Evening star., 1896-07-04

many persons, including States Attorney
Kilgour, were told of the probability of
the occurrence early in the evening. but
placed no credence in 1t. Mrs. Buxton
and Miss Maud Buxton came here from
the Garfield Hospital on the 8 o'clock
train yesterday evening, and remained at
the house of Mrs. Buxton's half brother,
Mr.. John Hilton, during the night. Mr..
Buxton and his neighbor, Mr.. Erglish.
were also in town. The presence of all
the surviving victims of the assault may
have inspired the rumor that summary
vengeance was to be meted out to Ran
dolph. and the same cause may have
spurred the lynchers to action. but the
plans which were laid to complete the
awful tragedy were SO carefully prepared
and carried out that 1t is evident they
hal been arranged for some time. The
crowd that went 20 tie Jail and dragged
the negro out pulled him two hundred
yards to the private road. where the spring
wagon was waiting. Mr.. Peter heard the
the vehicle: One of them said Gag the
Another who heard them on
the road declares that one man said:
ANY tree is good enough for him." but
third replied mo, we have promised to
meet the other fellows
The Wagon Easily Tracked
There had been a light shower earlier in
the night. and the tracks made by the
wagon were plainly discernible and were
>>-S AoAo"Su Iii AOu6h vest E1hu f'dTk ~
the Frederick road and thence to the spot
where Randolph was hung. by Messrs. An
derson and Riggs who had a lantern and
tracked the vehicle. From the scene of the
hanging the vehicle vert directly toward
Gaithersburg. and had it been thought de-
sirable, could have been as easily followed
to the point of its final destination.
Sheriff Collier, who lives sixteen miles up
the country, at Dickerson's station, was
not apprised OF the rumor in circulation
last night, because no one believed it, and
knew nothing Of tie lynching until this
morning. He told The Star correspondent
when he reached Rockville and proceeded
to the scene Of the hanging that he would
Rave taken Randolph to Baltimore at once
had he heard any such gossip.
Mr.. Collier has all along wished to re-
move Randolph to a safer place, but upon
consultation with Judge Henderson, when
the assurances of many Gaithersburg citi-
Zens that Randolph would not be molested
were made known. 1t was decided to retain
him in the Rockville Jail.
Persisted in His Innocence.
Randolph made no confession. Ever since
his arrest he has consistently stuck to the
story that he told his captors. Messrs. Gar
rett and Ward, when they had thrown him
down after shooting him in the hand and
were tyirg him with a halter. Mr.. Gar
rett testified at the coroners inquest that
Randolph then stated that he had slept the
night before in a barn and thought his pur-
suers were after him for doing SO in order
to give him a whipping. He told the same
story to The Star representative five min
utes after he was placed in Jail, and has
Eever told any other. Ee was submitted to
the most intense Sweating" ever practiced
a prisoner in Maryland. One night he
was taken from the Jail and hurried off
into the woods. being given the impression
that he was going to be lynched and was
told that if he would tell the truth about
what he knew of the assaults he would be
given chance. Certain that he was going
to be hung, he declared he had never been
in Gaithersburg to his knowledge before he
was taken there by his captors, and knew
absolutely nothing of the crime.
II know Use goin ter be hung he said,
plaintively. Use a Niger, 'ithout cent
rur a fren' but I don't know nuthin' bout
hittin' dem people
To his lawyer Mr.. Ashley Gould. he as
severated his innocence of and knowledge
Of the crime without yavering. There are
many people here wno believe Randolph
was innocent. The first theory was that
there had been coilusion between Randolph
ard George Neale. who was arrested at the
there was no motive perceptible to inspire
Randolph to commit the crime.
The Sentiment in Rockville.
This community is appalled, and indignant
at the lynching. There would have been
Randolph's guilt been absolute. The lynch
ing would have occurred long ago, and
every one, regardless of condition, would
have said 1t was right. But to hang a man
without law of whose guilt there was such
a general doubt is regarded as a blot upon
Montgomery county and the state of Mary
land even worse than those Of a similar
character that have darkened Its fair fame
a law-abiding state to such deplorable
extent in the past.
The residents hereabout are uneasy and
uncertain about what the final outcome
will be. The women, young and old, are
In nervous and excitable state. The
negroes are enraged and declare that they
will find out every man connected with the
lynching and make him answer in the
courts for it. Some of them declare that
they know at least five of the men who
were at the jail and helped to hang Ran
dolDh. and will have them arrested on a
Charge Of murder as soon as they have Sc
cured lawyers and talked over the matter
with them.
Probably nc other lynching ever occurred
in the south which had fewer persons to
defend it than the hanging of Randolph,
and if the present sentiment increases
some one will probably be made to suffer
for 1t.
No citizen or resident of Rockville was
concerned in the lynching, and few knew
anything Of it till or o'clock. Every
body was in bed at the time. and but a
AC" WCic dioOScu ny luc SAShl uoiS6 Hldu6
by the mob. SC c.
The Sentiment In This City.
When the news Of the lynching of Ran
dolph was received at police headquarters
this morning 1t occasioned no surprise.
Indeed. some of the officers would have
been surprised had not the colored man
been 1ynched last night, for they saw Mr..
Buxton and his daughter. Miss Maud Bux-
ton, and a friend when they boarded the
train last evening for hime. Mr.. Buxton
was looking pale and careworn, while Miss
Maud, who had Just been released from
the hospital, was apparently unable to
walk without assistance. The appearance
of the party. the officers thought, was
enough to arouse any feeling which might
have been latent pending future develop
ments. Their appearance indicated to the
minds of the officers that when the Bux-
tons reached their country home those
who had concluded to participate in the
Iy1ching would revive their murderous in
clinatiSos and that Randolph would be
the sufferer.
They have lysched an innocent man."
was what one of the esctectives said when
he heard the news. And ne expressed the
sentiments Of all the members Oh the de-
tective force. although the officers we;e
not inclined to discuss the affair for pub
lication. While Detectives Weldon and
Horne would not discuss the case, it is
known that they are of the opinion that