The daily state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 188?-1891, 1890-05-27
A TERRIBLE LYNCHING.
A MAN DRAGGED FROM HIS
WAGON AND SHOT DEATH
IN OPEN DAYLIGHT.

His Wife Sees Him Dragged Away by
the M ob-.He Gets His Reward For
Double Murder-.And For Burning
His Neighbors' Houses.
John Startling, man Of desperate
deeds and notorious character, living
near Selma, in Johnston county, was
lynched by mob of masked men in
broad open daylight last Saturday after
noon.
Startling had made some threats
against peaceable neighbor, and this
man knowing Starling's desperate and
reckless character, feared for his life and
sWore out peace warrant against him
Startling went to Selma on Saturday car
rying his wife with him, to appear be-
fore magistrate. After a hearing he
was put under bond to keep the peace.
He asked permission to go hcme and fix
up his bond, which permission was Civ
en-, an officer being sent with him.
While on the way home, his wife be-
ing in the wagon with him, crowd Of
masked men suddenly came out of the
woods and surrounded the wagon.
Without word or sign,
They Threw a Rope
around Starlings neck, dragging him off
the wagon and carried him into
the woods just out of sight of the road.
There they tied him to e tree and sent
TWENTY BULLETS INTO HIS HEAD AND
BODY. His wife and the officer could
h0 wit Of hn
but they heard the wild prayers and en-
treaties of the doomed man, heard the
shots and knew too we'll what was be-
ing done.
The mob left Starling's ifeless body
hanging to the tree where it was found
next morning.
Why He was Lynched.
The circumstances which led to the
lynching of Startling are about as fol-
lows:
On the 9th Of last November, Mrs.
Cenia Brown, and her little grandson,
were murdered near their house about
four miles from Selma. They were
murdered on Friday afternoon, and it
was apparent that an axe was the in
strument with which the murder was
committed
Mrs. Brown was Starling's mother-in-
law and owned little property which
was managed by Startling under certain
conditions, one of which was that he
should keep them supplied with fuel.
On Saturday morning the dead bodies
of Mrs. Brown (who was sixty years old
and her grandson (Whose name was
Batton) were found near the edge of &
pond in swamp behind their house.
Startling Under Suspicion.
At first there was no clue to the mur
derer, and no suspicion of consequence
rested upon anyone.
But various things caused suspicion
to fall on Startling. He had been hearc
to say that he would soon come into the
possession of some property, which hf
proposed to sell and 60 to Kansas with
the proceeds. 1t was also known thai
he thought his wife would inherit Mrs
Browns property, provided Mrs. Brown
and her grandson were out of the way
He had also noised it abroad that b.
feared some one would kill the colo
lady Brown, for two negroes had passe(
the house at one time and had shot a
her. This tale, however, had no circu
lation, aud Startling was the the onl,
person who ever told it or heard any
thing about it.
When the inquest wassbeing held
Startling could not restrain his impatienc
about the property and asked two o
three times if that property would no
come to his wife.
These matters caused suspicion to res
on Startling and the coroner's jury bega
an investigation as to his guilt.
People Feared to Testify Against Him
he was known all through that sec
ton as dangerous, vengeful man, an
it was understood that anybody VIII
should give evidence against him Woul
get into big trouble. This condition {
. affairs made it impossible to make muc
headway against Startling; but fnall
one old man came forward who said b
was not afraid of the man and woul
tell what he knew. He said he had hear
Startling make threats against the ol
woman, and gave such other evidene
as led the jury to return verde
!, against him. He was arrested and hel
for trial.
But when the trial came off, the ol
man whose evidence had led to stalling
arrest, became frightened and when pl
j. on the stand he DID NOT KNOW A SINGI
It THING.
For want of sufficient evidence IL
o court failed to convict Startling of Il
y murder, though everybody thought
was guilty. In fact he was seen at tt
n house of the murdered people on Il
d night of the murder with an axe on b
shoulder.
= The theory is that Startling vent
5. the house, and got the old woman al
sr boy to go with him into the swamp
l. cut some fuel. 1t was in evidence th
there was no wood at the old lad.
l. house at the time, and when he got the
in the woods he murdered the
!: that his wife might get the property, al
i that he might dispose of it..
D. Vengeance on the Witnesses.
IS During the trial a man named Bate
IS who is the father of the murdered be
s, was very active against Startling, and
e, was not long after Starling's acquit
le before Batton's house was burnt
e. Another party also interested himself
the trial against Startling, and his hot
b. was also burned.
The people in the community beliey
that Startling burned these houses
revenge himself on the parties who b
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