The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1894-04-19
VENGEANCE.
4 Fiead Assaults White Woman
Eighty-One Years of Age
The Old Lady Gives the Alarrn-A MOD
Soon Gathers, tho Negro IL Captured
and Without Much Ceremony the
Scoundrel is Hanged TO O Tree.

CLEVELAND, w., ApTI Ao-opeo"y
Justice was meted out to eolored fend
| at Rushsylvania, a small place near
Bellefoutaine, Sunday night The
| wretch was Seymour Newland, and his
victim Mrs Jane Knowles. respect
able white woman 81 years OF age. She
was terribly injured by the Negro
When alone In her house Saturday
| night Newland entered, and, without q
word. assaulted her. She was awak-
ened by the noise he made coming into
the bedroom She started In alright
and attempted to scream. The Negro
brutally slapped his hand across her
mouth and forced her back on her pill
low.
She fought desperately, but her fee
BILE strength was soon exhausted lie
abused her in the most fiendish man
ner, and left her in a pitiahle condi-
ton. After she had gone she dragged
herself to a neighbours house and
aroused the inmates, She told the
story in few broken sentences, and
then sank helplessly at their feet
Without loss of time other folks we're
aroused. The news of the assault trav-
eled like wildfre, and In q short time
nearly the entire populace OF the vii
lage was acquainted with the story,
and the search for Newland was be-
gun.
The mob caught Newlsnd o few
miles from town, and messengers were
! <.6 HANG
him with While awaiting for the
rope Sheriff Sullivan arrived on the
scene, and, after considerable difficulty,
induced the excited citizens to turn the
covering wretch over to him New
land was taken to the lookup, a plain
little shell, and O strong guard placed
outside The excitement became so
intense that the sheriff called for the
militia from Bellefontaine A com
pany quickly arrived and formed hol-
low square around the finsy prison.
The sight of soldiers seemed to enrage
the mob, which hung around the vi
cinity. Loud threats Of attack were
made by them.
In some manner, one Of the mob had
succeeded in placing several dynamite
bombs beneath the cell in which the
Negro was locked, the object being to
blow him up The arrival of the militia
prevented the success Of this plan to
destroy the Negro. The fact that the
bombs was there was disclosed to the
sheriff, and he removed them. Final
~ yielding to the entreaties Of
the people he ordered the militia to
withdraw, and local guards replaced
the armed force
The crowd was just in the mood for
lynching. About $3.50 o'clock Sun
day night they gathered around the
frafl structure in determined body.
The guards offered no resistance, and
aAter being pushed aside, the building
was overturned with rails gathered
from ncigboring fences. Ready hands
were laid on Newland, who howled
with terror and fought savagely. He
was knocked down and rope placed
about his neck Then, with wild wells,
the mob dragged him over the ground
to q small cottonwood tree some dis
lance away One end was thrown over
limb, and the wretch was raised by
the neck until he stood erect
A jury was drawn and a mock trial
commenced, but It was abruptly ter
minated as the mob was too impatient
to wait The doomed Negro kept up
an incessant groan and appeal for mer-
cy, and was only stepped when, with II
sudden jerk, he was sent skyward.
There he was held until dead. New
land was On ex-convict. and bad once
before been found guilty OF On out
rage. Mrs. Knowles Newland's vic
tim, is in critical condition, and not
expected to live.