The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1895-05-29
4 MARYLAND LTyTHING.
Murderer Henson Dragged from
Jail by a Masked Mob.
FEARED EXECUTIVE OLBMENOY.

Governor Brown, However, Declares That
the Condemned Man Would Have Been
Legally Hanged, as Experts Had Declared
Him Mentally Responsible for His Act
ELLlcoTT CITY, Md, May 2g.-Jacot
Henson, the young colored man who was
recently trled and convicted in the How.
ard county court and sentenced TO be
hanged on June ?, was taken from the
Ellicott City Jail early In the morning and
hanged to the limb of dogwood tree.
The mob assembled near the jaflsby twos
and threes. No alarm was given, and, the
hrst information Chief Of Police Vansana
hao OF their presence was when the lead
ers OF the throng demanded Rdmittance to
the Jail. He attempted to parley with
them, but it was of no use.
we have come for Henson, and we
mean to have him, was the only answer
given to him
Nhnsant refused to open the Jail doors
put heavy stick of timber proved as ef-
ncaclous as key, and the mob was soon
inside the little prison. Henson covered
IN MS cell, and when he caught sight of
the velled figures as they were revealed by
une ann light of a single lantern he
shreked for mercy, swearing that he had
never killed Shea
1t was useless. Half dozen determined
men broke open the cell door and placed q
rope around the negros neck He was
more dead than alive when dragged from
the cell. He fell upon his knees and al.
ternately prayed and cursed; but deter
mined hands were at the other end of the
rope, and he was dragged face downward
down the Jail steps.
Once in the open air he seemed to re-
vive, and struggled to his feet determined
TO light for life. For a moment or two
there was desperate struggle, but Hen
son was quickly overcome. and was half
dragged, half carried from the center of
the town. On past the place where the
murder was committed the mob hurried
him to his fate.
Merrick's lane seemed to offer a convent
ent place for the last act of the tragedy,
and Henson was hustled along until Pa
tapsco institute and it's sleepy inmates
were left behind. Then the end of the rope
was thrown over the branch of tree.
There was a final shrek, ending in a
CHASTITY rattle, as the murderer was pulled
clear of the ground and the tragedy was
over. No shots were fired, and the mob
dispersed as quietly as it had assembled.
The lynching was the work of about
twenty determined men, who thus avenged
the murder of Daniel F. Shea, which was
one of the most brutal crimes ever COM
mitted in Howard county The lynchers
feared that the governor of Maryland
might be induced to interfere. and COM
mute the dead mans sentence to life i'm
prisonment
The grounds for this apprehension came
from the repeated visits to the jail of spec
ialists in mental diseases to inquire into
Henson's sanity, and the reported inten-
tion of Governor Brown himself to 90 out
there for the same purpose
The belief had been growing that Hen
sons sentence might be commuted and
he be spirited away to the Baltimore pen
itentiary. The effect of this belief was
found in placard, signed "Whitecaps, 3"
which was left pinned to the breast of tn
lynched negro, on which was written:
We respect our court and judges Gov
ernor Brown forced the law abiding citi-
zens to carry out the verdict of the jury. >"