The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-10-17

Negro Rapist Dragged to the Scene of His
crime by Howling, Frenzfed Mob, and
Hanged, Being Horribly nIutiIated Both
Before and After Death-Ears and Fin
gers sawn Of: -aaeed After Half an
Hour OF Torture-IIead Hacked on and
the Decapitated Trunk Left swinging to
Telegraph Pole.
Memphis. Tenn, Oct 16-Jefferson,
the Ellis county rapist, met a horrible
late at i IA this morning at the hands
OF mob of $50 men. Within 200 yards
OF the scene of his crime he was hanged
after being mutilated in a most unmer-
clful manner. The mob with the pris-
oner reached the home of his victim,
Miss Prater, soon after midnight. She
Immediately identified him, when the
armed squad Of men took Ellis from the
constable and started for the spot
where the public road crosses the Louis
Vile and Nashville tracks. A big fire
had been built and around il the mob
gathered in a circle. The handcuffed
negro was on his knees before the fire
The leader of the mob told him to
pray, but he looked at them in a stupid
manner. Finally he broke out singing
negro hymn. When he finished cries
of burn him." was heard on all sides.
AT this signal amid awful shouts of
the mob man jumped to the negro's
side with drawn knife in hand "Cut
off his ears cried several, while others
crred out, 'give me finger" and at
want a thumb" At this the better
element drew off and protested against
doing anything more than hanging the
negro.
BEGAN ON HIS EARS.
Protests went unnoticed, however,
and urged on by the fiercest in the
crowd the man with a knife cut off
the negro's right ear and held il up in
full view Of the now frenzied crowd.
The negro screamed from torture but
THE other ear was cut off a moment
later. The ferocity Of the crowd in
creased and the mutilator found ample
encouragement, and was joined by
others with open knives. They next
cut off al the negro's fingers and tear
ing away part of his clothes mutilated
him in a horrible manner
The negro was covered with blood and
his head looked like it had been scalped.
The mob was not even then willing
TO end the negro's agony and made him
stand UP SO all the crowd could see
him. Finally, fully thirty minutes after
the torture of the negro began a rope
was put around his neck. The rope
was long one and the free end was
taken by man who carried it TO tel
egraph pole seventy-five feet away.
Climbing to the top he quickly threw the
rope over the cross arm. The crowd
jerked the negro to the foot Of the pole
and WHITE one-haf Of the mob shouted,
the bleeding and mutilated from of the
negro was swung into mid-air.
KNOCKED HIS HEAD OFF.
Death was sudden, but notwithstand-
ing the awful doings already gone
through with, the mob now lowered
the negro TO the ground and a dozen of
its members helped cut the head from
the body with pocket knives. This ac-
cOmplished, the rope was attached to /
tie feet and the headless body was
again swung up and plaoard reading: /
Death to the man who cuts him down 4
t52cre $50 this evening"" was pinned to /
the body. The bleeding head was car |
ried off by some of the mob and lit is I
intended to send 1t to the family of the !
little girl the negro attempted to as
saul.
The mob quietly dispersed after &C
comprising the work. The injunction
of the mob was obeyed and passengers
on the Louisville and Nashville trains |
saw the horrible sight.
Jeff Ellis on the afternoon Of October
5 crimminally assaulted Miss Bette
Pra'ter. He escaped from the mob
which gathered to lynch him that night 1
but was captured near Mount Pleasant,
Miss. He confessed to assaulting Miss
Pratt and to the outrage and murder
of Mrs. Wilcox OF the same neighbor-
hood two years ago, and to an attempt
ed assault upon a little girl in Mississ-
ippi while he was trying to escape from
thu mob.
Memphis, Oct. 16.-The body Of jeff
Ellis, covered with blood and horribly
still hangs to an arm of the
pole from which it was sus-
pended after them OBJ had done its aw-
full work to him. Today an inquest
was held over the realms, but they We're
not lowered to the ground. A verdict /
Of death at the hands of unknown
parties" was returned and the rela-
tiveS If the dead negro were notified
that his body would be turned over
to them if they desired. No reply to the
ao+ipa WAS received