Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1893-01-07
DEADLY FIGHT.
A Sheriff's Posse Attacked BY q
Mob in North Carolina.
Terrible Loss of LiFe-The Mob Finally
Defeats the Officers aud Lynohes the
Prisoner-Trou6le Due TO
MoonshininE.

| cuJcVcu Tic jail dJ DuhcrbVilic, ~. N.s
and took Calvin Snipes, who had muir
dered Isaac Osborne, prominent citi-
zen OF Mitchell county, TO dense for
est about half u mile away and lynched
him.
Eleven Of the sheriff's posse were
killed in their efforts to defend the
prisoner, while about twenty-five of
the mob were killed, and among the
dead and wounded were some of the
most prominent men in the county.
The facts which led up to the terrible
lvnching ARRAY are that Aaron Wise
man and Calvin Snipes were partners
in an illicit distillery in Mitchell county,
N. c., and had told William Osborne
and Isaac Osborne, two brothers, where
the distillery was situated. William
Osborne reported the distillery to tho
officials at Bakersville and helped them
to destroy it. Wiseman and Snipes
suspected Isaac Osborne as the
reporter. and so Snipes and Wise
man, armSd with Winchesters, went
to the house of Isaac Osborne
and called him up. He came to the.
door, and the culprits opened fire, al
most Kidding him with bullets Wise
man and Snipes were arrested, but suf-
ficient evidence could not be obtained
against Wiseman, and he was released.
Snipes was bound to the superior court
on purely oircumstantial evidence. He
was placed in jail and, after being con-
fined about two weeks, confessed to
the killing in the manner above stated.
The lynching and the fatal conflict
with the sheriffs posse is the result
The names of those of the sheriffs par
ty killed are: j. N. Williams, D. +.
Richie, r N. Jones. p. b. Sans, +. E.
johnson, William Reed, 7. N. Becker,
j. w. Laws, w. r. Pannell, G. n. Hat
field and Tom Hail. The names of
those OF the mob killed are: John Work.
William Osborne, G. T. Bailiff, Will
Perry, John Osborne, Phil Crewder,
Kim Nance, win Butler, Harry Bird,
Owen Thomas, Jack Phillips and sever
al others whose names are not known
at present.
The last attack on the Mitchell coun-
ty Jail was made at o'clock Tuesday
night. The structure is n frame build
ing and little calculated to withstand
an assault. But Sheriff Moomaws was
garrisoned with seventy-fve deter.
mined men who declared they would
see the law upheld or die. The attack
was expected all day. Tuesday the
mountaineers of Mitchell, McDougall
and Yancy counties were assembling in
the little mountain hamlet ut Bakers
vile until the population of 500 was
doubled. At o'clock in the afternoon
formal demand was made on Sheriff
Moomaws for Snipes and the two Whit
sons b. e messenger from the mob, who
approached the Jail under flag of
truce. To this the garrison responded:
1--WE will die first" Then they knew
there would be fight.
The little company split up into three
parts, one remaining in Jail and tho
other two occupying the sherif's house
and barn near the main building. Win
chesters were loaded and the wait for
the final struggle began. The men
were not long in suspense. The night
would be bright with moonlight, and it
was useless for the mob to wait for
darkness. About shutdown the first at
tack was made At least 500 armed
men marched up the road and then with
howl broke on run for the Jail. The
garrison was ready for them.
"Halt or I'll give the order to fire."
rang out from Sheriff Moomaws' mouth.
No attention was paid to the warning.
Fire" rang out the order, and seven
ty-five rifles poured forth hail OF bull
lets into the determined lynchers.
They wavered moment and score
of them went down, but with the stead
mess OF veterans they closed up their
ranks and rushed forward again. Again
the rifles OF the besieged rang out and
this time they were answered by q con-
centrated fire from the mob. Their aim
was deadly. Every window on the ex-
posed sides of the building occupied by
the defenders was shot ont and dozen
men fell wounded or killed. Their bodies
hampered the deputies, who were UNI
armed, and only few could close mp to
the windows and return the volley be
fore the mob was upon them There
was short struggle. What were sew
enty-fve men against 500? A few re-
volver shots, 100 dubbed rides and all
was over. The deputies, with their
leader, Sheriff Moomaws, mortally
wounded, was in the hands Of the mob.
and every one Of them was looking into
the muzzles Of at least three Winches-
ters There was no hope for further
resistance and the fate of the murder
ers was sealed Without waiting to
pick up the dead or care for the wound
ed the mob made 4 rush for the door OF
the Jail and 1t went down before the
shoulders Of score Of staiwart men.
The prisoner was soon reached
Nearly dead with fear the culprit was
dragged out where the rope was placed
al,os,t HIS neck by 100 men mad with