Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-01-15

| A DESPERATE CHARACTERS HORRIBLE FATE
| THE GUARD AND JAILoR ovERPowERED-E.
| D. ATCHIsoN TAKEN FROM THE COUNTY JAIL
| BY TEN ARMED MEN, AND HANGED TO A
| TREE-FULI. PARTICULARS OF THE TRAGEDY.
| Our town and community was thrown into
| a state of intense excitement on Saturday
morning, January 5. 1884, by the announce
mert that E. D. Atchison had been taken from
| the county jail (where he was coufined), some
time during the previous night, by mob Of
ten armed men, and hanged (and shot), about
a uuarter of a mile south of town, to tree by
/ the roadside, on Trimbles Hill.
About the hour of midnight Mr.. Charlie Shu-
| mate. who was employed by Sheriff Arbogast
as guard at the jail. was alarmed by noise at
| the outside door, and a voice called to him say
| ing that he had "Big Jim Ralston, drunk
| and wanted admittance Mr.. Shumate recog-
nized the voice, and called Mr.. Jos. A. Timer,
the TAILOR, and the door was opened.
At once several persons entered and secured
| the guard and TAILOR and announced the pur-
pose of their visit They were armed with pis-
tolls and shot.guns. Some OF them were dis
guised; others were not.
/ Operations were at once begun to obtain ad-
mittance into the cell occupied by Atchison and
Ratlif, the only prison ers tenanting the Jail.
The keys were demanded, but Mr.. Hiner in
formed them that they were in possession of
the Sheriff.
| Some of the party were very drunk, as ap-
peared from the testimony, and one of these
made an attempt to shoot Mr. Hiner with
| shotgun, but a confederate knocked the bar
| rel upward asst was discharged and thus saved
his life.
| Then followed regular siege. An axe was
obtained and finally entrance was gained into
the unoccupied CELL adjoining the one pcen-
pied by the prisoners. There Is window IN
the partition between. Several shots were
fired at Atchison through this window.
TIE DOOMED MAN
| realized that hishour had come, but he barri-
caded the door with the bedstead and with
tiger like defiance he held out until forced to
succumb. A pistol was presented at him
through the bars, and he knocked it from his
assailant's hand, the weapon falling inside; but
| he did not notice it.
| Shortly after it became known that pistol
had COTTON into the prisoners cell, the mob
ceased operations. and finally went out Of
doors, as if in the act of leaving. Subsequent
| ~ one Of their number returned and secured
the pistol from Ratliff. who had picked it UP
| when it fell. Ratliff was told as he handed out
the weapon that they were going to leave.
Atchson never knew that he had knocked the
pistol inside the cell. One faint CLEAN of hope
crossed his mind as he attempted to scale the
ceiling and make his escape through the hole
through which the stove pipe passes; it was
| too small.
The mob returned and renewed their attack
| with redoubled energy. heavy log of wood
was obtained and used as batterlng ram. by
means OF which the wooden door was broken
Il 1c1
opened), and the mob rushed in upon Atchi-
| SOD, whom, when they had fastened rope
around his neck, they dragged to the door
and led him forth to the place of execution.
Ag they reached the hall he made desperate
effort to rise to his feet, but one of the mob
| jumped upon him and stamped him. At the
door he again attempted to get up, and was
seen to strike at his assailauts. They then dis
appeared IN the darkness.
| When found Tuesday morning, he was hang
ing to the first limb of a large white-oak tree
just south of town, and his body was frozen
stark and stiff, and riddled with bullets.
The morning was bleak and stormy. the mer
curry registering two degrees below zero, AS
| the news spread, people gathered in groups at
| the stores and offices where they discussed the
occurrence in all its details.
The body hanging frozen and dead presented
u DUITlUlc anu SEdStIy dppSaitnCe. Lie i0t-
lures were natural, the face pallid, as in life,
the eyes closed, the tongue not protruded The
upper part OF the face was begrimed with blood.
The hair was clotted, the hands tied behind,
and severely Iascerated, and blood and sand
| marked other parts of the body. bullet had
pierced the right under jaw at the articulation,
breaking the jaW-bone and ranging upward and
backward. Another shot penetrated the body
in tue right breast between the Coliar-bone ana
first-rib. Three shots entered the legs. There
was also scalp wound.
Justice Osborne Wilson, Esq, acting coroner
convened jury of inquest at IL A. NJ, which
was in session until late at night, Saturday
The jury was composed of the following gentle
men.
a, Fl. Campbell, 3. e. Fleisher, Nathan WI
mer, W. P. Campbell, ELF. slaven w. E. Will
| son, 4. Il. Shumate. Levi s. Jack, J. K. Will
liams. Allen Judy, 6. M.ssJordan, H. Bowers.
| Theiinquest first met on the scene of the trag-
edy, where it was organized, and then adj
journed to the Courthouse, and the testimony
was taken with great minuteness.
The guard and jailor being sworn related the
circumstances of the invasion of the jail and the
taking of the prisoner Atchison. They stated
that they did everything in their power to dis
suade the lynchers from their purpose but were
utterly helpless.
DR.. 1. H. Trimble was called to the stand and
testified to having examined The body of z. D.
Atchison; he said that it was in such a frozen
| condition as to prevent his making a thorough
post mortem. His opinion was that the i'm
mediate cause of death was the bullet wound
under the right jaw.
After hearing the evidence in the case, the
jury returned the following verdict:
We, the jury. Of inquest, find that the de-
jail of Highland county. Va on the morning
of the 5th of January, 1884, between the hours
of u A. NJ. and A. NJ, by mob, and that he
came to his death either from pistol shot or
gun shot, or from being hanged by the neck.
or from the effects of both.
Signed, A. H. CAMPBELL, Foreman.
The mob remained in the Jail between two
and three hours. The few of our citizens who
were awakened by the noise seem to have en-
deavored to apprise the authorities, who live
Ger was absent from home.
The walls of the cell were despatched with
blood and the blankets, ETC.. were bloody. 1t
is supposed that Atchison was severely wound
ed from a gun or pistol shot before he was
taken.
Atchison saw that the mob was determined
to take his life. In extreme mental anguish
he exclaimed: "If you will give me pisto,
with one load, will save you any further
trouble" At another time he called to the
jailor: why don't you go out and raise the
citizens of the town ~ One of the mob replied
THESE men can't raise anything"
When the mob entered the cell, Atchison was
Er5e'-the surveillance of a man at the win
dow Til a-aad . shot gun leveled at him. He
remained passive lie drew a blanket over his
mead anu shoulders and he was laid hold
upon from either side, he made several upward
movements with his arms, as if to prevent the
rope from being fastened around his neck
Atchison was in Jail awaiting indictment for
staboing Sidney Ruckman, Esq, on December
18th, 1888, on Back Creek
The prisoner Ratlif became terribly fright
ened when the mob entered, and tainted. re-
mai ming in an unconscious condition probably
an hour. His impression was that they would
take him, too.
Atchison came to this county few wears
ago from Massachusetts,, it is said, and married
| a woman named Howdyshell, who afterwards
left him. Ofhis antecedents, nothing is known.
He possessed d good education, and was even
| acquainted with the classics. He was facilc
penman. writing beautiful hand IaoI,;x,a,