Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1891-09-25

Tyler. What transpired here is told by a
colored railroad hand, Virgil Friday, who
was in the round house and saw the ac-
tions and heard the men talking. Friday
told THE CITIZEN what he knew of the
matter.
An Eve witness Account.
IL was present when the men caught
Rankin, They brought him into the
house, and began striking, cursing and
beating him. They had his hands tied
behind his back. and a rope Just the size
OF bell cord around his neck.
"The most of the men wanted to lynch
Rankin, but few among them Mr.. w.
V. Lowe, the foreman, tried to argue to
them that it would be best to give the
man up and let him be dealt with by the
law.
What Mr.. Lowe said did not seem to
have any effect on the men. In few
minutes Mr. Lowe went up to see Mr.
Tyler, and while he was away the men
took Rankin out and down the track to.
ward the bridge.
Woody Allison, fagman, was also
there and tried to get the men to give up
Rankin, but they drove him away with
threats"
Later, Friday gave Coroner McBrayer
the names of Erwin Allison, T. NJ. Bum
garner. W. II. Mayo and Brooks Moore,
as parties who talked strongly OF lynch
ing.
The Body Found.
Officers were searching all night for
Rankin, whom everyone supposed to have
been lvnched No trace whatever could
be found OF him.
This morning, however, Deputy Sheriff
!. NJ. Morgan and Officer Caleb Leonard
went down early and took up the search.
They went upto Carrier bridge, crossed
over and came down he river, searching
everywhere. They found nothing until
they got down to the Sulphur Springs
road. when, on looking toward the hill
to the road, they discovered the body oI
/; man suspended from the limb of tree
The officers ran across the Hat and
climbing the hill found Rankin's body
cold and rigid. The tree is n tall white
oak, on the crest OF the hill overlooking
he French Broad, several hundred yards
west of the river and about 100 yards
from the road leading % Sulphur Springs
The ground is a part OF the Lyman es
tate, known as lahkeeoStec farm.
1t was 9:l5 when the body was found
The CITIZEN was on the spot lew MN
utcs later, and viewed the body before il
was cut down by the coroner
Under the free.
Rankin S corpse was standing perfect,
upright, with both leet on the ground
His hands and AIMS were plnlone'
tightly behind him. A hali-in,h rope hat
been tied about his neck, the knot tied il
true hangmnn's S style, but he had proba
bly, struggled until he got the rope abov
his chin There ii remained, pressing t h
under lip into his mouth. The eyes wer
halt open with wild, terrified stare
while the tongue was doubled up by tn
pressure from the lip, almost touching
the roof OF the mouth, which was wild
open.
The rope had been passed over the low
est limb of the tree, and then tastene'
around the trunk, and tied i'll har
knot. There seemed to be no bullc
wounds on his body, but there was
K, knife wound in the right shoulder
t coupling pin was lyirg near the body
is probable that Rankin had been swun
y up off the ground. but his weight straine
the rope until his feet rested on tn
ground.
e The news of the finding of the corps
spread rapidly, and large crowd gatl
cred around the body. Coroner l.. /
y McBrayer was notified at once and wen
d t. the scene He summoned the follow
n ing jury: w. J. Morley, K NJ. Deave1
:, Nj. 7. Triplett, D. c. Clapp, and J. "
Farrell.
The body was then taken down.
e was stiff and cold. A partial examine
I. ton was made number of witucsst
:, summoned, and the coroner returned t
the city, after adIourning the inques
until 4 O clock this afternoon in thccoui
house.
(, About IL o'clock the body was take
q charge of by Blair & Mcdowell, an
;, brought up to their undertaking room
where it will remain until the relative
apply for it.
l. TvIer's Condition.
h Drs. L. c Starnes, John Hey William
le and W. d. Hiliard went down to Mr.
Frances before noon today, and made
v close examination of TYLER. They four
1t that the bullet had penetrated the boy
:" els, ranged to the left side, and lodge
l.. about three inches below the armpl
~ The bullet was not taken ou
n The intcstines were found to have BET
S. cut bv the bullet in seven places, I
operation was not completed until att
IL o'clock. Then under the influence
g opiates Tyler went to sleep. The ply
d. clans saw his chance OF lile is very slim
ck who The Men Were.
it Frank A. Tyler, the wounded viii
man, is a native OF MARYLAND. He h
cn been employed on the Western Nor
n Carolina railroad tor two or three yea
Al as fireman. Lately he had been work.
as "hostier" on the yards, He W
never considered a man of ill-temper, a
ng W. V. Lowe, the foreman at the roul
re house, gives him a good name, He
NE about % years of age, and unmarried
" Hezekiah Rankin, the lvnched color
man, is about % years OF age, and /:
native of lredel or Rowan county.
ere has heretofore borne good record
no far as his work as train hand goes.
al Under Arrest.
,er On the strength of the evidence gi
the coroner by several of the witness
40 warrants were issued for w. H. Ma
- Erwin Allison and 7 M, Bumgarr
>,,+ railroad men, charging them with tax
Wv part in the lynching OF Rankin.
warrants were executed by Deputy 81
kin iffH.C. Jones. who brought the +
lis before Justice A. T. Summey.
~. A hearing was to have been giventl
as at 1o'clock, but because OF the fact
nd the coroner's jury had not considered
IAN case the hearing was postponed until
..o...>,,, ,t 1nn'rlprk The accused N