The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-23
FIVE BLACK BODIES
SWINGING LlFELESS TO THE LIMB
OLA TEXAS TREE
Tell where Judge Lynch Avenged q Fiend
ish Crime-Prospect for More Of the
Same work-A Terrible Deed
Terribly Atoned for.

HoUsroN, Tex, June 2S Early Sunday
morning mob broke into the jail at Elk
hart Tex, where dozen negroes were con-
fined on suspicion Of being guilty of the
murder of Mrs. Randolph HAZEL the night
previous Four of the men and one woman,
Of whose guilt there seemed to be no doubt.
were taken from the jail and hanged to
tree The mob was quiet and orderly, but
them because resistance would have been
useless When the five black bodies were
dangling in the air the avengers stood guard
in silence until satisfied that their work was
finished. Then they departed as silently as
they came, separated, and went TO their
late in the day, after hundreds had visited
the spot
The crime for which these persons were
lynched was one of the most atfocious OF
which there is any record, even in the dark
annals of Texas. Randolph HAZEL, a well-to-
do citizen, lives on the outskirts of Elkhart
With him was his wife, comedy woman of
IS years They had two little children
Friday night the husband and wife intended
to go to dance in the neighborhood. AT
the last moment Mrs Hazel determined not
to go. She retired with her little ones and
her husband went to the danca When Ha-
zell returned about midnight he entered his
wife's chamber, intending to wake her and
gossip about the dance. He found the two
little children sweetly sleeping. but the
mother was gone The husband soon discov
cred that his wife's clothing was all there,
and finding the front door unlocked he sur
missed the truth. He ran to town, gathered
half dozen of his friends and began q search.
Near the doorway of his residence, in the
soft mud, were visible the tracks of two men
with large broad feet Between these tracks
was the delicate imprint Of woman's naked
foot When the poor husband saw this he
fell on his knees and asked God to kill him.
He knew what the tracks meant Dogs
were quickly given the scent, and at 2
o'clock in the morning, through the aid OF
the animals, the body Of Mrs HAZEL was
found about mile from the house., and
only twenty five yards from the main road.
She was nude. and lying upon her face The
jugular vein had been severed with a knife
Along her cheeks were visible great gashes
made with dull knife, and around her
neck was dark, black circle, as though she
had been hanged
Suspicion was fastened upon a negro,
Andy jackson, near whose house the body
was found and on whose premises rope
with clots Of bloods and hair scattered over
it was discovered The motive which might
have prompted the murder was suggested
in the fact that jackson had been denied the
privilege of using water from Hazells well,
for fear that it would give out during the
prolonged drought
Mrs Jackson partially admitted that she
had threatened to kill Mrs. HAZEL, but stub
bornly refused to divulge all she knew Her
young daughter, Lizzie Jackson, was finally
sworn, and after a little coaxing and threat
eDing she confessed what she knew about
| the crime. 1t was almost midnight when
| she told the awful story. She said her
mother, whose name was also Lizzie, and
her father, Andy Jackson, Matched the plot
to murder Mrs HAZEL Learning that
HAZEL would attend dance, her father
went out and returned with three colored
men named Frank Hayes, Joe Norman and
William Rogers These man and her father,
Lizzie said, committed the crime.
At this point Lizzie's mother was brought
in and confronted with her daughters con-
fession The mother broke down, and sup
| plemented tie confession with Sckening
| details She said she accompanied the
men to Mrs Hazelrs house, and showed
| them where her bed stood After
they had carried their victim some distance
from the house they threw her on the
| ground, and while Andy jackson held a
pistol at her head each of the other three
brutes ravished the poor victim. Mrs.
jackson confessed that she stood by AMI saw
the outrages perpetrated. after this, y
said the black woman, 1--WE killed her and
dragged her body to the place where it was
| found"
As soon as the coroner's jury learned oil
the confessions they Immediately returned
verdict in accordance with the same At ]
o'clock in the morning the verdict was gen
orally known on the streets, and squads OF
waiting white men began to form into com
panies. All day and night teams from tbs
country had been arriving bring ing mel
fully 500 were in line No
single negro was to be seen anywhere
The mob marched to the storeroom wher
|
deputy sheriffs were inclined to show fight
when the leader notified them that it wa
useless ave will kill everyone of you, if i
is necessary, In order to hang those brutes,
said the leader That settled it The mol
came in and picked out the negroes abov
named, including Andy jackson and hi
wife Lizzie With their five victim
the mob marched about q mil
until near the very spot where the murde
and outrage were committed. There nea
negro church, on the limb of big tire
; the five brutes were strung up. They wer
asked no questions and given no time t
pray. 1t seemed as though the mob coul.
not get them hanged quick enough. Their
! are still two other prisoners who are likel
| to swing for the same crime. They ha
: knowledge that the outrage was going to b
committed
ii LATER Dispatches from Elkhart stat
that there is great excitement in that towr
] Crowds are assembling. and threats are be
t ing made that two more of Mrs. Hazell
) murderers will be hanged. The sheriff
| uOuarlacs