Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-05-19
| YNCHED!
Swift RetributiOn Melted
Out.
MNNEDYVlLLE'S CRIME
Wiped Out by the Violent Death Of
The Negro.
FIVE HUNDRED MEN DO THE JOB
The Poor Little Victim Dies
of Her Injuries.
A NIGHT OF INTENSE EXCITEMENT
FIVE HUNDRED MEN DO THE JOB
The Poor Little Victim Dies
of Her Injuries.
A NIGHT OF INTENSE EXCITEMENT

Fail Story of Tuesdays Lynching at
Chestertown, Md--'rhe Jail Broken Into
and Taylor Pulled Out and Strung Up
--He Dies Without Contrasting.
Special Dispatch to Gazette and journal.
CLAYTON, May l8.-James Taylor, the
negro who assaulted little Nellie Silcox at
Kennedyville, Nd. last Sunday morning.
was taken from jail at $50 o clock last night
and lynched From soto 800 persons guarded
the Jail all day yesterday. Five hundred
people engaged in the lynching, including
members of some of the best families of
the town and neighborhood. They broke
into Jail, put rope around the prisoners
neck, dragged him to tree about 100
yards away and swung him up.
FURTHER PARTIcuLARs--DEATH OF THE
LITTLE GIRL.
The crowd massed around the Jail and
grew until by 0 O'Clock there were from
800 to 700 persons present. bent upon
wreaking summary justice upon the pris-
oner. Sheriff Plummer refused to comply
with the repeated demands of the lynchers
for the surrender of Taylor and finally
they overpowered him and broke down
the doors. Proceeding to Taylor's cell
they secured him and dragged him out
into the street. There he was given oppor-
tunity to confess his guilt, but he refused
To 5ay anything. AT 9.25 he was strung
up and left hanging until 10 o'clock.
Little Nellie Silcox, the victim of the
negro's brutality, died yesterday.
FULL STORY OF THE LYNcHINa.
All day yesterday groups of excited men
could be seen on the streets and the excite
ment was intense. Men could be seen
watching the jail all day and it was gener-
ally known that when night came another
and more determined effort would be made
to lynch the brute.
Soon after shutdown men could be seen
coming into town from all directions and
by o'clock crowd estimated to be be-
tween sou and 1000 men were congregated
around the Jail, in the court house yard
and in the street. from the Rockwell
House to the Crawford House.
At $50 bodylof masked men marched
out of the Crawford house yard armed
with sledge hammer, axes, guns, muskets
and pistols, and went directly to the side
door of the Jail, the same door out of
which Tom Thompson walked to his
death. The crowd demanded of the sheriff
that the door be opened. But this not
being complied with the sledge hammer
was brought into use and the door was
soon broken open.
The crowd then rushed up to the room
and the prisoners in the various cells could
be heard to shout: For Gods sake, get
the right man." Taylor's cell having been
located the men commenced at once to
break the door open. 1t offered a stout
resistance, but finally gave way and the
crowd rushed in and quickly overpowered
Deputy Sheriff Plummer, Officer Kelly,
A. G. Dugan and the others who were on
guard.
A light was procured and Taylor was
seen seated on the bed with his coat and
shoes off. Having fully satisfied them.
selves that they had the right man a rope
was quickly put around his neck and he
was pulled down the steps and out the Jail
yard into a cross street. When the crowd
reached a point between the Rockwell
house and the old Armstrong hotel the
rope was thrown over the limb of tree
and Taylor was seen swinging in the air.
Again and again he was pulled up until
life was extinct beyond all doubt. Many
men in the crowd had guns. and persons
were afraid that some excited man might
fire at him. Frequent cries were heard of
Don't shoot" When the crowd felt sure
that Taylor was dead the rope was tied to
the tree and his body was left suspended
from the limb about two or three feet from
the ground.
The whole affair was over before 10
o'clock and the crowd quickly dispersed.
Some one hung lantern in such position
thatthe light shone on the body, and 1t was
viewed by many persons, who shuddered
as they saw the body of the brute swaying
in the night air. About II o'clock the |
body was cut down by Officer Kelly and
placed in the old engine house, where it |
remained all night.
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