The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-09-22
ROANOKES REVENGE.
Terrible Sequel to the Shooting
of Lawless Lynohers,
THE MOB CAPTURES ITS VICTIM

He Is Hanged, His body Riddled with
Bullets and Afterward Cronnted-Ths
Compelled to Flee.
ROANOKE, Va, Sept, 22.-Robert Smith
tho negro who assaulted Mrs Henry
Bishop on Wednesday and to save whose
life number of citizens were shot, paid
the penalty OF his crime yesterday morn
ing. While ]. Allen Watts, Judge Woods
and others were addressing the crowd Ser
geant 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 We're notified that squads Of men
were securing the adjacent country They
thought 1t best to bring their prisoner
back to town and place him in Jail, They
were proceeding to the Jail when a SQUAD
OF men. about twenty in number. rushed
upon them and took the prisoner. With
shouts and yells tho determined men took
the negro to the nearest tree He was
hanged to a hickory limb, and his body
riddled with bullets and horribly mangled.
Coroner Gray and a jury repaired early
to the scene Of the lynching. and after
viewing tho body of the dead man ren
dered verdict that the negro came to his
death at the hands Of persons unknown to
them.
After the inquest the officers were or
dered to take charge OF the body, but the
surRing mass of 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 1t. 1t was then hauled to Mayor
Trout's residence on Campbell avenue, 1t
apparently being the intention of the mob
to bury it in his front yard, but Rev. W.
q Campbell dissauded them from carry.
ang out their plan.
The body during this time had not been
removed from the cart, so at the sugges-
tion 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 ak cut down several
cedar trees near by The dry wood was
laid in large pile, but arranged so it
would burn freely. On this heap the ne.
Kro's body was laid. On top of nil the
cedar bOuBhs were tn own aud two gal
lons Of coal oil were poured on the dry
wood, The match was touched to it and
The flames from the burning oil shot ran
idly upward.
1t wn' not long before the crowd dis.
parsed, but all the morning men, and some
times an occasional woman, were seen
going toward the place Of burning in
squads OF three to five. Every one seemed
dssirons Of contributing to the blaze b,
throwing twig or chip on it, All that
was remaining of Smith Rt noon was a few
ashes and here and there bone, but the
hre was still burning fiercely. and those
standing ar0uud said that 1t should burn
until there was not vestige remaining.
After the smoke Of Wednesday night
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 indignation of the
mob seemed especially directed toward,
him and tho soldiers While the crowd
WAS making preparations FOR the second
assault the militia were dtsbanIlcd and
went to thor homes. Mayor Trout, wht
had been wounded in the foot by pisto
ball, was first carried 10 the Ponce dc
Leon hotel, but owing to the threats OIL
ths mob he was removed from there by
his friends and taken to the country.
Shortly after hia departure a crowd went
TO the Ponce de Leon hotel, demanding
the mayor, They were assured by tho
clerk that MIR. Trout was not there, hui
were not satisfied until some OF their lead
ers bad made thorough search of tn,
premises. Not finding him, the crowd
vent TO Mayor Trout's residence, on Wesl
Campbell avenue, where a thorough searcl
was made for him
Acting Mayor r. A. Buckner has as
sumed charge Of the city government ana
has suspended Chief of Police Terry, Ser
geant Griffin and Officer NJ G. Morri.
pending an investigation OF their connee
lion with the affair.
The following is a corrected list of the
dead in Wednesday nights battle: S. A
Vick, William Sheets, Charles Whitmyer
j, B. Tyler George White w. L. Hall
John Mills and George Settles.
LYNCnBuRG, Va. Sept, ~ Mayor Trout
Of Roanoke, has arrived here He is suf
fering with a painful wound in the foot
and declined to be interviewed.