Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-01-05
THE FIGHT AT BAKERSvILLE.
Details of One Of the Bloodiest Riots In the
South.

South.
Yesterdays dispatches to The STAR briefly
reported the battle between a mob of lynchers
and a sherifrs posse for possession Of Calvin
Snipes, murderer. at Bakersvile, n. c., Tuesday
night. Twenty-Five men were killed.
The battle was one of the bloodiest in the
south since the war. Armed and determined
men faced each other, one party to uphold the
law and the other to take the dispensation OF
justice into its own hands. For two days the
mob had been gathering and the authorities
had timely warning of its purpose and prepared
to resist. The leaders of the mob were known
and made little effort to conceal their identity.
All Of Monday night SQUADS of twenty and
thirty hung around the little backwoods prison
to prevent the murderer from being spirited
away. On Tuesday the sheriff warned the mob
to disperse, promising that justice should be
fully satisfied when the trial came on. lie de-
| clared that the prisoner would be protected
until taat time with all the power Of the old
north state.
CHARGE ON THE PRISON.
Undeterred by this counsel, the sullen crowd
grew larger and at midnight made a charge on
the prison. Their first volley against the doors
and windows was answered by one from the
sworn deputies inside. Several of the rioters
fell. This intensified the excitement ana anger
of the mob. and they dashed against the doors
In a body, battering them down and crowding
into the prison in a solid mass, firing right and
left at the deputies. who stood their ground
until eleven of their number had fallen before
the murderous raking fire.
THE KILLED.
80 far as they are known the list of dead is as
follows:
Posse-James N. Williams, Robert N. Jones,
II
iced. L. N Beckner, Daniel F. Richie, J. Wal
lace Laws. Nathan r. Pannell, George Halli-
field and Tom Hall.
The mob-John Worth, William Osborne,
Theodore @. Bailif. William Perry. John Os-
borne. Philip Crowder. Jim Vance. Will Butler,
Hagery Byrd, Owen Thomas and Jack Phillips.
Several others are believed to have been killed
and carried away by their friends.
HANGED AND RIDDLED.
The rioters finally succeeded in reaching the
man they we're after, ard while some were left
to look after the dead and wounded others car
ried him half mile away to the woods, where
he was speedily hanged and his body riddled.
The passion for blood was on and scarcely a
member OF the b!oodthirsty unorganized regi-
Ecnt failed to speed bullet into the swaying
body
The news spread throughout the country
during the night. and all day yesterday re-
cruits to both sides came in.
THE CAUSE oY THE TROUBLE.
Calvin Snipes, the lynched man. and Aaron
Wiseman were partners IN an illicit distillery in
Mitchell county and had told VIM. Osborne and
Isasc Osborne, two brothers, where the dis
tillery was situated. William Osborne re-
ported the distillery to the officials at Bakers
vile and helped them to destroy it. Wiseman
and Snipes suspected Isaac Osborne as the re-
porter. On the night of August 81, 1892.
Snipes and Wiseman. armed with Winchester
rifles, went to the house of Isaac Osborne and
called him up. Osborne came to the door and
the culprits opened fire. almost Kidding him
with bullets.
Wisoman and Snipes were arrested, but suf-
iicient evidence could not be obtained against
Wiseman and he was released. Snipes was
bound to the superior court on purely cir
cumstantial evidence. He was placed in jail
and after being confined about two weeks con-
fessed to the killing in the manner related.