Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1893-09-27
LyDched and Burned

Last Wednesday morning, Sep
tember %, negro named Robert
Smith bought grapes from Mrs. Sal
lie Bishop, wife of farmer in the
Roanoke, Virginia market. The
fiend told her to so with him to the
house Of Mrs. Hicks for the money
for the grapes. She followed him to
a cellar where he quickly threw u
rope over her head and demanded
her money or her life. She gave him
her pocket-book containing 81, and
begged him to spare her life. I'm
mindful of her pleadings, the brute
drew razor and tried to cut her
throat. She grabbed the razor and
threw 1t away. He then choked her
and beat her on the head with a
brick until he supposed she was
dead.
He then left and the woman re
gaining consciousness in about half
an hour, YEARLY made her way to
the market house, where she told her
experience In q short time the po
lice and citizens on foot and on horse
back were searching for the tiend.
He was captured at IL O. clock and
lodged III jail. The people gathered,
determined to take the iend and
lynch him. The mayor called out
the military. 4 fight took place in
which the military killed ten lynch
ers and wounded 30 others. The
Ja1-Nr ypou ,u,.rn1a -, IL, 60, Tbo
rush was continued upon the Jail and
to keep the negro out of the hands
of the lvncberS the beast WAS taken
out of prison by back way. The
lynchers scattered al over thu country
roamed the woods, guarded the
roads, stopped and searched railroad
trains. The parties who had the
devil in charge roamed nil Wednes
day night about the fields aud woods
About ) O'Clock on Thursday morn
ing they thought to again place him
in Jail. They were coming out of a
piece of woods near the town with
their prisoner when a body of about
20 lynchers discovered them and
that sealed the fate of the negro.
He was taken to the nearest tree and
hung to a hickory limb and his body
riddled and mangled with bullets
The news OF the lynching soon reach
ed the town. The coroner of the
place with the jury held an inquest,
and rendered Il verdict that the ne
gro cama TO his death at the hands
of persons unknown to them.
TIE BODY BURNED.
After the inquest the officers were
ordered to take charge of TIE body.
but the surging mass of men which
had by this time assembled would
not let them touch him. A coal cart
passing near by was pressed into
service and tha body thrown into it
Ii was then Ia He'd to Mayor Trout 5
residence, 1t pparentlv being the in
tention of the mob to bury it in his
front yard. At this critical momen
the Rev. w. g. 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 boly d Irm9 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 turn it.
Fences were torn down, store boxe s
taken and some one cut down several
cedar trees near by. The dry wood
was laidin large pile, but arran ged
so that it would burn freely. On
this heap the negro's body was laid.
On top of all the cedar boughs were
thrown aud two gallons of coal oil
were poured on the dry wood. The
match was touched to it and the
flames from the burning oil shot
rapidly upward.
1t was not long before the crowd
dispersed, but all the morning men
and sometimes an occasi onal v oman
were seen going towards the are OF
burning in squads of three to five.
Every one seemed desirous Of con
tributing to the blaze by throwing a
twig or chip on it. All that was re
naming of Smith at noon were few
ashes and here and there bone, hut
the fire was still burning tiercely anC
those standing around said it should
burn until there was not a vest:ge
J remaining.