River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1891-10-15
SHOWN NO MERCY.
An Omaha Mob Breaks Into the Jail and
Takes Colored Rapist from His Cell
The Fiend Hanged.

An Omaha Mob Breaks Into the Jail and
Takes a Colored Rapist from His Cell
The Fiend Hanged.
OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 10.-The Omaha
county Jail was surrounded Friday
night by bowling mob of a thousand
men who declared they would lynch
Joe Coe, a negro who recently made
an attack upon Lizzie Yates. years
old. 1t was reported that the child
was dead and this caused the outbreak.
Public sentiment has been wrought
up highly by the execution of Ed Neal
This tension was added to when the
report became current that Goes victim
had died. "We will lynch the niger"
was soon heard on every side and
it was evident that before nightfall
the days event would eliminate in
a tragedy. Night came on with an
ominous quiet There were few peo-
pie in the streets, and there was no in
timation of the trouble in sight. About
$50 o'clock there were confused sounds
of a tramping and hurrying along the
paved street toward the county Jail,
and In remarkably short time the
Jail was surrounded.
A rush was made for the Harvey
street door of the Jail I'VE will get
in here" shouted leader who sudden
ly appeared.
''Stop!" said Capt Cormack who pre-
sented a revolver. The leader halted.
what do you want?" asked the cap
tain.
I'VE want that - negro" was the
reply, land we will get him. Get out
of the way"
IF you take a step this way I'll kill
you" said the captain, rs he showed the
pistol under the spokesman's nose.
Persuasively the little round hole in
the barrel, backed by a true officers
iron nerve, did the work and
the crowd abandoned the Har-
ney street door. Then sledges
were brought and the east door was
assailed. This was built of strong
steel lattice. Once inside four more
steel lattice doors must be broken
through. This seemingly impenetra-
bic wall stood between the crowd of
angry men who having tasted blood
thirsted for more. Solid blows rang
on the doors. 1t was useless. No sledge
would tell against that door.
About a block away was the power
house of the cable street railway com
pany Near it were huge piles of rails
and long, heavy bars of steel. In a
minute some of these were borne by
sturdy hands up the hill. While this
was being done the telephone wires
had been cut and there was no com
munication with the Jail. The steel rail
changed against the steel door. The
latter yielded slightly. A mighty yell
went up from the maddened men, and
again and again the battering ram was
hurled against the door Steel cannot
stand everything, and in five minutes
the door was open. Then there was a
short parley and the second door was
assaulted. While all this was going on
Omaha's police force of ninety
men was gathered, but concentra-
ton was impossible. The officers
were lost in the crowd. Some
one suggested that the fire de-
partment be called out and the hose
turned on. But it was not that kind of
mob. The firemen came and laid
their hose, and the crowd simply car
ried away the lines and drove the fire.
men away.
1t did not take the crowd long after
the second door was passed to effect
an entrance to the huge steel cage in
which the cells are located. There,
wrapped in a blanket, covered the
trembling wretch FOR whom the
lynchers sought.
In the meantime the police, under
Chief Seavy, undertook to mass at tho
Jail entrance. The crowd surged up,
picked up the police and carried them
to the edge of the yard. There they
staid Then the work went on
Inside the cage the negro begged and
pleaded. lie prayed and cried and
rolled on the floor in terror Ills
shrieks for mercy were answered with
blows that brought his executicners
nearer. At this time the doorwas open.
Then with one last yell of terror the
negro was seized by the hands of men
eager for his blood and thrust through
the corridor. Here men to identify
him were called for. 1t was deter
mined to make no mistake. So on
pressed those who knew him and his
doom was sealed. A lamb would have
Jared better amidst pack of wolves.
Coe was not torn limb from limb, but
he got thousand curses and blow
for every curse.
There is a driveway so yards long
leading from the Jail to the intersec-
ton of Seventeenth and Harvey streets.
This is paved with & ante. Over this
rough road the wretch was dragged by
his ruthless captors. After he reached
the door he did not speak a word, and
in all probability was unconscious By
the time the street was reached hs
was dead. 1t mattered not that life
was extinct. A rope was thrown over
a trolley wire of the electric line 1t
had served to drag the doomed man
from his c, II. Then a hundred hands
pulled and hundred men surged back,
and high above the street directly in
front of Boyd's theater swung the life
less corpse of 0maha's fiend.
Last Wednesday afternoon young
Coe went to the house of Mr.. Yates on
an erraud and, the mother supposed,
went away; but instead he returned,
and picking up the little girl, who was
playing in the yard, carried her to a
barn short distance away and accom-
plished his purpose. He was arrested
that night and was bound over to the
district court for trial. The little girl
was not seriously injured and her ulti.
mate recovery is anticipated.
Want Her to Resign.
KANSAS CITY, Kan, Oct f0.-The
town of Kiowa Kan, is all in tur-
moil, the people being in open re-