Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-09-12
B AT MIDNIGHT.
George Bush, a Negro Boy, Strung
UP at Columbia for Out
raging a Six-Year-
old Child.

COLUMBIA, Mo-, September 81
Parties who had occasion to walk
by the Court House soon after day
light Saturday morning we're treat
ed to an unusual and CHASTITY sight.
From out the front window of the
temple of justice swung the body of
ali or Is year old negro boy. A
half-inch seagrass rope was attach
ed to the window casing and a delft
ly arranged hangman's knot about
the boys neck held the body in
place. A gag made of a round
piece Of Timber, perhaps 3 inches in
thickness, still remained in his
mouth, and upon his breast was
pinned a placard, printed on a
sheet of brown paper about 2 feet
square, and bearing the following
inscription
"Don't cut this down till7 a. N.
This is what we intend to do with
all who commit this crime.
(Signed) "WHITE CARS"
Just below the suggestive inserip-
ton is carved in the marble slab
over the Court House door: sob,
Justice, when expelled from other
habitations, make this thy dwell
ing place" The news soon spread
and for several hours a motley
crowd of whites and blacks, men
and boys, gathered in front of the
Court House steps and gazed upon
the sight. Shortly after 7 O'Clock
Coroner Bicknell had the body
taken down and removed to the
County Court room, where the in
quest was held. The verdict was
to the effect that the deceased,
George Bush, came to his death by
strangulation, being hanged by
parties unknown to the jury.
Bush vas about II years old, and
had been living on the Col. e. c..
More farm, where the crime which
cost him his life was committed.
Employed as a domestic in the
family by whom Bush was hired
is a white woman known as Lizzie
Jones. The woman has a little
child, a daughter, between 5 and
6 years old, whose father is said to
be a negro. On last Thursday
morning the child complained to
her mother that Bush had m~istreat-
ed her, and upon learning the IA
ture of the wrong done her child the
mother informed the family for
whom she was working, who at
once laid the matter before the
proper authorities. Drs. Moss,
Watson and Lenoir were called out
and made an examination, which
settled the matter of Bush's guilt
beyond all doubt. Constable Ed
wards %thereupon arrested the negro
and lodged him in Jail. This was
late on Thursday afternoon. Be-
tween l and 2 O'Clock Saturday
morning an armed band of masked
men surrounded the Jail, over
powered Sheriff Evans, seized
Bush, and marching him to the
Court House hung him out of the
front window, waited until he was
dead and then left as quietly as
they had come. 1t is said that the
men who did the hanging came
from the country, but that is only
conjecture. John W. Tate, who
was out calling upon a lady near
the Fair Grounds Friday night,
says that he saw four covered
wagons IN the Fair Grounds in
closure and about twenty-five men,
all armed. This was about II
o'clock at night. The Herald, OF
this city, received the following
through the Post-Office Saturday
morning:
COLUMBIA, September 7, 1852
We, the good citizens of Boone
county, having become alarmed at
the frequency with which the laws
are being violated, have fully de-
termined that our wives, sisters
and children must and shall be pro-
tected. We have this morning
melted out justice to the brute who
SO justly deserved it, and we warn
you that any n attempting the
same crime will receive the same
punishment. Also, we each and
every one of us do solemnly pledge
ourselves that any one who appears
or attempts to appear as a witness
against any one of this assemblage
shall be dealt with in the same
manner.
(Signed1 COMMITTEE.
Il