Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-11-14
Colonel Colt Refuses to Testify at
Washington Court House.
BELIEVES He WOULD Be IN PERIL
No One Dares to Speak in Favor
of Law and Order.
THE SITUATION is GRAVE

COLUMBUS, Ohio, November 14.-Great
events ars brewing at Washington Court
House Col. Colt declines, by advice of his
attoi neys, to go to Fayette county to be ex-
amined as a witness by the coroner con-
cerning the part which the fourteenth Ohio
National Guard took IN obedience to or
ders of Governor Mckinley, to assist
Sheriff Cook in protecting Dolby, negro,
who confessed to rape, and who had been
sentenced to twenty years in the peniten-
tiary. In giving that protection four per-
sens were killed and about a dozen wound
ed by the military firing upon the mob
when 1t had broken open the doors OF the
court house to get at the negro.
Col. Colts attorneys, George X. Nash
and Henry j. Booth, assure the governor
that Colts life would be placed in jeopardy
by going.
The coroner declined to come to Colum-
bus to take Colts deposition. insisting that
he shall go there. Because Of injury to
their business, leading law-abiding citizens
of Washington Court House have assured
the governor, privately, that II Colt were to
go there he and Sheriff Cook, no doubt.
would be thrown into JAIL charged with
murder. after which the coroner would be-
come sheriff ex-officio. and that men whose
friends were killed would ride the country
and gather a mob, and both Colt and Cock.
especially Colt, would be dragged from the
jail and lynched
Govern or Mckinley has assured Col.
Colt thaesn-be were to go and harm were
offered, the Whole power Of the state. and
the nation. If necessary, would be sent to
his 81 pport.
Col. Colts reply to that is: What good
would that do my wife and family, after 1
had been killed or lynched?'
Lieut.. Col. w. Z. N. Darrow, graduate
of West Point, but now a citizen here and
an officer of the fourteenth Ohio National
Guard, said to the governor that the regi-
ment would not suffer Colt to be injured,
and asked the governor to detail an escort
to protect him.
Pending this conversation, and while the
governor was considering some plan by
which the sending of the military might
be averted, Col Darrow said: Governor.
the detail from the fourteenth desires to
go with your official sane ton. If you can
not zee yOuI way clear 10 give such sane
ton. i will have the regiment go as indi-
viduals and With guns, to protect the col
onel in case harm is offered"
In that event, and If shooting were to
occur and blood be spilled. the men, it
would seem, might be indie ted for murder
or shooting with intent to kill.
The situation is very grave. 1t Is SO
grave indeed that the representative of
the Associated Press cannot give the
hdHleS Ol Weu-huOWn Hen
at Washington c. H. whom he has seen
privately, and who are comforting private
ly with the officers of the state Attor-
neys at Washington c. H., who say that
the governor and the military did right in
maintaining the law, absolutely refuse to
assist in the legal defense offset, because
1t would be tantamount to making ar
rangements to practice law IN some other
county. All law-abiding mouths In Wash
ington c. H. are as still as death. The
other side is doing all of the talking.
The question which is confronting the
governor is: Shall a sheriff, elected and
sworn to execute the law. and a colonel
ordered to his assistance, be sacrificed for
doing their official duty?
Rev. DR.. GLADDEN., who denounced the
mob in a letter to the Columbus Dispatc h.
declines to give out for publication let
ters received from Washington &. H. from
both sides, because of the fact that the
writers would be made to suffer by men,
bers of the mob. He was threatened with
assassination IL he came there for any
purpose. He burned that letter. 1t is men,
toned to show the feeling at that place
Publication Of all these events is made
here today.