Morning journal and courier., 1882-10-03
THE SOUTH.
Virginia.

1 Defiant to the Last-An Outlavv's Career Ended by Judge Lynch-Taunttng His ExecUtioners to the End.
 RICHMOND, Oct. 2.--James Rhodes, the noted outlaw and murderer of John O. Massie and his aged wife on the night of March 7th last, was lynched at 1 o'clock this morning
 by a mob, who took him from the jail at Charlottesville, where he was confined for trial. The murder was most atrocious and cold blooded one. The aged couple were fairly hacked to pieces with an axe and the blood and brains bespattered the walls and floors of the house. MT. Massies residence was entered in the early part of the night by the murderer for the purposes of robbery before Mir. and Mrs. Massie had retired. They with little girl four years old were the only persons in the house. Hearing noise in the hall it is presumed MT. Massie went out to what the matter He was fol- lowed by his wife with lantern, when they were confronted by the wretch aud murdered with axe which belonged to the premises MT. Massie's brains were scattered over the hall floor near the front door and Mrs. Massie was found near the back door with horrible gash across her head. Both were dead. The colored girl remained in the house all night and when boy came in from the office in the yard to make the fires in the morning the bodies were discovered. The community was aroused and the most intense excitement prevailed The murder was com mitted for the purpose of robbery as the house was ransacked and jewelry and money to the value of several thousand dollars se- cured by the murderer. Bands of pursuers were organized and the surrounding country secured. Suspicious corroborated by unmis- takable evidence indicated Rhodes as the assassin. He was tracked to his house. which was surrounded by crowd, and constable summoned him to surrender. The out law walked out, and, presenting a heavily past him and fled to the neighboring woods. The pursuit was continued for days, but finally Rhodes escaped to East Tennessee, where he was recently identified through photograph and description sent by the sheriff of Albemarle county and arrested. The assassin had married poor but respecta- ble girl named Fox, living sixteen miles from Newport, Tenn, about month previous to his arrest. It was short and sad honey moon for the poor woman.
 Rhodes was arrested September 18th in 8 barroom at Newport. He was brought to Charlottesville about 8 week ago. He was fully identified and all the horrible facts of the murder proved on him to the satisfaction of his neighbors. Soon after midnight last night party of fifty masked men surround ed the jailers house and compelled him to surrender the key of the jail. They went to the jail and took Rhodes out Two members of the Monticello Guard were on duty in the jail yard, but they were quickly overpowered by the lynchers. The commonwealth's attorney was aroused and he followed the averaging mob, ordering them to desist and disperse. He was halted and not permitted to pass a given point at the peril of his life. The lynchers then took Rhodes to the farm of Captain Parrish, and in field on the free bridge road they hung him to the limb of oak tree The outlaw died game, defying his executioners to the last. His body hung until 7 o'clock this morning, and 8 number of citizens went to Charlottesville to view it. A coroner's jury will hold inquest tomorrow. It is said that Rhodes asked for ten minutes to pray before he was strung up. He was lowered once and asked to confess. He merely said his mother and brother were innocent of par ticipation in the crime. This was all he would admit. He was then finally hauled up and left dangling in the air.