The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1893-09-28
Roanoke in Mourning
8 Lives Sacrificed in Aveng-
ing an Assault on an
Aged Lady.
Mrs. Henry Bishop, OF CioverdaIe,
Botetourt County, the Victim.
Her Brutal Negro Assailant, Thos.
Smith, Hung and His Body
Cremated.
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE DREADFUL
TRAGEDY.

FULL PARTICULARS Of fhE DkEAUFoL
TRAGEDY.
ROANOKE, VA, Sept 21.-This city is
shrouded in gloom over the terrible trag-
edy enacted last night, by which eight
people lost their lives and a large mum
Der were wounded. This terrible af>
fair grew out of an unprovoked and
violent assault Wednesday morning
on Mrs. Sallie Bishop an aged lady. by
a negro named Thomas Smith. The
man was arrested, identified by Mrs.
Bishop as her assailant was lodged in
jail. The assault aroused the most in
tense indignation, and during the after
noon great crowds gathered in the steets
in the vicinity of the Jail, and threats OF
lynching were openly INDUCED in. This
out the Roanoke Light Infantry. Be
tween and s o'clock a great crowd
gathered afresh about the Jail, and at
the latter hour Mayor Trout and the
police had retired into the Jail, while the
military were drawn up in line of battle
at the Green Memorial Church ON the
corner of Roanoke and Campbell streets,
about seventy-five yards west of the Jail,
with muskets loaded and bayonets on
them. Suddenly the mob. which had
been gradually increasing in front OF
the Jail, began with wild yells to surge
forward. There was sound of heavy
dynamite. The mob cheered. and II
seemed as if the fate of the prisoner was
| sealed.
THE RATTLE OF MUSKETS.
Suddenly there was a sound of small
arms at the Jail, which showed that the
police and men inside were firing anC
being fred at Many in the crowd hur-
ried from the scene, but before they
reached the coroner of Campbell avenue
and Commerce street, seventy five yards
rang out upon the air, followed by 6
shower of bullets and wild rush of thu
mob.
/ In a short time the space around the
Ill was deserted and nothing was seer
in that vicinity except the columns o.
of the Roanoke Light Infantry, standing
like statues across the street. Gradually
the wounded were brought into the ad
joining drug store, and as each new vic
tim of the murderous fusilade wal
brought in the rage of the mob became
intensified. Men rushed down thu
streets calling on each other to rise VI
and avenge the death of their friends
but while the mob was frenzied witt
rage, no concerted attack was made upoI
the soldiers.
AS soon as the people could realiz'
what had happened attention was turn
ed to the dead and wounded. Every
drug store and physicians Office in cas-.
reach was transformed into a temporary
hospital. and all the physicians volun
tesred their services
THE KILLED.
s. A. Wick, proprietor of the st. jaime
! Hotel
William Sheets, a fireman on the Nor
folk & Western railroad.
Charles Whitmyer, a conductor on tn,
Norfolk & Western.
J. B. Tyler, of Blue Ridge, section
master on the Norfolk & Western.
George White, shot through the lei
and bIed to death.
w. E. Hall, Norfolk & Western fire
man.
John Mills, of Back Creek, Roanok.
county, farmer and distiller
George Settles, ball player, shot in the
head
Six of the bodies are at the undertake
ing establishment of Oakley & Woolwint
prepared for burial. White died a
home. The body of w. E. Hall will bt
shipped tonight at 1890 to Lewiston
Pa, escorted by Bruce Meiker, of Wahot
1rlDo, mo. IL, L. ". II. III.
No arrangements have yet been made
for the funerals of the victims. and it il
not known when they will be buried.
Mrs. Wick was Frustrated with grief by
the killing of her husband, and her con.
dition is critical. At a late hour to might
the seriously wounded were doing well
THE WOUNDED.
Following is list of the wounded
1 n MI. 4
Frank Wills, Thomas Nelson. Leroy
White, J. b. McGhee, o. B. Shepard, E..
]. Small. J. F. Powell. J. E. Wayland
George Leigh, W. P. Huff. Mayor Fl. s.
Trout, J. s. Campbell, Edgar Whaling
G. W. Figgatt, G. p. North. o. B. Tay-
lor, George Hall, David Ru2gles, N. E
Sparks, N E. Nelms, Charles Moten
E.>J. Small, William Berry, and Susan
Dooley (colore6.
THE NEGRO CAUGHT.
Smith the negro who started the trou
BILE, was removed from:the jail.during the
excitement last night. In charge of a
sergeant of police and privates, he was
taken out of the city into the woods
After the mob failed to find the Mayor
or the Militia, II squad of men began to
search for the negro. The officers in
charge of the prisoner thought it best
TO bring him back to jail. A squad OIL
twenty men. who had been hiding waited
their opportunity and rushed upon the
officers in the residence portion of the
city. The negro was swung to the near
est tree, and his body riddled with bnl.
let's. This occurred about O'Clock
Thursday morning A placard with thii
inscription:
n n X X =
MAYOR TRoUT's FRIEND"
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