The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1893-01-12
A DESPERATE BATTLE
BETWEEN SEVERAL HUNDRED LYN-
CHEERS AND A SHERIeF'S POSSE

At Bskersvilis, N. g., tn Which Thirty
Three Mon are Killed. Calvin snipes
Moonsh'ner aud Murderer. the Csus.
of the SlauRhter.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn, Jan. 4.-Last
night u masked mob of 500 men entered
tie Jail at Bakers vile, N. G., and took
Calvin Snipes, who had murdered Isaac
| osborne. a prominent citizen Of Mitch
ell County, to dense forest about half
mile away and lynched him. Seven
or the sheriff's posse were killed in
their efforts to defend tho prisoner, and
about twenty-five of the mob were
Killed, Among the dead ana wounded
| some or the most pro ninent men in
the county were found.
The facts which lead up to the terri ..
Die lynching atfray In BakersvtIle,
North Carolina, are as follows:
Aaron Wiseman and Calvin Snipes
| were partners IN an illicit distiliery In
Mitchell County, North Carolina, and
| had told William OSOulne and Isaac
Osborne, two brothers, where the dis
tillery was situated
William Osborne reported the distil-
lery to the officials at }akersville, n .
g., and helped them to destroy it,.
Wiseman and Snipes suspected Isaac
Osborne rs the reporter.
On the night of August 81, 1892,
Snipas and Wiseman, armed with Win,
| ch. Ster rifles, went to the house of Is ,ac
Osborne and called him up, Osborne
Came to the door. and the culprits
opened tire, almost riddling him with
bullets.
Wlseman and Snipes were arrested
but sufficient evidence could not De 90.
tanned against Wiseman and he was
released.
Snipes was bound to the Superior
Court on purely circumstantial eYi.
dence. He was placed in Jail and after
being confined about two weeks, con.
tessed TO tho killing III the manner
above related.
The story of the elynching and the ia
tai conflict with the sheritf's posse is
confirmed. The names of those OF the
killed are as follows: J. n. Williams,
ID. II. Richie, r. N. Jones, T.. b. Sans,
r. f. Johnson, Aaron Reed, ~. n.
Beckner, j, W. Laws, N. r. PanneE,
&. n. llalIilield and Tom Hall. Tne
names of those of the mob killed are:
John Worth, William Osborne, II. q
HHaillif, W'Ii erry, John Osborne, Phil
Gro WGer, .lim Nance, WIN Butler,
Iagey Byrd, -15weei; 1weeii;; :, Thomas, Jack
Phillips and several otI&Ca whose
names are not known at present. .
MARION, y. O., Jan. 4.-rhe last at
tack OH the Mitchell County jail was
made at O'clock Tuesday night. The
structure Is IA frame building, and is
little calculated to Withstand an as
sault. But the sheriff had it gLrrlsoncd
with about. seyenty-live determined
men. who declared they would SEQ the
law upheld. or die.
The attack was expected all day
Tuesday. The mountalneers of Mitch
ell, McDIugall and Yancy Counties
assembled in the little mountain ham
let of BArkersville until the population
| Of 900 was about doubled.
AT o'clock in the afternoon a for.
NAL demand was made upon Sheriff
MoOmaw for Snipps and the two Whit.
sons by a messenger from the mob
who approached the jail under Il flag
of truce.
TO this the garrison responded: ave
will die first"
Then they knew there would be a
fight. The little company split up in :
TO three parts, one remaining in the Jail
and the other two occupying the Sher
ifs house and barn near the main
building. Winchesters were loaded
and the wait for the final struggle be-
gan. The men were not long in sllS-
peDse.
About sundoWn the first attack was
made. AT least five hundred armed
mon marched up the road, and then
with no vi broke on IA run for the jail.
The garrison was ready for them.
"lIalt, or III give the order to fire. ;
sang out Sheriff MoOmaw.
n "a hn
ing
"Fire!" rang out the order, and sew
enty-live rifles poured II direct and
| thanking hail Of bullets into the deter
mined lynchers. They Wavered !: mo
ment as score Of them went down
but with the sLeadiDess of veterans
closed up their ranks and rushed for.
ward with the old "rebel yell"
Again the rifles of the besieged rang
out, and this time they were answered
by Il concentrated fire from the mob
The aim was deadly. Every window
on the exposed sides of the building
occupied by the defenders was shot out
and dUZen men fell wounded ol
killed. Their bodies hampered the de
puties who were unharmed, and Onl,
u few could close up to the window
and return the vOlley before the mol
WAS lpOll IHoln.
There was short struggle, and al
was over. The deputies, with thei
leader. Sheriff Moomaw, MORTAL,
wounded, were In the hands OF tn
mob, and every one of them was look
ing down the muZzle of at least thre
WInchesterS.
There was no hope for further re
sistance. and the fate of three murder
or, was sealed.
Without waiting to pick up the dea
or care for the wounded, the mob mad
. rush al the door of the Jail, and i
went down before the shoulders of
score OF stal Wart men.
J The prisoners were reached. The
were the only ones In jail, AMI Lne mo
had no trouble In breaking down tn
frnil cells. Half dead with fear tn
culprlls were dragged out into tn
open air where ropes We're place
around their necks with one hundre
men, mad with the thirst of blood, 1
the end of eac.,.
The wretches we're dragged over tn
Recovered rocks to a piece of woo,
land ha,f mile away.
Behind them followed the remaind
of the mob firing at the prostrate form
at aVnrV qtan 'HhA viotina xua ca 4,