Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1881-07-21

Houston Turner, a Ravisher, Meets DeatI,
at the Hands of a Mob.

Houston Turner, a Ravisher Meets Death
at the Hands of a Mob
Special to the Nashville American.
MURFREEsBoRo, July 1S-Houston Tur-
ner, colored, who outraged Miss O'Neal,
Ia, in this county, by Moore Batty, colored.
Two other negroes were in close pursuit,
whom Turner was keeping at distance by
threatening them with long stick, the only
weapon he has carried since committing the
deed. Batty met him and presented a
musket in his face. and he surrendered
promptly. He was identified by parties in
the neighborhoed and brought here on the
$50 tram, this evening. and lodged in jail
Turner is a slender-build, copper-col-
ored negro, and says he is nineteen
years old. He committed the deed on
the Sth inst, since which time different
parties have been in pursuit of him every
day, and he has been seen by some one who
knew him almost every day. He has not
been exceeding fifteen miles from Murfrees-
boro during the time, and whenever seen
did not seem to be making any special effort
to conceal himself, but always managed to
evade his pursuers. On the 14th he was ar
rested by parties near Eagleville
but escaped. On Saturday last he was
chased and fired at several times, but es-
capped. He says he was in Murfreesboro
Saturday evening and bought some tobacco
on the public square. This l think, is
doubtful. When arrested he gave his name
as VIM. Davis, and said he had never been
in the neighborhood where the crime was
committed. Since being brought there he
has been identified by fully one hundred
people, to all of whom he gave the same re-
ply, that he knew nothing of the crime, but
in an interview with him tonight, when
told that probably he would be in eternity
before daylight tomorrow, he
ACKNOWLEDGED THE CRIME,
stating that he saw Miss ONeal as she went
to the neighbor's house and waited on the
roadside until she returned, when he pulled
her off her horse and took her into the
woods and committed the deed. He said
when she attempted to scream for help, he
caught her by the throat to prevent. Since
his lodgment in jail the crowd has been in
creasing around the jail, and the estreetleading
from the jail to the public square by nine
o'clock was thronged, at which time, it be-
ing evident, that if he remained in iail he
would be mobbed before morning, the Jail
door was opened and Sheriffs Ransoms and
Majors, with pistols in hand,
RUSHED THE PRISONER
out and hustled him into a buggy and
started at full speed out the Nashville pike,
intending to run him off to Nashville for
safe keeping. When they had gotten near
the river, about mile from town. mob of
about one hundred men closed in on all
sides and demanded the prisoner, and, be-
fore any resistance could be made, the
sheriff and prisoner were in the hands of
tina mob, and by main staength were pre-
vented from making further efforts to pro-
tect the prisoner. In few minutes the
mob returned quietly to
THE PUBLIC SQUARE,
on foot, and proceeded Immediately to the
courthouse yard, placed out sentinels on all
sides, who kept back the large crowd col
lected, and without word being uttered
above an ordinary voice. hanged the raw
isher to a small sycamore. After few
moments the mob fell into line, and in the
same quiet manner marched out West Main
street. At this hour, 1890, Houston Tur-
nee, colored, the ravisher of Miss Mary
ONeal, still hangs, and probably viii not
| De cut down before rnor-nipO