Connecticut western news., 1893-09-28
MOBS IN THE SOUTH.
LAWLESSNESS LEADS TO RIOT AND
 BLOODSHED.

In Roanoke Eight of Crowd of Lynchers | tia, but the Negro Was Finally Lynohed and Cremated-The Mayor In Exile.
 ROANOKE, Va, Sept. 21-Robert Smith, | negro, assaulted and nearly killed Mrs. | Henry Bishop, the wife of a well to do | farmer of Botetourt county. Mrs Bishop | was at the market with a load of produce | and Smith bought box of grapes. He | asked her to go with him to get the money, | and taking her to house near by locked | the door and bound her. Then drawing a razor he demanded her money. She gave | 1t up, and while doing so jerked the razor | from his hand.
 The negro choked her, threw her down l and pounded her head with a brick, leav- | ing her for dead. Mrs Bishop shortly aft | erward regained consciousness, and re- | turning to the market told of the outrage | Detective Baldwin soon arrested thenegro. | The excited crowd attempted to take Smith | away from the officer and lynch him, but | Baldwin, with the prisoner on a horse, l dashed at full speed in the face of the crowd and soon had him behind the bars. A crowd gathered around the jail and | kept increasing as night approached. Ats | o'clock the Roanoke light infantry march | ed to the jail by orders of Mayor Trout. Guards were posted and the streets in the | immediate vicinity cleared. About dark l the crowd increased by 100 men from the vicinity of the woman's home, headed by | Mrs. Bishops son, fireman on the Nor | folk and Western railroad. At 8 o'clock | portions of the mob battered at side door | of the jail where the militia and Mayor | Trout had retired The shooting was com | menced by the mob, and the mayor was | shot in the foot
 | Fired on the Mob. | The militia were then ordered to return | the fire, and volley from about 25 rifles l was poured into the mob. It is thought | that about eight men were killed by this | fire and as many more wounded, some of them fatally | During the excitement caused by the volley the negro was taken from the jail by an officer and secreted. The dead and wounded were removed to drug store and to the offices of nearby physicians. The militia were then dispersed and left the scene quietly as possible.
 | ROANOKE, Va, Sept 22-The town is | quiet now, and all last night the streets were almost deserted This condition is in marked contrast to the hours just pre- | vious, when a mob was in possession of the city, and during which time Robert | Smith. the negro who assaulted Mrs. Henry | Bishop and in the riot over whom a num- Der of citizens were shot, was hanged | While J. Allen Watts, Judge Woods and others were addressing the crowd, Ser | geant Griffith, with two officers, had taken the negro from the jail and spirited him out of town. They carried him across the | river into the words, but toward daylight they were notified that squads of men were | .-s,~ thought it best to bring their prisoner back to town and place him ill jail.
 The Body Bullet Riddled.
 They were proceeding to the jail when a | squad of men, about 20 in number, rushed | upon them and took the prisoner. With shouts and yells the determined men took the negro to the nearest tree. He was | hanged to hickory limb and his body rid | dled with bullets and horribly mangled ! Coroner Gray and jury repaired early | to the scene of the lynching, and after viewing the body of the dead man rendered | verdict that the negro came to his death at the hands of persons unknown to them.
 After the inquest the officers were order ed to take charge of the body of the negro, but the surging mass of men which had by this time assembled would not let them touch him. A coal cart passing near
 
 was thrown into 1t. It was then haulsd to Mayor Trout's residence op Campbell ave nue, it apparently being the intention oi 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 procedure would never do. He spoke kindly to them, and at last dissuaded them from carrying out their plan. The body during this time had not been removed from the cart, so at the suggestion of some one In the crowd they took it over to the edge of the river to | burn 1t.
 Women Fed the Flames.
 Fences were torn down. store boxes talk en, and some one with an ax cut down sev. eral cedar trees near by. The dry wood was laid in a large pile, but arranged so it would burn freely.
 On this heap the negro's body was laid On top of all the cedar boughs were thrown, and two gallons of coal oil were poured on the dry wood The match was touched to 1t, and the flames shot rapidly upward.
 It was not long before the crowd dis persed, but all the morning men and oc casionally woman were seen going to ward the place of burning in squads oi three to i've Every one seemed desirous of contributing to the blaze by throwing g twig or chip on it. All that was remain ing of Smith at noon was a few ashes and here and there bone, but the fire was still burning fiercely, and those standing around said that 1t should burn until there was not vestige remaining.
 AS a result of the armed conflict be tween the authorities and the mob at tho doors of the jail men are dead and more than 25 seriously wounded, some of them fatally.
 After the smoke of battle had cleared away fears for the safety of Mayor Trout and the determined men with him were freely expressed by their friends, as the in dignation of the mob seemed especially di rected toward him and the soldiers. While the crowd was making preparations fol the second assault the militia disbandet and went to their homes. Mayor Trout
 who had been wounded in the foot with
 pistol ball, was first carried to the Ponc, de Leon hotel, but owing to the threats O
 the mob he was removed from there by hii friends and taken to the country, where h,
 still is.
 | Mayor Trout May Return.
 ROANOKE, Va, Sept. 26.-The citizens
 committee has notified Mayor Trout tha
 he will be fully protected if he returns tt | RnanOka which he ia rpnnpStpd tQ do