The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1883-09-26
A rural Outrage on a FIVE Year
Old White CIrI Avenged

Night before last the Jail At Rocking
ham, Richmond county, was surround
Ell b. a party OF Mounted men. al mask
ed, who forced the jallor to give up the
Keys, when they took q colorcd boy nam
ed Arch c j ,hnSton from Of the cells and
rode of with him Yesterday morning.
JuhTstou> body was found dangling from
a tree III the woods near Mason, Cross
Roads, between Laurel Till and Lturin
burg Johnston had been hanged Tor q
rare COMMITTED upon = young white child
about one weed ago. The prisoner. a
negro boy about 90 years OF age. met a
little five year CID daughter Of Mr.. Ma
son IN the road near her fathers house.
and u" one being lear. he assaulted her
IN a most ienGI-h manner. The little
.hIld suffered intensely from his treat
mcnt and her parents discovering her
condition ana que-tIonlng her. were ac
acquainted with the facts OF the brutal
outrage. Search was at once instituted
ior Johnston who was captured, aud
though the impulse was strong upon his
captors to string him uD to the nearest
three, they finally decided to take him TO
Jail and let the law deal with him accord
ing to regular form. Johnston was ac
cordingly taken 10 Rockingham and CON
tined in the jail at that place. News Of
the outrage was not long In spreading
througheu III the county and naturally
enough the Indignation of the people
knew no bounds. Thursday night a large
body OF men assembled near Rockingham.
All we're mounted and each man wore a
mask. On arriving at the Jail one o.
their number knocked at the door and
walked jailor Dan Morrison, was enquired
What was wanted. The reply was hat a
party was outside with "a prisoner whom
they wanted to put IN Jail, and the jaiIor
forthwith opened the door. On seeing the
masked faces around him, he realized
what it meant, and when asked for the
cell keys refused to give them up, reply
ing that he would die first. NO, yoa
won't said one of the number "a they
pressed around and overpowered him.
while several Of the party p;o eeded to
search for the keys aud found them
They then unlocked Johnston's cell.
dragged the prisoner out aud putting him
on a horse drove away The lynching par
ty proceeded in the direction of Mason's
Cross Roads. where the crime was com
United and on arriving at the spot. the
rope was tied around his neck and he was
{ IVY ulR up 10 "a lICC- Inc hOb lutu
quietly dispersed to their homes, leaving
The body of the child ravisher dang
ling from the limb. A placard pinned TO
his body bore the very significant inscrip-
ton: Our wives and daughters must be
projected '-Charlotte OLserrer.
SUMTER. September 2l.-On Tues
day, while ,wo daughters of a Mr.. Dixon
Bette, about fourteen years OF age, aud
another younger, were walking along the
pubic road they were met By a negro.
who seized the larger girl and treated
her Ia a most outrageous manner. The
younger girl e~ndeavored to defend her
sister from the assault of the negro, but
the heartless wretch drew a knife and
tabled her int1Icting a wound, which,
although not fatal, was sufficient to pa
ralyze her efforts. Having accomplished
hi foul purpose the negro fled.
A. soon as the white people In the
neighforhool learned of the outrage
hey started in pursuit, and after an ex-
ting chase succeeded in capturing him.
\ ltrge crowd of blacks and whites as
~embled. After mature deliberation it
was resolved that he should be tied to a
tree and shot, which sentence was speed
lily executed in the presence of a crowd
of white people and negroes, most of
whom either took part in the execution
or expressed their approval. His body
was riddled with bullets. and it is said
that the more furious Of the mob bea'
aud mangled his body in a shocking man
ner. The body was left tied to the tree,
aud at lNt accounts it had not been
buried.