The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-01-05
Desperate Battle Between a
Sheriff's Posse and a Mob.
THIRTY-EIGHT ARE KILLED.
Eleven of the Sheriff's Party and
Twenty-Seven of the Lynchers.
The Mob Captures the Murderer and Hangs
Him TO Tree After Most
Desperate Fight-Story
of the Crime.

lynched him. Ten of the sheriff's posse
were killed in their efforts to defend the
prisoner, about twenty-five of the mob
were killed. Among the dead and
wounded are some of the most prominent
men in the county.
The facts which led up to the terrible
lynching ARRAY are as follows: Aaron
Wiseman and Calvin Snipes were part
ners in an illicit distillery In Mitchell
county, N. c., and told William Osborne
and Isaac Osborne, two brothers, where
the distillery was situated. William Os-
borne reported it to the officials and
helped them destroy it.
Wiseman and Snipes suspected Isaac
Osborne as the reporter and on the night
of August 81, 1892, armed with Win
chesters, they went to the. house of Isaac
Osbourne, and calling him to the door,
opened fire, almost Kidding him with
bullets.
Wiseman and Snipes were arrested, but
sufficient evidence could not be obtained
against Wiseman and he was released.
Snipes was bound to the superior court
on purely circumstantial evidence.
He was placed in jail, and after being
confined about two weeks, confessed to
the killing in the manner above related.
When Wiseman heard this he left the
country. Ever since the murder the
brothers of the dead man have been I'M
firing in their efforts to arouse the public
to vengeance. For several days the sher-
iff was kept fully informed, and he Sc
lected twenty of the most determined
men in the county to assist in guarding
the prisoner in his charge. A small party
attempted to storm the Jail Monday night,
but they were easily beaten back by the
sheriff and his posse. Osborne redoubled
his efforts Tuesday and by couriers sue
ceeded in getting mob OF nearly four
hundred men together near the city.
The sheriff, knowing what was coming,
doubled the number of guards, saw that
their arms were in perfect order and took
every precaution to beat off the attack
1t was after midnight when the mob was
ready to move upon the Jail, firing COM
menced soon after and pitched battle
followed Immediately between the mob
and the deputies. Almost at the first
volley William Osborne, who led the at
tack, was killed. In Jew minutes John
Osborne also fell dead. The battle ragged
until eleven, or nearly half the number
of deputies had fallen dead and several
others were badly wounded.
Then the mob, with yell OF triumph,
entered the Jail, battered down the cell
door and led the unhappy Snipes away to
his doom. He was given no chance to say
a word, but was riddled with bullets from
hundred weapons.
This is the story of the lynching and fatal
conflict with the sheriff's posse in which
eleven of their number and twenty seven
of the mob were killed and thirty
wounded.
The mob is still under arms, but in
spite of the intense excitement it is not
believed there will be any more blood
shed unless call is made on
the governor for troops. If the
troops are summoned every noun
tain moonshiner for miles around will
assemble to repulse them as the peo-
pie have but little respect for anything
but local law and will resent outside at
tempts to force them into submission. AS
far as they are concerned the case is
closed as both the sherih's posse and mob
are regarded as having done their duty in
dying with their boots on.'
A courier has just arrived at Marion
from Bakersville and states that the mob.
instead of dispensing, remained on the
ground The scattered handful OF the
sheriff's posse also remained under
arms, and they are being rapidly rein
forced. All through the day they
continued to receive accessions to
their ranks, and by noon the
party numbered about 800, which is
now increased to 500. Feeling ran high,
and after a few speeches the posse re-
solved to avenge the sheriff's death.
Another battle took place shortly after
noon, in which at least twenty-five more
were killed and the firing is still going
on. What will be the result no one here
can tell, but troops are expected.
Another account says: About sundown
the first attack was made and at least 500
armed men marched up the road and
then, with howl, broke on the run for
the jail. The garrison was ready
for them and seventy-five rifles
poured a direful hail of bull
lets into the determined lynchers.
They wavered moment as score of
them went down, but with the steadiness
of veterans closed up their ranks and
rushed forward again under the leader
ship of gigantic mountaineer, who
urged them forward with the old Rebel
yell
Again the rifles of the besieged rang
out and this time they were answered by
a concentrated fire from the mob. The
aim was deadly. Every window on the
exposed side of the building occupied by
the defenders were shot out and q dozen
men fell wounded or killed. The bodies
hampered the deputies who were un-
harmed, and only few could get close to
the windows before the mob was on
them. There was short struggle, but
what were seventy five men against 500.
A few revolver shots and 100 dubbed
rifles and all was over.
The deputies, with their leader, Sher-
iff Moomay, MORALLY wounded, were in
the hands of the mob, and every one of
them was looking down the muzzle of at
least three Winchesters. There was no
hope of further resistance, and the fate of
the murderers was sealed.
Without waiting or picking up the
dead, or caring for the wounded, the mob
made rush for the door of the Jail, and
it went down before the shoulders OF
score OF stalwart men. The prisoners
cells were reached, and they were the
only ones in the jail the mob had any
trouble in breaking down.
Hall dead with fear they were dragged
out into the open air where ropes were
placed around their neck5 and with 100
men mad with thirst for gore, they were
piece of land hall mile away. Behind
them followed the rest of the mob,
firing at the PROSTATE forms every
minute. The victims were undoubtedly
dead before they were dragged twenty
yards, and it was mere semblance OF
human forms that were strung up when
the woods were reached. Then the mob
returned to look for the dead and
wounded. In little enclosure
and on the road bed in front of the Jail
twenty-five bodies were found and in
three buildings eight more dead, and
about thirty injured, some fatally. Sheriff
Moomay was shot twice through the chest
and three times through the abdomen