Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1891-09-25
W AS LYNCHED
HEZEKIAH RANKIN HANGED
LAST NIGHT.
HE SHOT FRED A. TYLER, A
RAILWAY ENGINEER.
THE TWO QUARREI.ED OVER
A SMALL. NATTER.
TYLER MAY DIE OF THE WOUND
THAT WAS INFLICTED.
PERSONS CHARGED WITH THE
LYNCHING ARRESTED.

The lynching of Hezekiah Rankin, the
negro who shot and doubtless mortally
wounded Fred. A. Tyler. a white man, at
the depot last night, was not only an
exceedingly unfortunate event for Ashe-
vile, but crime which the authorities
ought not and cannot afford to ignore.
1t is unquestionablv true that the feel
ing which prompted the act was one
which has ever been commended among
men. A comrade had been shot down
without, to the minds of the men who
lynched Rankin, having given an ade-
quate provocation. and before reason
had time to act, or judgment to guide,
vengeance was takeE into their own
hands
In no community where the law is re-
spected as it should and must he il our
institutions are to remain secure, can
such things be excused or looked upon
lightly They must be punished, or elst
court houses should be torn down and
all criminal proceedings turned over to
the will of the individual or the mob.
No one has any reason to sul,pos> that
Ashevile's criminal court is either indis
posed or powerless to inhct just punish
ment upon all vioators OF the law, an'
so long as this is true the law must b
maintained and the court upheld
When the courts fail it will then b
time enough to consider whether lyncl
law is the next best thing.
Twas a ghastlv burden which white
oak on the hill overlooking the Frencl
Broad river, south of Smith $ bridge, boz
this morning.
Hanging from the lower limb of tn
tree, was the form of colored man, LET
dangling there by party of men, who
unwilling to give the man fair and jus
trial. took the law into their own hands
and his life was made to paw the tortci
for his crime.
The causes leading to this lynching ar
as follows:
Last night between 7;3o and s o'clocl
Fred A. Tyler, who has been employe
as "hostler" on the yards of the Wester
North Carolina railroad was putin
an engine on to a sidetrack at the roun
houss. 1t was his duty to take charg
of the engines as they came last nigh
and see that they were put away satel
to wait tor their next turn out.
How the Trouble Began.
Tyler ran his engine on the sldetracl
and seeing acolored train hand standln
at the switch called to him to throw
it, so the main line would he safe.
The colored man was Hezekiah RAJ
kin, brakeman on Conductor Zacharia
Underwood's train. which was on Il
siding.
Rankin replied that it was not his du'
to close the switch, adding, "lt YOU wal
it done, do it yourself, you - of -
Tyler turned to the tender, and pic
ing up lump of coal threw it at Ra
kin, striking him on the head and cat
ing blood to flow.
Rankin then ran up to his boardi1
house, the home of Maria Friday, a CO
ored womaa. Here he washed the bla
of his face, and told the woman how
occurred.
lust then another colored man, B
Barrett, came up to the house from Ra
v kin's "shanty," and gave him pist
which belonged to Rankin.
Rankin took the pistol, and goi
down to the engine came up to whit
} Tyler was standing, he having ca
down out of the cab.
The shooting.
Statements as to what happened tn
conflict. Friends of Tyler say that
r words passed between the two m
L while Others who were there say Ty
abused him
At any rate, Rankin pulled out his !
tol, 3S-calber weapon, and fired
TYLER, the bullet entering his body abb
two inches above the navel.
TYLER fell to the ground, and Ran
started to run. He did not get any
tauce away, however, before he v
caught by Tyler's friends in the rou
house, who had heard the shot and
out to see the cause.
TYLER was taken charge of and reno
!, to his room at Mrs. Frances, not