Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1885-04-08

One of the Lynchers Offers Prayer for the
Condemned, who Adjusts the Rope
About His Own Neck.
Especial to Louisville Courier-J ournal.l
Information has just been received
Of lynching that occurred near Ar
tesla. Miss, some days ago. The VIC
tim was Jake Doss, colored, and the
lynchers were of his own race. 1t
seems that Doss separated from his
wife with a view to marrying another
woman, and had urged the former to
agree to the divorce, which she refused
to do. Finally, Doss pretended to
repent his desertion, and went back
to his wife A few days after the al
legged reconciliation he urged her to go
with him to Artesia, about six miles
off, on a pretense of having her look
at horse he thought of buying. AS
they were crossing a bridge on the way
home, he knocked her on the head
with a club, fracturing her skull. She
fell into the creek below and sank to
the bottom. Within forty eight hours
after Doss married his paramount and
went to Starkville. Suspicion was
aroused by the sudden marriage, cou-
pied with the disappearance of the
former wife. A search was instituted,
and her body found in the creek with
the skull crushed as stated. The
chain of circumstantial evidence was
completed by the testimony of several
persons who saw Doss and the woman
lust before they reached the bridge on
the afternoon of the murder.
A warrant was sworn out charging
Doss with the murder, and he was ar
C4o1l-r-i11o h. h ol-
to Artesia for preliminary examina-
ton prior to incarceration IN the Jail
at Columbus. The same night a body
of 200 or 800 colored men assembled
in Artesia and proceeded quietly to a
store in an upper room OF which Doss
was confined in charge of an officer;
about a dozen of the mob assembled to
the room, surprised and bound the
officer and led Doss down. They then
placed Doss In the center Of the crowd
and started with him for a trestle-work
on the railroad, a few hundred yards
distant On the way Doss was asked
what had become of his wife. He did
not know her body had been found,
and answered:
II done give a man S25 to take her
away. | dunno whar she is"
''Too thin, Jake" chorused the
crowd "we've done found her." and
the procession went on.
The prisoner then knew that the
game was up. He showed no sign of
fear and never once begged for his life.
Arriving at the appointed spot, an
old negro in the crowd knelt down
and offered UP q prayer for the 'Po'
misfornat brudder about to vacuate
dis yearth."
He was eloquent, but to long-winded,
and was only stopped at the expira
ton of a half hour by the Injunction
from unregenerate members Of the
mob to ''cut dat dam prar short" One
end of the rope was tied to the trestle,
and one of the executioners attempted
to adjust it around the prisoners
neck Either from nervousness or
lack of practice he bungled. Finally
Doss lost all patience, and exclaimed:
"What yer dom, niger? Want ter
be all night hangin' er man? Gimme
dat rope"
The rope was handed him, and he
coolly ajusted it, with the knotsnugly
resting under his left ear.
''All ready?" demanded the leader.
''Go on, responded the victim.
At this he was pushed off the trestle
and fell fourteen feet to the soft earth
below. The rope was too long, how
ever, and he landed unhurt The
crowd was too much in earnest to
mind such a small mishap. Doss was
quickly brought back and the rope
shortened two feet This time the
drop proved effective, and the prison
er's neck popped like dry stick. The
crowd then quickly dispersed. The
body of Doss was cut down next
morning, and a coroner's inquest re-
suited in verdict of death by hang
ing at the hands of parties unknown"