each other out of the difficulty
in case any of US should be arrest
ed; knew Laprade; he was thrown
into a sink hole on the Monday
night after he was killed by there
witness repeated the names before
mentioned); Jack Bell told me La
prade had money and we must kill
him and get it; we held a meeting
at Higgins house and agreed TO
meet at the cross roads and proceed
to Laprade's and kill him; Arch ia
mison selected the sink hole as the
place to hide the body; we met
about | O'CLOCK ia The night; Jack
Bell said, 1--WE will kill him and put
him in the sink-hole:" went to the
house; Bill Murphy stopped at the
gate; Lun Small and myself stood
in the yard; jim Higgins, Bell and
Jamison went into the house; /
heard Laprade begging for his life
and saying he had no money; they
brought him out of the house with
a rope around his neck, took him
across the field and lifted him over
the fence; Jack Bell cut off his pri-
vate parts saying, Il have cut many
a id hog and I'll cut you;" Jim
Higgins cut the skin off his face;
Bob Threat cut his leg; Jack Bell
hit him in the head with a sharp
rock and knocked out his teeth;
JACK Bell, after cutting out his pri-
Yates, cut the skin around the hole
in his head; we then dispersed, and
l went TO Mr.. Young's; Jack Bell
went with me; when we got to Mr..
Young's, Jack asked, do you
think that man is dead? 1 will take
a rail off the fence and go back and
punch him some;" while at the
sink hole we were about to drag
him farther into the hole, when we
heard a noise and Bob Threat and
Lun Small ran of.
The other negroes evidence cor
roborated all these horrid facts, and
more, and the circumstantial evil
dence was complete, leaving no room
for doubt. The trial proceeded reg
ularly until all the evidence was in,
the lawyers had spoken and the
judge charged the jury. 1t was
just about dusk on Friday evening
when the judge finished his charge,
and the sheriff was about to start to
Jail with the prisoners, when about
two hundred men rushed into the
courtroom with presented pistols,
ordered the lights out, seized the
prisoners and rushed them out.
Attorney General Bell tried to OBJ
tain a posse to stop the mob at the
door, but failed, and had to make
his exit through q window. The
crowd in the court all jumped from
the windows
The negroes were hurried to the
east door of the courthouse, where
ropes were awaiting them, and they
we're drawn up by willing hands in
the verandah above.
They all died without a struggle,
except Jim Elder, who had to be
thrown down, tied and then raised.
Hundreds of shots were fired, but
none at the prisoners.
The mob guarded the bodies IN
til they were sure they were dead,
and the leader gave the order, 'Dis
perse, my men, to your homes" and |
they Immediately departed, going
in three directions.
They came in on horses, but
went to the courthouse on foot and
were not discovered till they met
the prisoners at the door.
1t is thought that the cause
of this trouble to night was the
of Bill Murphy and
Duffy, at II o'clock last
night. When released, they went
right back into the vicinity where
they committed their terrible crime
and were seen there to-day. The
people, fearing the prisoners would
appeal from the verdict of the jury,
and then, il the case was sent back,
The State would have no witnesses,
and were determined there should
be no escape, for beyond a doubt,
hey were guilty. This is the YER
lict of every citizen who heard the
testimony.
There was no whisky in the
,rowd, and they were under strict :
The only demonstration
vas a deafening yell and the dis
,harge of firearms, when the five
we're launched into eternity. No
outsider was allowed to approach
he scene until all the negroes were
pronounced dead, and then it was !
that the man who cut