Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-02-15
A BLACK PIESD.
Horrible Outrage at Paol., Kansas.

PAoLA, Kan, Feb. s.-Thursday night
about eleven O'Clock Maud Beunings, q
little colored girl. nine years old, was
found lying upon the ground in the sub
urbs OF the city, insensible, stripped OF
most OF her clothing. bruised and man.
gled in terrible manntr. and evidently
the victim OF q hellish crime. The
child's arms and legs were frozen stiff.
About eleven o'clock yesterday she be.
came conscious, and told the story Of the
fiendish treatment which she had suf.
fered.
She had been sent upon an errand early
IN the evening, and on her return. about
eight O'Clock, she was seized by Henry
smith, notorious negro. carried to a
stable, checked and ravished, and then
carried some distance and thrown upon
the street, apparently left for dead.
Smith was arrested and taken to the Jail.
The child father, PROCURING q shot gun,
Iollowed and attempted to shoot the
mend, but was prev ented by the bystand
ers.
About eleven o'clock last night an ex-
cited crowd, chiefly of colored men. some
IN masks, gathered at the Jail and de.
manded The prisoner. The Sheriff had
prepared for the emergency, and warned
them away, but the clamorous throng
pushed forward and forced open the door
of the building.
The Sheriff struck the foremost man
over the head; then the mob opened fire,
to which the Sheriff and Deputies replied,
and general fusilade ens,Ied. The front
windows and doors Of the building were
perforated with shot. Ed Long, son of
the Sheriff. received a buckshot wound
in the arm. James McGrew. colored,
was shot through the head and instantly
killed. Two other colored men received
serious wounds. Several others were in
jured in the cheek.
The mob then retreated, and, without
further effort to obtain possession of the
prisoner, dispersed. The Sheriff was sup
ported by three or four Deputies during
the fight.
PAoLA, Kan, Feb. 9-10 D. m.-The
expected result of the horrible outrage
perpetrated by the negro Smith on the
person of the little Bennings girl wednes-
day night occurred this afternoon, and
the city is more quiet again. About one
o'clock great crowd of whites and
blacks collected in front of the Jail, and
waited impatiently for the City Marshal
to appear with Smith, who it Wa report
ed would be taken before a Justice for
examination, but at the last moment the
Deputy Sheriff declinad to move the
prisoner, owing to threats Of the mob
crowd, led by number of the best men
Of the city. then made an assault on the
Jail and drove Sheriff Long back Into the
interior Of the building, but could not
get his keys. They then applied sledge-
hammers, crow bars and other tools, and
after more than an hours hard work
battered their way to Smiths cell, only,
however, to find him stretched dead on
the floor. having committed suicide by
outing his throat with q pocket knife.
This was o great disappointment to the
mob, but it did not stop their work, for
they Immediately put a rope around the
neck of the corpse, dragged It like Ior
to tree in the park, and strung it up to
the gaze OF the multitude.
After the body had hung All hour,
Coroner Potter held an inquest, the Jury
finding Smith committed suicide. Dur
ing the progress of the riot Judge Wag-
staff made an earnest appeal to the crowd
to desist from their bloody work, and
warned them to disperse, but they an.
swered with jeers and laughter. The
outraged child is still alive, but is ex-
pected to die. Sheriff Long acted very
courageously, but could not resist the
mob, who were determined to wreak
their vengeance on Smith. The result of
Smiths act is one little girl terribly out
ragged and likely to die, two negroes dead,
and one white man and one negro seri-
ously wounded.