Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-06-15
A VIRGINIA lYNCHING.
The Victim Dragged From Train
and Hanged to a Tree.


Then Ills Body Was RiddIcd with Bullets
--iIo Wanted Time for Prayer But HIS
Request Was Refused.
WIscmEsrER, VA. June l3-"keep your
seats, We wont hurt You; we only want
this Niger This was the command Of
the leader of q party OF ARMED men who
took charge of n train at kernstown, three
miles south OF this city, this morning. at
1 O'Clock. They wanted William shorter,
who was arrested for criminal assault on
Miss Cleyengcr Of Jefferson county. The
negro was removed to stanton for snfc
keeping. To-day was SET Tor his trial here
and, although the authorities endeavored
to keep u from publicity, it was an open
secret that the criminal would be brought
| here by Jailer Forney, who so CALAMITY
| defended him ON the occasion OF the first
| attempt to lynch him.
The train was due here at IL O'Clock.
| When ii pulled up az kernstuwn, about 80
armed men, who had been concealed in
the vicinity, appeared suddenly, and in u
moment had captured the train ami en-.
tered the car in which Shorter was chained
| to the seat. Juiler FornGy endeavOreu to
defend the prisoner with drawn piston,
| but was quickly OvGrpuwcrCd In defiance
Of threats enforced by cooked pistols he
declined to unfastrn the shacklrS which
fastened the negro to the seat. The axe
| carried Dl I'LL baltimore w ONO cars WAS
| then secured aud he was iii the hands OF
his captors in few moments. rope
| was at once thrown around his neck, and
| he was dragged from the car, Furney
valantly but Intellectually resisting all the
| time. With the rope around his neck
Shorter WAS dragged from the car and
taken 60 yards from the train to locust
tree where he Was asked if he had any,
| thing to say. For a moment he hesltated
and then replied Il want time to pray"
The lynohers told him they hadn't time
to wait for this. The rope was slung over
the limb and Shorter was hanging six feet
from the ground in full view of the train
An order to lire WAS given. His body wa,
rlddled with bullets and III tive minutes
from the time he was taken from the train
he was dead, So prompt was the action oi
the lynchers that The train vas moi delayed
and arrived in Winchester on time, The
crowd assembled at the depot here was toC
of the lynching by the excited passengers
and crew.
The lynching occurred Just where tn,
valley turnpike intersects the railroad ant
passes through the kernstown battlefield
Near the spot is Il small body OF timber
where it is supposed the lynchers con
cealed themselves Very few persons wer
seen around the station until the train ar
rived, and then they appeared from ever!
direction. The work was accomplished
with military precision, and in iev
moments after the lynching the crow,
quietly dispersed The majority of tn
lynchers were masked.
Sheriff Gore and Commonwealth AT
torney L, Il. Byrd arrived at kcrnstowl
about one hour after the lyuchng, am
Summoned coroner's jury, before Spur
Stickley OF stephens Guy, who after view
ing the body, rendered the tollowin
verdict: THAT William Shorter died fron
strangulatiOn and bullet wounds from tn
hands OF parties unknown to the jury"
The officers of the law took every poss
bic preGauion to avert the action OF III
lynchers, which was entirely spOntanoul
) and the result of the deep.seated aDhol
; renee Of crimes of this character. Not
) single one OF the lynchCrs we're or can i
identified by amy oI the eye witnesses
That they were well organized and con
manded was evinCed by their sulder-lil,
obedience to orders and theulmost incrsd
bly, short time in which they aecomplishc
their purpose. After the curOner's inQue.
; the body was brought TO the WiuchestC
Jail, where il was prepared for bura
and Immediately inferred III the colore
cemetery.