Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-06-06
NEGRO STRUaG UP.
But THE ENTREATIEs OF A wO-
NAN SAVES HIS NECK.
A Negro Tramp Enters a House in
81. Paul and Attempts to Assault
. Young Lady-He Is Captured
After a Long Chase.

st. Paul, June 4.-Houston Osborne,
a negro tramp now locked up mt The
Rondo street police station, knows
how it feels to be h~alf-hanged. Early
Yesterday morning a haif-doZen eX-
cited men strung him mp to a tee at
the corner Of Islehart street and Lex
ington avenue, and would have left
him there TO perish had ii not been
for the prayers Of a woman. Just as
the negro was losing consciousness
the rope was slackened and his life
preserved. His crime was IN at
tempted criminal assault upon Miss
rreda Ketchell, an eightee l-year-old
girl who lives with her two sisters at
1907 Iglehart street.
Osborne is tweuty-eight years old
and bears the stamp of the tramp les
perado. He is of good size, strong
and active According to his state
mcnt, made to Capt. Lowell, of the
Ropdo street station, he spent the
most of Saturday night in a vacant
house in the Midway district. Before
d%aybreak he started to walk into the
city. 1t was 40 o'clock and quite
light when he reached the corner
of Lexington avenue and Igleha"t
street. y IIttle Dtth ITbIn Tie StIett
stands the one story frame house in
which the three sisters were sleep
Ing. About fifty feet distant on lyle
hart street is the two-story frame res
idence of ID. w. Horst, the brother of
Charles Horst, ex-city treasurer. One
CT the upper rooms of tire house is oC-
cupied by young Anton Ketchell, the
brother of the girls.
The negro could not have selected a
more favorable spot for his ~dastardly
attempt. II Is wholly outside of police
patrol. Osborne. in his survey of the
little house, discovered a window on
the west side pushed partly up and
held In place with a flower pot. He
%stealthily raised the sash and entered
the room where the girls were sleep
ing. Maggie Ketchell, aged twenty
one, and Katherine, aged fifteen, were
sleeping in a bed, while Freda q
pied Il lounge on the other side of the
rooru. He attempted TO assault Freda,
when she awOke and screamed. The
negro then jumped out of the window
aud fed. followed by Anton Ketchell,
who had been awakened by the noise.
Ketchell was soon followed by ID. w.
Horst, NJ. Thompson, "A ncighbOr. and
fOur men who were milking cows a
short distance away. The negro was
captured after a run Of a mile and a
half.
Stretched Up.
The walk back did not consume
much time. 1t was after ) o'clock
when the men arrived at the house
with their prisoner. The girls Il
dressed and were out in the yard with
their sister, Mrs. Horst, when the
tramp was brought up. At Mr..
Thompson's request a rope was
fetched from the house and Osborne's
hand securely bound behind him. In
the meantime the three girls were tell
ing the story of what happened in the
house. The men looked at each other
for a moment, and then n of them
said: Better get a rope"
Anton Ketchell disappeared and a
moment later returned with a stout
clothesline about thirty feet long. The
negro began crying for mercy as 500
as he saw the punishment that was
being prepared for him.
MY God" he exclaimed in agoniZed
tones, take me into the city; give me
up to the police; do what you will
with me, only don't lynch me-"
His appeals were Of no avail. The
men proceeded with their work with
out a word. Not one of them finched.
When the moose was ready it was
put around the mans neck and dra wn
tight. Osborne's knees began to give
way. His whole body shook with
fear and his eyes fairly bulged from
their sockets. Still the men worked.
When everything was in readiness
Osborne was taken to the rear of the
house where the girl had been sleep
ing. The loose end of the rope was
passed over the limb of a large cot
tonwood tree. Tighter and tighter it
was drawn until the mans feet left
the ground. AS he swung clear his
body turned halfway around.
Perhaps the spectacle was more hor-
rible than the men anticipated. Mrs.
Horst had. from the start. begged the
men to spare the negroes life, and
when she saw him hanging from the
tree she redoubled her prayers In his
behalf. The men relented and slowly
loosened their grip, allowing Osborne's
feet to once more touch the ground.
He could hardly stand, but was so
thankful for his escape that he made
no complaint. The rope was pulled
back over the bough and used as a
halter with which to lead him away.
The line Of march was again taken
up, and in half an hour the men
reached the ROndo street police sta.
ton. There Osborne was placed in a
cell, after the cords were taken from
his wrists.