Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-09-01
SIX WERE LYNCHED
Negro Incendiaries Shot Down by
q Mob.
TAKEN FROM THE OFFICIALS HANDS
The Coroner's Jury Fail to Desig-
nate the Criminals.
A TRAGEDY IN TENNESSEE

MEMPHIS, Tenn, September 1-News
| came this morning of the lynching Of six
negT oes in the northern part of the county
two miles west of MillIngton, a village on
the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad.
For year or more the people of that
part of the county have been kept in a con-
tinual excitement by acts incendiarism.
Barns and dwellings have been burned, and
| recently the buildings on the Millington
| fair grounds were destroyed.
Suspicion pointed to Dan Hawkins, Robt.
HayI es, Warner Williams, Ed. Hail. John
Hayes and Graham White. and yesterday
| they were arrested near kerrville, in the
| western part Of the county, by Deputy
| Sheriff Richardson. Later in the day Rich
| ardson started with his prisoners in a
wagon for Milltngton, where they were to
| have a preliminary examination before a
| magistrate. The six negroes were chained
| together.
| About midnight, when the party was near
| ing Millington, 1t was stopped by a mob of
| fifty men, armed with shotguns, who killed
| all the prisoners. and then, remounting
| their horses. which were tied near by, rode
away In the darkness. The lynchers were
| not masked, but the officer, being new to
that part of the country, recognized none
of them.
morning, and the jury, which included two
negroes, found that the prisoners had come
to their death in the manner stated "at the
hands of persons unknown"
COnfessiOns of the Criminals.
Dan Hawkins was arrested a year ago,
with several others, charged with the burn
ing of barns and residences in the Kerr
vile neighborhood. They were brought to
trial aid two Of them sentenced to terms
in the penitentiary. They made full con-
fesslons and implicated Hawkins as the
leader of the band of frebugs. Hawkins
got a new trial. however, and after spend
ing some months in Jail was released few
weeks ago.
Since that time the burnlngs have re-
commenced, and the Millngton neighbor-
hood, well as Kerrvile, has suffered
Deputy Sheriff Richardson was employed
to ferret out the incendiaries and with the
assistsLce of a negro "spotter' he at length
got evidence that resulted in the arrest of
Hawkins and the other five negroes who
were lynched
About nightfall yesterday the officers Sc
| cured a two-horse wagon and a white man
named r. T. Atchison to drive it. He load
ed his prisoners into the vehicle, hand
cuffed and chained together, and started for
Millington. As they reached Big creek
two miles west of Millngton, somebody in
the woods by the roadside called out:
Don try to cross there. The bridge Is
down; come this way!'
Richardson got down and taking the horses
by the head led them to a pa IN that opened
in the direction the warning had come 1t
ardson saw two guns presented at his
stomach, and a stern voice said: Throw up
| your hands!'
What does this mean?' demanded the
officer
None of your d--n business" was the
reply. Throw 'em up" The officer obey
ed. Then he was ordered to get down and
was placed under guard
VOlleys Fired Into the Crowd.
The negro prisoners. divning the purpose
N 10 mol OFT Nfa1
| the wagon. A volley rang from forty or
fifty guns. and they fell back wounded and
dying dozen of the mob leaped into the
wagon and threw them out. Volley after
volley was then poured into the family
struggling mass, and in a few moments all
was still Hawkins head was almost shot
from his body, and some Of the others were
terribly mangled.
The mob, after making sure that all six
were dead, mounted and rode away. They
mounted on the mules and FASTENED to
Justice Hilrs house, at some distance away
and notified him of the slaughter The ius-
tice at once made ready to go to the snot
and at daybeark was there with a iury Of
inquest, composed of five white men and
two negroes, who rendered verdict as
above stated.
Judge Coorer Of the criminal court sum-
moned Deputy Sheriff Richardson before
him today and questioned him closely con-
cerning the lynching. The Judge is prepar-
ed to issue bench warrants for the arrest of
all partles to whom reasonable suspicion
may point as being concerned in the crime
Sheriff j. A. McCarver, who was to have
taken charge of his office today will not do
so until Monday. Meanwhile the outgoing
sheriff Will take the lynching in hand He
VIII go to the scene of the crime this after
noon. McCarver the new sheriff. is n man
of hardy and determined character. and
the general opinion is that he VIII not fail
to ind out the lynchers and land them in