Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-10-27
The Tragic Taking Off Of Charlse
Thurber mt Grand Forks.
e HIS TERRIBLE ATROCITIES.
A Desperate Fight Between the Mob
and the Sheriff'S Officers.
THE LATTER OyERP0WERED,
And the Black Miscreant Hanged to
the Railroad Bridge.

thS As0AAA Vsau az AOSCe
The Grand Forks Daily Herald gives the
following graphic description of the lynch
ing of Charles Thurber, the negro who
raped Mrs. Thurber and a Norwegian girl
near that place few days ago:
About noon tie mob began to congre-
gate in the vicinity of the city hall, where
Thurber was confined. It was good hui
mored crowd and grim jokes were banded
about with the utmost hilariiy. The side
walks on both sides of the streets were
lined with sight seers. There wasn't much
lynch material in those assembled, but
here and there could be picked men who
only needed the slightest excuse to make
break. The rumors were many and for
the most part unwarranted and unfoupded.
The original lynchers circulated around,
working for peace and order. They
co-ope lated with the officers in
endeavoring to prevent unlawful
demonstrations. The plan was to
convey the negro to the court house, where
he would have been granted preliminary
hearing, and if bound over to an appear
ance to the district court, which would be
considered tatamount to conviction, the
RUSH WOULD BE MADE
and the interesting and instructive pre-
gramme drawn up would be carried out. It
was the earnest desire of the law and Or
der part of the lynchefs that the misera-
BILE wretch should be given every chance 10
prove himself innocent. Having determ-
ined that the prisoner should hang, they
were willing to give every latitude of de-
Tense desired. The original plan was to
have the affair pass off in quiet, decorous
and orderly manner. After the rush and
the negro was once in the hands of the mob
be was to have been treated with consider
al :on. not to say kindness, given opportr-
nifty to make public confession of what
he confessed privately, and granted time
to make his peace with God, after which
he was to have been
WORKED OFF
with neatness and dispatch, without undue
haste or unnecessary noise. Had the COM
miitee been given an opportunity, the
hanging would have been as serene and
calm as prayer meeting. The crowd at
the city hall began to gain in size by nu-
merous accessions till it numbered be-
tween two and three hundred. The pre-
vailing opinion, however, among the unin-
formed was that the hanging would not
come off until after dark, if at all. At two
o'clock, the hour set for trial, the crowd
became FESTIVE aud considerable incendiary
talk was INDUCED in. The appearance of
Conductor Burbank on the scene fired the
hearts of the lynchers and they gathered
around him to hear from his lips the story
of his wife's wrongs. There was a mani
fest change of sentiment. The crowd still
laughed and jeered and joked, but there
was an
UNDERCCRRENT OF UGLINEss
in the levity which BODIED ill for the pris
oner. Here and there was heard an occa-
sional plea for law ond order, but that sort
of thiOg was looked upon with disfavor, as
harmless tender-foot freshness. One ar
gued tfat it would ''hurt the town fnan-
cially in the east" He was told that if the
crime stood unrebuked, it would be unsafe
for women to stay on claims: thus affect
ing immigration. No one attempted par
ticularly to Justify lynching. The man
ought to hang and he was going to be
hung. It had gone beyond argument
The city officers were anxious to turn over
the prisoner to the county where he be-
longed and thus be relieved of the respon-
sibility of so undesirable a charge.
Sheriff jerks promised to take him OF
Chief Hennesy's hands as soon as the
crowd dispersed and he was assured
there would be no attempt to cap
ture the negro. The efforts of Col.
Smith and Conductor Burbank were en-
listed to induce the mob, which was by this
tim, 2:3O p. m, becoming clamorous, to
dispense. The colonel mounted a wagon
and in short, vigorous speech informed
the men that the prisoner would remain in
his cell until every one had left. He ad-
v'sed them to proceed quietly to the court
house, and there await the examination and
its results. 4 few of the more prominent
men left the scene, and about two-thirds
followed. The remainder stayed around
the building awaiting the appearance of the
negro.