The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-01-12
SIXTY MEN ARE KILLED
BLOODY FIGHT Between A
MOB AND A POSSE.
Result of Sherif"S Effort to Save His
Prisoner from "a I.ynrhing Officials Over
powered, the Jail Entered, and the
Prisoner Bruta.Iy Murdered.
Terrible Scene Of Carnage,

jail at fahc. c.1E'i q. \. e., an I OK Cal
vim Snip s, wlo had mr!r.ercd Isaac
Osborne, apr"min Mt r.t:2sn al Mitchell
county, to Il ,ens" forest ;hoIt h If
mile distant AMI lsn he'd h IN. Eleven
Of the sheriff $ Iosse We're killed in their
efforts to def nj the prisoner. About
twenty-five # the mob We're killed, and
among the dead an wounded weie me
of the must prom;n. ut men i'll the
county.
The Jail is a frame building and little
calculated TO Withstand an assault Eut
Sheriff Moomaw hal it yarrisonea with
about seventy-iive determined men,
who declared they would see the law
upheld o. die. The attack was ex-
pectei. 4 formal demand WAS made
upon Sheriff Moomaw fer Swi:,es Ivy II
messeng from the mob. who ap-
preached the jail untci' a nag of truc'.
TO this the garr son rcspon,ied We
will die first" Then they knew thcr"
would lie fight. Winrhestels were
loaded and the W 1t for tie final strcs-
gle began. At teas: FIVE hundred arme
mel, III ,rched up tn. road an then with
a howl br. ke on a run for the Jail. The
garrison was ready fur them. Halt. or
I'll give the order 20 f.c, ranG out
Sheriff MoomaN' $ Voice. No att'ntjt Ii
WAS paid to TIL. warning.
Fought iiis.. E:s,nu:is
"Firc." rang out III. order. an seven
tyfive rifles poured Il direct and flank
Ing hail of bullets into the determined
lynrhcrS. They wavcrei Il moment as
a score OF them vert down, but with
the steadines. Of -etcrans closed up
their ranks and rushed forward again
under tn leadership OF Il gigantic noun
tainocr who Urged them forward.
Again the rifles OF the besiegel rang
out, and this time they We're answered
by a con cntra ed FIRE from the mob.
The aim was deadly ana ii dozen dcpu-
ties fell wolnded and killed. Their
bodies hamperel those who We're ,In-
harmed. and only Il few could close Zip
to the windows an! return the volleE
before the mob was utnn them. There
was short stru ,gle. What We're stv-
enty-iive men against o9l: 4 few re-
vo!vcr shots, 100 dubbed rifles AMI
all was over. The itpu es, with their
leader. Sheriff Mcolaw. mortaIly
wounded, We're IN the hands OF the
mob. There was 10 hope in further
resistance, ana the fac OF tie muld der,
was sealed. Without waiting 10 pic1
Up tn dea,. OF care for TIL wounded
the mob male i rush at the door OF
, the jail. ami it went down lctor'. the
shoulders o. Il score tt Sta!war. men.
! The PRISONER, hal: dead With fear. wa-
dragged ont in'o the open air, Nhcr. Il
! rope was y a.td GrptIi his ne X.
| I.y.ic',;'A II Awful tn.t.
! He was dragged over the ice-coyercd
/ rocks TO pie OF woo land half a mile
| away. behind fOilOyei .he i, mainder
Of the mo-. firing a the prostra-c form
| al every step. The victim Wa Il j.
| doubtedly dead before ho hal been
dragged twenty yards, and it was the
mere -cmllanec o. human form 1hat
was strung up when the woods We're
reached. Then the mob returned to
look for the dead ani wounded.
| In til" little inc,osu:e an on the
roa he'd in front % tn, Jail twenty five
b,lies wern found AMI in the three
| buildings eight more were rigid III
death. About thirty others Wee
woun ted. some of them fatally, among
these being gallant Sheriff Moomaw.
who was shot twice through the chest
| and three times ,l:rol-h il the abdomen.
| Eakersville is miles away from Il teie-
graph office and all news must go to
| johnson City. in Tennessee. hy carrier.
| Since the first news was receive .our
| more ot III" sheriff : poss. are reported
| dead and five more OF he !2oh.
Twcu-y-:i,., More t>iiir,,.
| Later alvicas from Kakcrsville say
| that the mob. instead Of dispensing. as
| was expected. remained upon the
! ground, and The s. altered hanIfu, of III :
| ShcriiTs posse also remained und /
| arms, and they are icing rapidly re-rn-
| forced. All through the following day
| they continue 10 receive acccs -ioas TO
| their ranks, which increased to 60 ;.
| Feeling ran high, AMI after few
| speeches he posse resolved :c avcnge
Sheriff Moomaw's s death. Anp;h her lat
tie took place shorty after noon, in
! which at least twenty-five more W re
killed. and the firing is still Soin, on
What will lc the result no one can tell.
Troops are expected.
| >;"r. q: tbc Nar,'C-.
Tie facts which le,, up to the terrible
| aifray were IS follows: Aaron Wiscman
and Calvin Snipes were partners in an
| Illicit dist licry in Mitchell County.
North Carolina, and had told William
| Cst nrnn and lsaar osborne, brothers.
whore the distillsry was situated. Viii
| liam Osborne reported the ii-tillcry 10
the officials al Bakersv!lIe, \. G., and
| helrei them 10 destroy it. Wis.man
and Snipes suspected Isaa' Osborne of
hein. The into:mer. On the night Of
Aug. ~, 1872. SnircS and "iscmsn
| armed with Winchester rifles. went to
| the house Of Isaac Osborne and ca!'cd
him up. Mr.. osborne came 10 the door,
and the moonsl,iners opened fire, almost
rddling him with bullets. Wise nan
and Snipes were arrested. lut sufficient
| evidence could not be obtained against
Wis man and he Wa released. Sn pc
was bound to the Superior Court on
purely cireumstantiai evidence. He was
placed in Jail. and after being confined