The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1893-09-28
Riotinq in Roanoke.
CONTINUED FROM IST PAGE,

Several speeches were made after the
militia retired and Judge Woods, Of
the Hastings Court, assured the mob
that the negro Smith has been removed
from the Jail, and accompanied two Of
the crowd through the Jail to prove
the truth of the statement. His state
ment and the speech of J. Allen Watts,
the Democratic candidate for the
State Senate, did much to pacify the
crowd. But they hung around the Jail
and adjacent streets for several hours
afterwards, many dispensing TO search
for the secretcd prisoner.
At midnight the scene had quieted
down and no further trouble is ex-
pected. The militia remain under the
Mayors orders, although it is probable
that they will not be called out again.
Mayor Trout is firm in the position he
has assumed, and declares that he will
uphold the laws. The dead, which at
midnight had increased by the death
Of George Settles, were removed to the
undertaking establishments and will
be prepared for burial.
ROANOKE, Va, Sept. 21.-Robert
Smith, the negro who SO brutality
assaulted Mrs. Henry Bishop yesterday,
and to save whose life a number Of
citizens were shot down, paid horrible
penalty for his devilish crime shortly
before 5 O'Clock this morning.
While ]. Allen Watts, Judge Woods
and Others were addressing the crowd
Sergeant Griffin with two officers took
the negro from the Jail and spirited
him out of town. They carried him
across the river into the woods, but
towards daylight they were notified
that squads OF men were securing the
entire adjacent country. They thought
it best to bring their prisoner back to
town and place him in Jail. They
were proceeding to the jail, and on
Franklin road near Tenth avenue
squad of men, about twenty in num-
Der, rushed upon them and took the
prisoner.
With shouts and yells, the determined
men rushed the negro to the nearest
tree. He was hanged to a hickory
limb and his body riddled with bullets
and horribly mangled. 1t was all over
by ) o'clock and the small body of
men, who had done their work we'll,
had disappeared.
With the break of day crowds OF
people began to throng the streets
leading to the scene of the latest
tragedy in this terrible drama. The
sight was horrible to behold. Dang
ling at the end of small hemp rope
was the dead body of the negro. His
face was bloody, distorted and swollen.
\ load Of shot had been fired into his
back, literally tearing his coat to
pieces. The job was we'll executed.
Coroner Wray and jury repaired
early to the scene of the lynching and
after viewing the body Of the dead
man returned a verdict that the negro
came to bis death at the hands OF
persons unknown to them. After the
inquest the officers were ordered to
take charge of the body, but the
surging mass of avenging men, which
had by this time assembled, would
not let them touch him.
\ coal cart passing near by was
pressed into service and the body
thrown into it. 1t was then hauled to
Mayor Trout's residence, on Campbell
avenue, it being the intention of the
mob to bury it in his front yard.
At this critical moment Rev. W.
c. Campbell appeared upon the scene
and told the mob that such proceedings
would never do. He spoke kindly to
them and at last dissuaded them from
carrying out their plan. The body
during the mean time had not been
removed from the cart, so, at the sug
gestion of some one in the crowd, they
took it over to the edge of the river to
burn it. Fences were torn down, store
boxes taken and some one with an axe
cut down several cedar trees near by.
The dry wood was laid in lalge
pile, but arranged SO that it would
burn freely, and on this heap the
negro's body was laid. On top Of all
the cedar boughs were thrown, and
then, just before the match was
touched, two gallons of coal oil was
poured on the dry wood. The match
was touched to it, and the flames from
the burning oil shot rapidly up. x
x All that was remaining of Smith at
noon was a few ashes and here and
there a bone, but the fire was still
burning hercely, and those standing
around said that it should burn until
there was not vestige left.