Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1894-07-07

A MOb's Fury-DangerOuS Winchester
The sheriff Unab.e tO With
stand the LyncherS.

SULPHUR SPRINGS. TEX. June Is
Last evening about $50 A. l..
Waits and wife. living about n mile
and a half east of town. returned
home from visit TO Mr.. Waits
brother, who lives n short distance
from them. When they bad entered
the house Mrs. Waits started TO
close the door. saying, "Mr. Waits
come and take your coat off the
door," He had reached her side
when some one shot through the
window. two bucksbots entering her
head inst above the left ear, causing
part of the brain TO ooze out. Mr..
Waits received two squirrel shots
Just below the right eye, and his
wounds are light.
Suspicion at once pointed to John
Williams, a Negro. who had been q
tenant on the Waits farm, and who
In April last had been arrested on
Waits complaint. charging him with
the theft of $21O in money. TIL.
grand jury failed TO find a true bin
against him and he was released
since which time he has boosted
more than once to members of his
own race that he would play even.
so when the crime became known
suspicion at once pointed to him
and the numerous posses made him
the object of their search.
CoLORED MEMS HOUSES SEARCHED.
All night long were ,he woods
sbelled, the Negro houses searched
and the bywavs watched by determ-
ined citizens. The wires were worked
and p posse was made up and start
ed this way from Mt Pleasant.
About z O'Clock this morning Byrd
and Buster Tollar, living fen miles
east of here. met the much wanted
Negro on the road making his way
east. He was shoeless and nearly
tagged out. They immediately took
him In charge, starting TO town with
him, and he was here in charge Of
three officers before anyone hardly
knew it. BE was immediately taken
to the sheriff's office upstairs in the
Whitworth building. Hopkins coun.
tv at present being without a iail
they keep their prisoners In the Hunt
county i'll.
| The news spread like wiIdfire
around the square that the guilty
Que bad been caught. so that the
crowd began TO copgregate and the
whole street below, 1t being a corner
building, was a seething mass of hu.
manity, most of them bent on the
same object.
THE MOB ATTACKS THE JAIL.
While the Statesman" correspon.
dent was In the room with other
newspaper men and the Off ers and
the mob made their first break. get
ting up the steps and reaching
the door, which they broke In but
finally re'eded at the point oi
Winchesters In the hands of Officers
Littlefield and Knight, who would
listen to no argument, but threaten
ed to kill the first man who crossed
the threshold. Soon Sheriff Sherman
and his deputies returned from the
chase and took their positions in the
windows and doors of the building
Sheriff Sherman addressing the
crowd told them IL was his sworn
duty to protect the Negro and up
hold the laws and under no condi-
ton would he ewerve from his posi-
ton and asked them as law abiding
lcitizens to help him. Time wore or
and the crowd still hung around
holding whispered conversations
here and there. Soon 1t IVES glver
out that Scott Waits, an old resi-
dent here and brother of the injured
man, would be here on the 2 O'Clock
Cotton Belt. As quick as he reached
town he was called in consultaticr
by the leaders, among whom wer,
numbered the best citizens OF th,
town. Soon the crowd began To
SWAY and start for the building
which they reached I'm double quicl
time.
THE OFFICERS FIRE.
The officers began TO shoot owe
their heads and one of the citizen
was hit on head. The shooting Sc
the crowd wild and made them ever
more determined. The officers wer
brushed past. The Negro was locat
ed in the scuttfe, was caught, rushe,
through the top of the Henderson
building adjoining on the west. an,
In spite of the omiDous winchester
: which had poked their noses througl
the windows all day. was dragge
with rope around his neck acros
the square TO telegraph pole at til
corLer of the First National ban
! where, amid the cheering of til
I crowd. he was strung up and the
his lifeless body riddled with bullets
He was a chocolate co.Ored Negr
: about feet 8 inches tall, weighin
, probably 160 pounds with nearl
D white teeth and a mean, low cou,
: tenance.
Il Mrs. Waits still lives, but it Is onl
8 a question of a few hours with he
q She was Miss Fillmore before hi
Z marriage to Mr.. VIZ It's last fal
3 While the crowd we're making IL
rush for the Negro every officer wi
= covered by two or three guns, an
2 one fatal shot would have meant
E hundred.
2 -Austin, Tex. Statesman, Der
l. PREFERRED THE COLORED LO'
u Err.