Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-01-22
From the Highland Recorder
MORE ABOUT THE LYNCHING.

A SECOND INQUEST ON THE BODY OF E. d.
ATCHIsON-THE NAMES OF THE LYNCHERS
GIvEN-REsULT OF THE AUToPsY-vER-
DICT OF THE JURY.
On Monday, January IA, at the request
monwealth's Attorney, L. 81. Stephenson,
the body of E. D. Atchison, who was taken
from the jail on the morning of January 5th,
by mob, and lynched, was disinterred and
brought to the Courthouse.
A jury was summoned (as many of the
jurors as possible, who served at the first
inquest, being retained, as follows:
A. H. Campbell, B. E. Fleisher, W. E.
Wilson. A. G. Judy, OK. Rexrode, c. G..
Cross, G. F. Crummett, J. E. Williams, 8.
W. Crummett, W. A. Cunningham, L. s.
Jack, J. G. Long.
The object of this proceeding was to have
post mortem of Atchinson's body made
and hear further evidence
At noon the inquest was begun, conduct
ed by the Commonwealth Attorney. A
number of witnesses were examined at
length.
The inquest adjourned at late hour un-
til Tuesday morning when additional testi-
mony was taken.
DR.. Ely. M. Patterson, assisted by DR.. 1.
Fl. Trimble, made an autopsy of the body
in the presence of the inquest. DIR. P. testi-
fed to having found three bullet wounds
one in the face, one in the neck, and the
other in the right hand
The wound in the face ranged upwards
and slightly backwards, fracturing the low
erjaw-bone and lodging beneath the scalp
just above the union of the temporal and
parietal bones. This wound wouId NOT have
caused death. Sc.
The second wound was about two inches
to the right of the meridian of the body, at
the point of union OF neck and body. It
passed backwards, inwards, and upwards,
through the common carotid artery and the
spinal column, and was found in the left
posterior aspect of the fifth articular YER
zebra in a mass of comminuted bone. His
opinion was that this wound caused Atchi-
sons death, for the reasons that there was
no evidence of strangulation except slight
turgescence at root of tongue; the wound of
the carotid artery must of necessity have
caused fatal hemorrhage, the bullet having
severed two thirds of its calibre; and be-
cause the wound of the spinal column would
have produced paralysis of the body and
proved fatal.
The ball which entered the neck was a
44-calibre, the regular Bulldog size.
DR.. Trimble fully concurred in DR.. Pat
terson's statement
About o'clock the case was given to the
| jury who retired to their room and shortly
afterwards returned the following verdict:
fWe the jury of inquest find, according
to the evidence before us, that the deceased
E. D. Atchison was taken from the High
land county jail ON the morning of January
5th, 1884, by xteu armed men, namely: Fl.
NJ. Tomlinson, J. A. Lightner, J. A. Chest
nut. Giles Guaa4- 4es Reesstslass,, Robert War
wick, Luther Wade, L. N. Gibson, Jamcs
Beeson, and one other party unknown
And that we believe that the immediate
cause of his death was a gunshot wound in
the neck, after he had been hanged by the
neck to tree Signed
ga. FL. CAMPBELL, Foreman.
Warrants were Immediately issued for the
parties named, and on Tuesday night Sheriff
j. w. Arbogast summoned posse of men
and went to make arrests but so far has
failed in finding them
"a mob Of