The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-02-06
FURY OF A MOB
Desperate Effort to Lynch a Negro
Ravisher at Lebanon.
Frank Hall Several Times Almost at
Deaths Portal, but Each Time Res
cued by Brave officers.
MOB OF OVER 700 FARMERS
Led by a Furious Woman Whose
Heart Burned with Vengeance,
And Who Thrice Placed the Rope Around
the Colored Mans Neck and Urged
the Crowd to Hang Him.
SAVED WITH DIFFICULTY
Hustled Into Court and Sentenced
to Twenty-One Years,
Afterwards Taken to the Railway Sta
tiOn Under a Strong Guard and
Brought Back to Indianapolis.
Afterwards Taken to the Railway Sta
tiOn Under Strong Guard and
Brought Back to indianapolis.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS
How the Mob Was Held at Bay
by the Son of Judge Neal.
The Negro Identified by His Victim, Mrs.
Akers, and Her Little SOn-LOOse
Administration of Justice.
Staff Correspondence of the Journal.

Staff Correspondence of the Journal.
LEBANON, Ind, Feb. 5.-A mob of seven
hundred or more Boone county farmers
struggled and battled fiercely In the court
house yard here this afternoon for pos
session of Frank Hall, the negro who as
saulted Mrs. Mary Akers. four miles east
of this place. Saturday night. Several times
was rope around Halls neck, and as
many times he rescued by the doughty
special deputy sheriffs and attaches Of the
Circuit Court. Mrs. Hattie g. Taylor n
woman about forty years old, put the rope
around Halls neck three times, screaming
like a maniac and clawing past to
lay her hands on the negro and help
strangle him with the rope. A dozen yards
away, all this while, was Mrs Akers, the
victim Of the assault. 1t was she who
brought the rope to the mob, Mrs. Taylor,
from that moment assuming the part of
the Fury. Barely three months ago Mrs.
Taylors daughter was assaulted in a some
what similar manner by Doctor Gotten,
a travelling quack, who is now a fugitive
from Justice
81 know what this is,'' Mrs. Taylor
shrieked. 81 know what my daughter suf-
fered at the hands of such a brute. Let
me tie the moose around the scoundrel's
neck"
The woman's eyes glared like those of
one insane. Halt the farmers thought Mrs
Taylor was Halls victim and they aided
her in clawing to the front to reach the
negro.
1t was exactly o'clock when Sheriff
Trautman, Town Marshal Owen, Frank
Daley, cashier Of the Lebanon National
Bank George Norwood and a few others
of the townfolk appeared at the north en-
trance OF the county Jail, which is just
across the street from the courthouse
square The mob was in front of the Jail
prepared to intercept the officers, who were
ready to take the prisoner before Judge
Stephen Neal for arraignment Diagon-
ally across from the jail is the law Of
fee of Patrick II. Dutch, the prosecuting
attorney for the circuit. Sitting at the
windows Of the office were Mrs. Akers and
several of the neighborhood women. Mrs.
Akers is a calm, pleasant-faced little wom-
an, little inclined to talk. She did not
seem to be as excited or indignant as her
friends. She saw the sheriffs posse form
ing a Gordon around her assailant at the
jail door, Some one thrust his head in
the door of the law office and shouted:
"Mary, will you take the rope down and
put it around his neck?"
Her friends urged her to do as requested.
Il will take the rope down to him." she
said very quietly, and in less than two min
utes she was carrying the rope toward the
Jail. The mob of farmers pressed close to
her. and with womanly reserve she shrunk
back a tall. gaunt farmer with red beard
seized the rope at the same time shouting:
"Come on. boysp'
LED BY a FURIOUS WOMAN.
Then Mrs. Taylor this Hoosier Ven
geance, stepped abreast the leaders of the
mob, and the men, infused with a courage
that had been lacking all morning. surged
to the entrance of the Jail. The sheriff saw
the wave coming and deemed it best to
make a sudden dash with his prisoner for
the courthouse. thinking that the country
men would not so far forget themselves as
to drag man from a hall of justice to deal
out death TO him without the sanction of
the law. Several large farm wagons lined
along the courthouse square blocked the
movement Of the sheriff and gave the mob
an opportunity to quickly surround the lit
tie posse.
Hall was quivering and covering be-
hind his protectors At first several men
sought to grasp the negro by the coat COL
lar and wrench him out of the wedge
made by the officers. From hundreds of
throats came shouts and yels Hang
him." xiii him." and the like The Ven
geance threw herself toward the officers
clutchng savagely at the prisoner. The
marshal tried to push her back.
Are We all cowards?" she shrieked
| 'Get him for me! I'll fix the roper
The man with the rope had come to the
| front. The man with the red beard
| showed a new burst OF daring and threw
his arms around the waist of the sheriff
Four stalwart men sprang to his aid, and
in an instant, the sheriff was whrling
away toward the outskirts Of the crowd
vainy attempting to flourish his revolver
| AS the sunshine glinted from the polished
| barrel of the weapon a few instinctivey
lodged. but most OF the maddened men
| paid no attention.
Frank, this is none OF your business
Don't use your firearms" squeaked one
| aged man, who. despite his shrunken flesh
and white beard. held to the arm of the
| sheriff with the grip OF a wise.
II know replied the sheriff. painting for
breath. but. boys, you know I'm sworn