The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1896-01-02

AWFUL WORK OF A MOB
Mrs. Thomas West Burned Alive
While Il Crowd LOOKS On
Her Paramour Ruldied az He Made II
Dash tor Liberty Many Arrests
Vii. fu,iUy.

Dash tor Liberty Many Arrests
Vii! ro,iow.
Lebauvu, Ky, Dec. 29.-Within |
two miles of tuis city last night a
relentless mob burned to death a |
woman who WAS III d delicate c0ndi |
tiou and llddied with bullets her
gray haired paraHour The black |
ened and disIgured coIpses Of the
victims-Mr Thomas West and
William Dev1res-We ere found in the
ruins of the wonan's home to day by
tie Is year old daughter of the mur
dered man.
The tragedy was one of the most
brutal ever enacted under the grue
some sway Of dread Judge Lynch.
Depsite the pleadings for her fathers
life of half clad, frightened child
and the prayers and tears of the i'll
and helpless woman, the mob went
through with its work with cold
blooded, cruel deliberation, and only
left when certain that both the man
and woman were dead.
The affair was the outgrowth of
the old story of faithless wife and
vengeful husband. Several months
ago Deveres. middle-aged widower
was accused by Thomas West,
prosperous farmer, of intimacy with
Mrs. West Quarrel followed quar-
rel throughout the fall. until West
instituted divorce proceedings and
declared Deveres must die. They
met at Lebanon and West snapped
mis- revolver, which missed fire, and
Deveres killed him on the spot. On
the plea of self defense the murderer
secured bail and scandalized the
neighborhood by Immediately taking
his two daughters and moving into
Vests house. The relatives of the
murdered husband swore vengeance,
and last night it came.
Close to 10 o'clock band Of men
rode up to the West homestead and
demanded admittance. tom West
is dead Now it's your turn the
spokesman called, and Deveres and
woman awoke to find their house
surrounded Mrs. West rushed to
a darkened window and began wild
hysterical plea for mercy. A dozen
bullets answered her cries and the
demand for immediate surrender
was repeated. Deveres, too, asked
for hearing, but his request was
greeted with a shower of shots.
We'll give you ten minutes to
open up, then you barn. said the
mob's leader, and his men quietly
retired from the door. A hurried
consultation was held inside the
house, and then, white and terror
stricken, the little girl of Deveres
was thrust out to plead with the
mob. Clad in her nightrobe, bare
footed and unprotected, she bravely
walked out into the moonlight and
sobbed out PRAYER for her white
; haired fathers life.
"Get out. You're liable to bs
shot yourself" rufian said, and
thoroughly panic stricken, the child
l fled to the cabin of a negro neighbor
Mrs W. then appeared at the dool
and referring to her condition, mad,
a last appeal for mercy, 1t was un
availing, and in another moment tn.
r house was fired. The shrieks of tn,
imprisoned wretches failed to NOV,
their torturers, who, after the fame
t reached the living room. could se
: the man and woman in the agony o
death by fire. Just before the roo
i fell in the woman was seen to rec
: across the room and plunge head
long into the fireplace among tn
4 burning Goals, and there she died
Wild with pain. Deveres at the las
moment made dash for liberty
f but score of bullets stopped hin
half dozen steps from the door
: This morning the little girl let
; her negro protector to the scene ant
there the bodies. scorched beyont
recognition, were found. untouche,
I by the lynchers There is but littl
doubt that the members of the mol
will be captured. as they were with
out masks and made no attempt a
secrecy.
A later dispatch says it is not in
probable that the scenes of last nigh
will he re enacted in the vicinit'
shortly, the outrage has arouse,
the most intense indignation anon!
the people of the country Beeaus
of the fact that Vests relatives ha,
threatened vengeance, there is
strong belief that they are respons
bic for last nights crime The III
certainty. however, as to just VIII
was implicated has SO far prevents