St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-06-03
A NEGRO,s NARROW ESCAPE
FROM DEATH AT DAWN sun
DAY MORNING.
cREPT INTO A COTTAGE
WHERE THREE MOTHERLESS
SISTERS WE'RE ALONE AND
SLEEPING.
HIS PURSUIT. AND CAPTURE.
Infuriated NeighbOrs Swing the
Brute to a Tree, but Finally
Spare His Life.

Hang him.
"Beat the hound to death with a
club!''
mo, let's hang him, that's the best
way"
"Well, get a rope then and be quick
about it; five minutes is too long for
him to live"
In the gray light of the early morn
ing a frightened negro covered before
a crowd of resolute men. They were
wild with anger He trembled like
leaf, and between his gasps for breath
implored his captors to be merciful.
Their answer was a burst of righteous
wrath. He threw his black hands be-
fore his face fearful of their vengeance.
And when one of the crowd appeared
n the doorway with long rope in his
hands the negro dropped to his knees
and begged for mercy. 1t was in vain.
In an instant the moose was made and
slipped about his neck. He was
dragged to a large tree in the yard
and the rope was thrown over a stout
limb. Willing hands grasped the
long line and a minute more and the
negro was dangling in the air. At
that instant a frightened woman is
sued from the house and, falling to her
knees, implored the men to do nothing
so rash. Her entreaties prevailed.
Reluctantly the rope slackened and
the burden at the other end slipped
slowly to the ground, while the short,
painting gasps of the negro told how
near he had been to death. Hurriedly
his hands were
TIED BEHIND HIM
and before the sun had made its ap-
pearance in the east he was marched
down the roadway from Lexington
avenue and lodged in a strong cell in
the Rondo street sub-police station.
1t was singular and most excit-
ing Sunday morning scene in which
the residents in the immediate vicinity
of Iglehart street and Lexington ave-
nue. participated. Half an hour before
the occurrence related above, the
daring negro had climbed in the win
dow of little cottage, 1895 vIglehart,
in which slept Maggie, Frieda and
Katharine Ketchell His object was
criminal assault. He was discovered
in the attempt, and the screams of the
frightened women, who rushed from
the house, aroused their brother, who
slept in the cottage next door. In an
instant he was out, and discovered
the negro in flight. Divining the situ-
alton the brother gave chase, attired
, only in his night shirt. On his way
ne was joined by a cowboy and others
who were abroad, and after one Of
the most exciting and remarkable
chases for a man that ever occurred,
the negro was captured and brought
back to the scene of his intended
crime. Here, in the presence Of all,
he was strung up to the big tree in the
yard of the brothers house, and had
it not been for the entreaties of the
women, he would now be corpse.
It all happened so quickly and the
people were so thoroughly aroused
that hours passed before they be-
came sufficiently composed to relate
the story, which is most thrilling
and remarkable one. Even yester-
day afternoon, when the G o b re-
porter called at the little house on the
corner of Iglehart street and Lex
ington avenue, the young women still
trembled in the memory of the most
EXCITING EXPERIENCE
of their lives A cowboy, three milk
men. the brother of the girls, neigh
Dor and a. brother-in-laW all took part
in the race after the negro, but 1t was
KetcheIl, the athletic young brother
of the girls, who finally captured the
negro and conquered him after long
and stubborn struggle in the open fields
near Kittsondale Twice he had the
negro down, and twice the wiry scoun-
drel slipped from his grasp and re-
sumed his fight. The third time the
brother was so thoroughly angered
that he nearly had the negro choked
to death when the other men reached
the scene of the struggle. He was
brought back, as related, and expected
at every footstep to suffer death. His
however, and to their humanity he
owes his life. When lodged in his
cell at the station he admitted his OBJ
ject. and stoutly denied that there had
been murder in his heart. To look at
him no one would imagine he would
care much whether he committed
murder or not. He gave his name as
Huston Osborne, admitted having
served time in prison for burglary,
and said that for the last two weeks
he had been an extra waiter at the
West hotel in Minneapolis. He simply
lied. The details of the attempted as
sault, the fight and the capture fol-
low.
The little one-story cottage in which
the Ketchell girls reside is located on
the corner of Iglehart and Lexington.
It is very simple affair. one story in
height Previous to going there, four
weeks ago, they lived with their mother
in the heart of the city. She died and
they removed to this little cottage,
which is owned by their brother-in-law,
Mr. Horst, a brother of ex-City Treas
urer Charlie Horst who resides in the
two-story frame next door, about fifty
yards away. Three hundred yards
away is row of houses, in the second
of which resides A. M. Thompson of
the firm of Ide & Thompson, who par
ticipated in the chase. This is very