The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-07-19
A TERRIBLE VILLAINY.
A Negroes Systematic Assaults Upon
Little Attempted Lynching

From Mr.. James McGinnis re-
porter for the STATESMAN learns
the particulars of the Elgin outrage,
that has caused more excitement in
that little burg than anything which
has occurred there for some time.
The little girl who is the victim of
the villain is Emma Jones, Il sister
of Frank E. Jones, the well known
merchant of 203 East Pecan street,
this city. 1t appears negro of bad
repute by the name of Johnson Jack
son has for several weeks been at
tempting series of assaults upon lit
tie girls; stealing into their rooms at
midnight and attempting to gag and
outrage their persons. For
tunately i'll every case his attempt
failed; but when, at last, his identity
was discovered, the public were so in
cenSed that sentiment almost took
the form of frenzy. About two
weeks age he entered the hous of
Mr.. Cotes, of Elgin, and went to the
bed where the little daughter of that
gentleman was asleep and, putting
his hand over her mouth, attempted
to outrage her. The girl was, per-
haps, thirteen years of age She was,
Of course, awakened, and managed to
make enough noise, in her efforts to
diSengage herself, to arouse Mrs.
Cotes, who started to go to the room
where the girl was sleeping. The ne
gro heard her approaching and jumped
through the window, making his es-
cape without his identity being ascer-
tanned. He then went to the house of
a Mr. Ausley and entered that by
window, walked through room
where Mr.. and Mrs. Ausley were
sleeping, to the bedroom where a lit
tie daughter was asleep and attempted
ANOTHER OUTRAGE
upon the person of this little girl, in
the same manner as that which he
had been prevented from making at
Mr.. Cotes'. He was, however, alarmed
before he had accomplished his object,
and again made his escape without
any one in the house knowing who it
was had done this dastardly act.
ON LAST FRIDAY NIGHT
he went to the house of r. p. Jone s
and getting in, as before, at a win
dow, went to the bed where little
Emma, only thirteen years old, was
asleep. No one was in the room but
the little girl. He tried to gag the
child, and at the same time put his
hands upon her person. The girl
managed to scream, and Mr.. Jones
came to the room. The negro was
getting out of the window as Mr..
Jones entered Emma's apartments.
1t was dark, but both Emma and Mr..
Jones identified the villain as John
son Jackson. The next morning
Thomas Jefferson, pal of Jack
sons, and who may have had some
thing to do with these attempted out
RACES, made statement of everything
that Jackson had told him. The vii
lain was at once arrested. No sooner
had the full scope of his crimes been
made known than public Indignation
was so aroused against the wretch |
that vigilant committee was organ
lied to hang him. The officer in charge |
hid the prisoner in a cotton field, and |
the vigilantes searched all day and |
to his hiding place. When they could |
not find him they went to the cele- |
brated "hangman's tree" upon which |
no fewer than twelve men have |
been hanged and hung him in effigy. |
The next morning Jackson was taken |
before a justice of the peace, when he |
W
bound over to the district court. The |
sheriff started to convey him to Bas-
trop, the county seat, but the vigi-
lantes had determined on melting a
summary punishment to him, and had
for that purpose stationed an armed
force at every crossroads to intercept |
the sheriff and the william. The officer
took by-road and evaded them for a
time, but at one point he was con-
fronted by about fifty armed
men a short ways ahead |
coming towards him. He quickly
the prisoner to saddle,
and, dashing into the woods, obtained
a secret path through wild and I'M
frequented country, and by hard
riding reached the county jail with
his charge. He made the trip from
Elgin to Bastrop in three hours. 1t
is thought by many that the negro
Thomas jefferson knows altogether
too much about the affair, and that he
must in some way have been con-
nected with Jackson in his villainous
work.