Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-06-10
LYNCHED.

vengeance at DeCRtur. II.-IARen IrOIn
Jail and Hangcd-The Action of the Mob
Denounced by Gov. Altgeld, Who Offers
Reward for the Perpetrators of the
Deed.
DECATUR, ILL.,, June 5.-Sam Bush,
the negro arrested near Windsor early
Friday morning for outraging Mrs.
Vest, of Mount Zion township, was
lynched at 3 a. m. Saturday There
were threats heard early Friday
evening, but scout sent out by
the officers to Mount Zion returned
| with the information that the people
| were quiet and had no intention of
coming to Decatur. 2 Nevertheless a
guard of twelve men was put in the
| Jail and an extra force of men was put
on duty outside. About 500 curious
people stood around the Jail all night,
though most of them thought no Sc
rious attempt would be made to take
the prisoner out.
| At just 2 o'clock twenty-five men
came on rush up Wood street. They
were quiet, without masks, and moved
in solid body. They forced .heir
way through the crowd and knocked
on the door of the Jail. Dep
uty Sheriff Midkitf and Special Officer
Foster sat just inside and refused
them admission. One blow from a
sledge crashed in the wooden door, and
the two officers were surrounded by
twenty-five armed men. The keys of
the Jail were demanded, but both Off
GERS declared they did not have them.
The men then went to work with
sledge hammers and chisels on the out
side door. 1t was of solid cast-iron
an inch thick. Twenty minutes
elapsed before it was forced Mean
while the crowd of Decatur peo-
pie stood outside quietly. No one
seemed to care much. There was no
talk of resistance and the officers were
not upbraided for making no more OBJ
lection.
When the first door was opened anoth-
er one of steel. .bars held them another
twenty minutes. There was only an
occasional yell, and altogether it
seemed to be a quiet attack on Jail.
The next bars across the corridor were
forced, and with them a lock that
opened all the cells.
a frightened negro inside pointed out
Bushs cell. Three men rushed in and
found it apparently empty. They
jerked over the mattress, then lift
ed it up and tumbled out the
negro. He had crawled inside. All
day Friday Bush shook with fear.
Now he seemed cooler than at any
time before. Gentlemen, you are kill.
ing an innocent man." he said. He
was dragged up into the Jail office. So
, many men stood around that it took
Eve minutes to pull him through the
, crowd to the street. All this time
Bush said nothing, but the crowd yelled
! eXcitedly.
News of the attack on the Jail seemed
Z to have spread over the town, and l SOC
: people We're there. In front of the iai
is Il telegraph post. A drive towards
1 that was made, but the lynchers finally
7 went to one about 600 yards away, or
l one of the most prominent corners il
1 the city, and directly in front of the
: courthouse. An arc light made tn,
street intersection as light as day. 4
4 rope made of halter straps had beer
. put around the negro's neck.
When the crowd stopped at the foo
/ of the pole the victim asked for time t.
pray. The men said: Give him al
: the time he wants" He knelt dswI
A on the bricks and began to pra,
4 in a sing-song way, calling OF
S Jesus to come and take his sou
: and forgive the men who We're murder
: ing him. He did not beg or cry as h,
had done when first arrested bu
h seemed to make up his mind he mus
S die, and prayed disconnectedly full tel
5 minutes, while a thousand peopl
e crowded around as close together a
q they could be. There were sid
4 jests, and not single sou
seemed impressed with the aw
a lulness of the scene. FINAL,
8 the spectators began to get i'm
d patient. A man had climbed half wa
= up the pole and stood in the glare o
v the light all the time. Cut tina
short" he said; ''he gave those wome
Z no time Others took up the cry
Hang him; he's prayed enough" lie
:. him co. was yelled. The rope wa
9 passed to the man on the pole, he pu
d it over guide wire. and the crow
d pulled.
l. The negro's body, now naked as tn
a day it was born, swung up into sigh
|, 4 feet from the ground and fell bacl
e The negro uttered no sound.
v few in the crowd groaned, Will
d others yelled. Then hack wa
It driven into the crowd against the prc
d tests of the cab-man. The negro wa
'r told to stand up on it. He refused
when half a dozen hands threw him Il
n and then held him while the rope wa
d tied to the cross arm on the pole. Th
st hack was then driven away and tn
d body fell with the mans toes no
e feet from the ground. 1t wa
IL then just 307 a. IN. Two doctor
n walked up and held the pulse, and pre-
ID nounced him dead in two minutes. Th
N neck was not broken. The body wf
,e cut down by Coroner Bendure at 81
a a. m. The rope was cut up and divide
[e among the crowd around. The Noun
10 Zion men left for home as soon as tn
negro was pronounced dead.
ID A dispatch from Springfield says thu