The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1891-05-29

and put on trial to morrow IL ne ct u-u
have satisfactory assurances that the
prisoner would be protected, but IL
the negro was convicted he could not
be hanged in less than thirty days.
The impatience of the crowd would
not brook this delay and final rush
was at once made on the jail. me
outer door was soon battered down,
but the inner door was very FORM
liable obstacle to further progress.
The keys were taken from the jailer,
but the locks had been so battered
they would not work. Then began
furious assault on it with crowbars,
sIedgehammers and coldchisels. 1t
was an hour before the strong fasten-
ings gave way. During all this time
the crowd held their ground outside
awaiting the result.
A shout of fierce eXultation an
nounced the triumph OF the mob as
the door yielded with crash, and III
few moments they surged out into
the street, bringing their prisoner
with them with a rope around MS
neck. He was not bound, but strong
men clasped his wrists and arms,
while shotguns and Winchesters
| bristled arOuud him
There was no further effort made 10
dissuade or obstruct the mob. The
mob quickly reached the bridge
which SPANS Duck river about 40O
wards from the Jail. A large crowd
| of the morbidly curious followed the
mob and it's doomed victim, both ne
groes and whites, and gathered upon
! The steep bluffs below the bridge and
upon the tops of the adjacent fences,
piles of lumber and hOusetops. The
rope was soon securely fastened ana
the burly form of the assassin lifted
bodily and flung over the railing.
He fell a distance of about eight feet
and stuck upon an iron girder below
the bridge, which he ciutched with
his hands but instead of clinging to
la 8 or 8, eking with his unmanacled
hands to free himself from the rope he
clambered back upon the bridge in the
hanus of his enemies. lie was proba-
ly dazed by fright or by the force OF
his fall. The second time the mol
d. ade no mistake. The negro 8 hands
were bound securely behind hisback,
he was again lifted above the railing
and in another instant his body shOl
swiftly downward, distance OF
; eighteen or twenty feet Green WeIls
had reached the end of his rope. HIS
! body quivered for moment and then
hung motionless, except when th'
. river breez, swayed it TO and TO o
+ turned it slowly about as if to exhibiI
to all the morbid spectators the bruta
face, distorted withits hidrou ,ghastiy
) grin, its staring eyeballs starting from
) their sockets. AS the body OF tn
, lated assassin fell to death a Wi d
= weird wall went up from among n
+ crowd Of negroes upOu tiie bank. 1
a came from The lips of the murder err
mother, who followed him to
e dogm.
\ The moi did not finger after com
IlAting their grim w rk, but obeyin
! the V zee o. their leader marc he
9 silently a:id Ia orderly procession
4 back into the town, where they quiz
Q iy dispersed. Tho body of the negr'
n was cut down, and after the inques
q was given over to his relatives.
: Green Wells met his fate at tn
o same place where another negro die
4 at the hands of a mob about one yea
: ago. Both were hanged in brOa
:, daylight.
4 large majority of the t!iukine
: orderly and law-abiding citizens q
> the towI, deplore the rash act OF tn
mob, and made vain efforts to sta
q them from their fell purpose. BIT
:. the young and hot-headed element
< which largely composed and ruled tn
J. ,.uUnsf4,s ri it.e -.;IOD, would hear u
,, reu.1,I 4IId made haste 10 antlclpal
~ The yengence of the law.