The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-03
The Lynching In Tennessee.

The Lynching In Tennessee.
Ofthe lynching of the seven negroes in
Tennessee on Friday, the following ac-
count is given in adispatch dated Satur-
day: "The sheriff fFstarted with his men but
when he reached the door Leading to the
street he was met by an armed mob OF
about two hundred men, who rushed
upon him, presented pistols to his head,
and seized the colored prisoners. The
sheriff was utterly powerless to protect
them, and the trembling wretches were
surrounded and seized almost before they
reached the doDr. The lights in the
court housed were all extinguisbed by
order of the lynchers, and then they
marched the negroes up the stairs to the
second story, in the front of which there
is balcony overlooking the street. The
courtroom during this time was packed
with people who had been present at the
trial, and in order to intimidate them the
lynchers fired their pistols in the air,
making a report rs loud as though a
regiment of infantry had shot of their
rifles.
The mob hurried the colored men up
the stairs and out on the balcony. Not
q word was spoken except to give the
necessary orders by the leader of the
gang. When the balcony was reached
fopes with nooses were produced, and the
nooses were quickly thrown over the
heads of the doomed, men and drawn
tight enough: to prevent any chance of
their slipping and releasing the victims.
All the negroes except Elder seem to have
been paralyzed by the frstattack of their
enemies, and they submitted quietly and
without struggle to the inhuman treat.
ment of the lynchers. James Elder
fought hard for his life, but he was over
powered in moment. A dozen strong
and determined men pressed him down
to the floor, bound his hands and his feet
with ropes. and then. secured the moose
around his neck. The five men were
swung over the balcony almost at the
, same time, and left to hang until life was
extinct. The sIynchers sguarded the
bodies untilthey we're satisfied that ey-
ery man was dead, when the leader gave
the order, "Disperse men," and then,
descending the stairway in sold column
they passed into the street, made their
!. way to their horses, and galloped out of
tow, in!thfee different directions. !
= when the 1yncHers Left Springfield
they divided into three sections going in
different directions. 1t was surmised
that the work of the night had not been
completed, and that Murphy and Duffy
were to be added to the !, FIVE corpses
which were swinging from the balcony Of
the court house. This suruise vas justi-
fed blythe revelations ofto-day:: One OF
the. parties rode off in the direction oftbe
house where Laprade was killed, near
which it was known that Murphy and
Duffwere roaming. This morniDg Duffy
was found hanging to tree .on the
road to Laprade's house. "A detachment
ofmilitia were supposed to. be on duty to
guard the lives Of the five men on trial,
and this detachment gave q parade in
front of the courts house just before dark
last night. at sunset a heavy thunder
storm set in, and the .valient- troops, as
suming that the lynchers were as delicate
as themselves, and would not risk wet.
ting, deserted their post and left the pris-
oners to their fate.
The crime, the sequel of which they
furnished, was one,of the most bhtal ever
perpetrated in this State, and had its au-
tbors met their death at the hands Of
law no sympathy would have been was.
ted on them. d. 8. Laprade was wor.
thy bachelor farmer, living on his farm
near Saddlersville, about seventeen miles
from Springfield, and the impression
was general throughout the ne!ghborhood
that he was very wealthy, and that he
kept great deal of money concealed in
his house. He led a sort of hermit life,
and the report was current just before
the murder that he and his brother had
fallen heir to $4,000, his share of which
he had secured and kept with -him-in bis
house. This rumor was tho temptation
, to the brutal murder which has just been
expiated. On the hight Of September S,
1880, nine negroes prowled around La
prade's house until they felt sure that
nobody but himself was at home, and
then approaching the door cautiously
Knocked. To Laprade's question as to
who wanted him one of the negroes, imi-
tating the voice of Laprade's brother,
succeeded in inducing the farmer to open
his door. No sooner had he done so than
rope was thrown around his neck and
he was dragged out into the yard, where
1.-The nine men set upon him and kicked
and pounded him without mercy, de-
manding his money. He gave them s.,
protesting that it was all the money
which he had, but they refused to take
his.word, ,and hanged him to a tree until
nearly. dead. when they took him down
and again demanded money. Upon bis
giving the same answer they hanged him
again Until life vas nearlygone, aud then
falling to.gain their purpose, they mutt
! lated This body in asshocking4 manner
with knives, and dragged him about the
yard by the rope, which was still fastened
to his neck. Finally zone .of the brutes
seized on an axe in a fit of rage and
crushed the skull of Laprade, thus mer-
cifully putting an end to his misery,
The body was Chen hidden in thicket,
but two days after the butchers removed
it and threw it into q sink-hole twenty
feet deep.