The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1894-05-18
A FIENDISH CRIME
Miss LzzIe Helm, Of Lake Weir, Bru-
tally Outraged.
MIN YOUNG, THE ooLoRBD RApIsl
The Victim Fair Young Girl Of Six
teen-scenes and Incidents of His
Lynohing in 0caIa.

repaired to the latter place, entered
the residence of Mrs. Florence Helm IS
and committed nameless cine on
her sixteen year old daughter, Miss
Lizzie Helm.
The black scroundrel intimidated
Mrs. Helm and her daughters by bran
dishing a pistol and threatening to
shoot them and claimed also to have
had an axe at the door with which to
brain them if they gave an aarm.
The brute satisfying bis lust, de-
manded money, but they told him
there was none, though he succeeded in
finding thirty-five cents, which he
took. He then departed, falling with
him clock.
Mike Brannon, negro attending
Mrs Fishers grove nearby, was noti-
fed, who, securing the services Of Mr..
Edward w. Chase, in the neighboring
grove, tracked the william east to an old
church building near Weirsdale, where
he was captured, having the clock,
and taken back to Mrs. Helm for iden-
tification, which being done she re-
quested Mr.. Chase to bring him to
Ocala, turn HIM over to the proper au-
thorities and tell the terrible story to
Judge w. S. Bullock, her legal advis-
or, but to no one else.
Mr.. Chase took the negro to the
Weirsdale station, and to those who
asked him what the trouble was, said
he had committed burglary, but the
report got out before the train arrived
that the negro, Young, had commit
ted rape on white girl, and those
hearing about it insisted they would
make short work of him by indulging
in lynching bee, and had they known
what really were the facts in the case
he never would have reached Ocala.
The report soon got out in this city,
and the feeling grew to such a pitch
that by night tie atmosphere was full
of lynch law.
A meeting was called in the court
house at 8 80 p. m., at which some 400
persons were present, and Mr.. E. G.
Bird was made chairman. The ques-
tion of lynchIng was discussed freely,
and excitement ran high.
A few of the cooler heads suggested
that the facts be secured, and to this
end Mr.. Isaac Stevens and Judge Bull
lock, who had heard the story from
Mr. Chase's lips, be sent for. They
came and made their statements,
which were in substance the same,
which left no doubt of the negro,s
guilt, and although Judge Bullock
counceled that the law take its course,
but this sentiment was derided and
hooted down with indignation, when
the crowd determined to interview
Sheriff Hodge, who, with Deputy
Sheriff Nugent and Jailor Smith, were
found in the new Jail, ready for the
fray and to defend his prisoner to the
death.
The lynchers seeing the gleam and
glitter of determination in the sher-
ifs eye and taking his statement at
par, they quietly withdrew to disband,
but not until word was passed around
that all those who favored completing
the work meet at Carmichael's, near
the F. q. & P. depot, ut a. LII. sharp,
when at the appointed time some fifty
determined men gathered, headed by
an unknown Georgian, repaired to the
Jail, quickly with sledge opened the
yard gate, and Jailor Smith, now the
only occupant of the building, the
others having gone nome to sleep, see
ing resistance would be of no avail,
opened the door, pointed out the vic
tim, who was quickly hustled to tree
south Of the entrance to the cemetery,
where Cuban's wagon was impressed
into the service to serve as a stage, his
hands and feet tied, moose adjusted,
demand made that he confess, which
he did, but in it implicated his broth
er. knowing which to be false, touch
of strangulation was adnlinisted,
which brought the confession of his
guilt, and in a few moments he dan
gled from the limb of the tree life
less body.
The work was done so speedily that
it was over with ere the general public
heard of it, but as soon as the report
of the lyncbing spread, in an hours
time 1000 persons fiocked TO look on
the supended body of the rapist.
People came and went until in the
afternoon, when Squire Clary sum-
moned coroner's jury, whose verdict
was that MIN Young came to his
death by strangulat!on at the hands of
parties unknown, when the under
taker, Donald McIver, cut down the
body and inferred it.
This ended an exciting episode in a
ferrful domestis occurrence.
NOTES.
So determined were the linchers to
mete out swiftretribution on the black
defiler and destroyer of the sacred pre-
cincts of home, that several dynamite
cartridges was taken along, and if in
gress could not have been had to the
Jail, it was proposed to blow up the
building and exterminate the black
brute incarcerated in it.
During the excitement incident to
the gathering at the Jail in the morn
ing, a pistol was discharged, the ball
of which came uncomfortably near
the jailor.
To the stricken mother and the
young girl who had been deflowered
by the brutal instincts of the negro