Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1893-02-03
HIGHLANDS LYNCHING.

noVe indeed fallen upon wicked
times.
Two men from Buchanan county,
Alexander RatliH and Ben. Short
ridge, exhibited money ut Richlands
Monday night and visited u saloon,
whence they We're followed by four
negroes. lna very short space of
time the two men were found living
upon tho railroad track, their heads
beaten almost to n jelly 10y club and
hatchet Tue a'tack had been made
III cut within the town limits and
the noise made soon attracted per
sons to the spot, where The scene pre-
sented resembled n slaughter place.
the banks of the cut to the top and
the road bed torn up and coYered
with blood. Though unconscious
and with frishtful holes in their
heads, the men were still alive
The first negro to be arrested con.
fessed Ills part in tho crime aud i'm.
plicated three others.
The news had renchod Buchanan
county, the limo of which is near, in
an incredibly short space of time aud
on the next evening, Tuesday, ut
Il o'clock, the confessing negro was
dangling from the limb of tree near
the scene of tho attack.
In the meantime officers had ar
rested two others of the negroes and
tuken them to tho woods to escape
the assembled and constantly iucreas.
ing mob, hoping sgradunlly TO work
hem up to this place to juil. They
had reached Ced,r Bluff, tho next
station, in time for the forenoon train
of Wednesday,, which train they
boarded, only to find it filled with
determined men in search of thenl.
On this same train, too, wns the
fourth negro. who had been arrested
at Honnller, making his way west.
The conductor. Capt. Gnrdner, soon
found thnt ho was not master of his
train and hud TO submit to II stop,
Jlst after pulling out from the Cedar
Bluff depot. Tho mob, reinforced by
those who had been securing the
woods and advancing by the country
roads, marched their victims back to
Richlnnds, securing aconfession from
all but one and him each OF the 9th
ers implicated In fact they confosa.
ed that the four were banded togeth
er for the purpose OF robbery on ev.
cry occasion possible. They told
whero to fluid tho money taken from
the men and the hntchet used. Tho
money was not found but there was
evidence that some persons had bean
there already, md as tho creek was
muddy the hntchet was not seen.
IL was afternoon, l or o'clock. be-
fore the men were taken to tho Il 90
upon which still dnngled the body Of
the man hung the night before and
WHICH had been guarded MI this time
to prevent it's removal. Tho men
were put upon horses aud one at IL
time driven under the tree, from the
top of which man let down ropes
which were fastened about their
nccks.
The crowd present by this time is
estimated ut from 5G0 to 500 per-
sona, the majority Of them from Blu
chanan county, The homo of Ratliif
AMI $:hortrIdge.
The name of the negro hung Tues-
day night was Jorry Brown. Thoee
ON Wednesday were Sam Kirkpnt
rick, John johnson nnd Spencer
Branch. Johnson is the ono who
confessed to tho murder of Hunt and
named Blow, Llnbort and Harman
as his accomplices. Spencer Branch
protested his innocence, but the 9th.
or three insisted that ho was OF the
party.
The l5rching uncovered another
crime which has long defed finding
ont. 1t will be remembered that 10
Hunt WAS murdered and robbed n
few miles from the same place and in
n similar manner. One of these ne.
groes confessed that lie, Sam Blow,
another negro, and two white men
Lambert and Harmun killed
Hunt His affidavit, dying declara
ton or whatover it might be termed,
to this, was taken just before the
hanging. Lambert and Thurman, who
once were arrested on The charge but
| hOiSeA%ON iOi idCh WI CNiNtiCV, ulB Olt
of tho country, but negro Blows
whereabouts were known and officers
started for him at once.
They were too late. Tho mob
started to Cedar Bluff for him, got
him, took him mp Indian Creek and
hung him, the fifth in less than twen.
ty four hours. After that the night
was wild one along the line of road,
the parties going back to their homes
with much shouting and shooting,
many having loaded up" after their
.day's work.
A party also left for West Va. to
secure Tom Lambert, who i, said to
he in the vicinity OF Ell,horn. Lam.
bert is one of the whito men whom
the confessing negro said WAS in the
Hunt murder. Harman il under
| stood to be i'm Ohio.