Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1893-01-12
'HALFAnUNDRED SLAIN
AWFUL BKTTLECOF MOB AND
SHERIFF'S POSSE.
seventy-five Deputies and Five Hundred
Mountaineers Dispute with Rifles the
Possession of a Prisoner-Frightful Scenes
of Carnage.
HostIlities Continue.

HOstnities Continue.
A mob Of 500 masked men entered the
Jail at Bakersville, N. c., and took Cal
vim Snipes, who had murdered Isaac
Osborne, prominent citlzen'of Mitchell
county, to a dense forest about half a
mile distant and lSnchedi' him. Eleven
Of the sheriff's rosse we're killed in their
efforts to defend the prisoner. About
twenty-five of the mob were killed, and
among the dead and wounded were some
of the must promine mt men in the
county.
The Jail is frame building and little
calculated to withstand an assault. But
Sheriff Moomaw had il garrisoned with
about seventy five determined men,
who declared they would see the law
upheld or die. The attack was ex-
pected. A formal demand was made
upon Sheriff MoomGw for Swipes by
messenger from the mob, who APP
preached the jait under flag of truce.
To this the garrison responded: We
will die first. Then they knew there
would be a fight. Winchesters were
loaded and the wait for the final strug-
gle began. At least five hundred armed
meE marched up the road and then with
a howl broke on run for the jail The
garrison was ready for them. Halt, or
I'll give the order 10 fire, rang out
Sheriff Moomaw's voice. No attention
was paid to the warning.
Fought Like Demons.
Fire! rang out the order, and seven
ty-five rifles poured direct and flank
ing hail of bullets into the determined
lynchers. They wavered a moment as
score of them went down, but with
the steadiness OF veterans closed up
their ranks and rushed forward again
under the leadershipOf agigantic noun
taineer who urged them forward.
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 and "a dozen depu-
ties fell wounded and killed. Their
bodies hampered those who were un-
harmed, and only few could close up
to the windows and return the volley
before the mob was upon them. There
was short struggle. What We're sew
enty-ffHe men against 500? A few re-
volNer shots, 100 ,clubbed rifles and
all was over. The deputies, with their
leader, Sheriff Moomaw, mortally
wounded, were in the hands OF the
mob. There was no hope in further
resistance and the fate of the murderer
was sealed. Without waiting to pick
up the dead or care for the wounded,
the mob made a rush at the door OF
the Jail, and 1t went down before the
shoulders of q score of stalwart men.
The prisoner half dead with fear, was
dragged out into the open air, where a
rope was placed around his neck.
Lynched at Awful Cost.
He was dragged over the ioe-eo~ered
rocks TO a piece OF WOO Hand half mile
away Behind followed the remainder
of the mob, firing ct the prostrate form
at every step. The victim was un-
doubtedly dead before he had been
dragged twenty yards, and it was the
mere semblance of human form that
was strung up when the woods were
reached. Then the mob returned to
look for the dead and wounded.
In the little inelosure and on the
roadbed in front of the Jail twenty-five
bodies were found and ian the three
buildings eight more were rigid in
death. About thirty others were
wounded, some of them fatally, among
these being gallant Sheriff Moomaw,
who was shot twice through the chest
and three times through the abdome0.
Bakersville is miles away from a tele-
graph office and all news must GO to
johnson City In Tenn essee. by carrier.
Since the first news was received four
more of the Sheriff's posse are reported
dead and five more OF the mob.
Twenty-Five More Killed.
Later advices from Bakersville say
that the mob, instead of dispensing, as
was expected, remained upon the
ground, and the scattered handful of the
Sheriff's posse also remained under
arms, and they are being rapidly re-en-
forced. All through the following day
they continued to receive accessions to
their ranks, which increased to. 600.
Feeling ran high, and after few
speeches the posse resolved to avenge
Sheriff Moomaw's death. Another bat
tie 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 can tell.
Troops are expected.
Story of the Murder.
The facts which led up to the terrible
ARRAY were IA follows Aaron Wiseman
and Calvin Snipes were partners in an
illicit distillery in Mitchell County,
North Carolina, and had told William
Osborne and Isaac Osborne, brothers,
where the distillery was situated. Will
liam Osborne reported the distillery to
the officials ut Bakersville, n. c., and
helpcd them 10 destroy 1t. Wiseman
and Snipes suspected Isaac Osborne OF
being the informer. On the night of
Aug. 81, 1894. Snipes and Wiseman,
Rnmed with Winchester rifles, went to
the house Of Isaac Osborne and called
himup. Mr.. Osborne came 20 the door,
and the moonshiners opened fire, almost
riddling him with bullets. Wiseman
and Snipes we're arrested, but sufficient
evidence could not be obtained against
Wiseman and he was released. Snipes
was bound TO the Superior Court on
purely eiroumstantial evidence. He WAS
placed in Jail, and after being confined
about two weeks confessed to the kill