Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-07-08
JURY is IN EARNEST
Seeming Intention to Ferret Out
the Randolph Hurderers.
EVIDENCE AT TIE INQUEST
Sheriff Collier and His DeniaIs
of Some Statements.
GOVERNOR LOWNDES' OPINION
Correspondence OF The Evening Star.

Correspondence OF The Evening Star
| ROCKVILLE. July s. $780,
| Inc inquest into the murder of Sidnav
Randolph was continued by Magistrate
Charles Jones and jury at the court
house here last night, and the fact that IL
was again adjourned until next Noniay
AFTERNOON at 800 O'Clock gives a ray OF
nope that majority of the jury is deter
| mined to discover something definite about
! the a1alr before rendering a verdict In
| oeeo. IL was said by of the iurymen
| aiter the hearing was over that the inquest
| Mouiu pe continued from time to time until
'he grand jury meets in November. if such
a course was deemed necessary. The most
| important testimony given at last nights
session was that of Mr.. James p B. Vei-s
lawyer. Of Rockville, who said that last
rliuay afternoon, previous to his departure
for Frederick, Cary Kingdom told him
Randolph was to be lynched that night.
The next morning, while In Frederick, at
DalFs Hotel. the party he was with, which
was composed Of members of the Rockville
Base Ball Club and their friends, were dis
| cusslng the probability of Randolok's hav-
| ms been lynch ed during the night when
oomertllie Bean offered to bet Collar
| mat the lynching had taken place Harry
| DAWSON took Beams bet and The Money
was posted in the hands of Mr. Veirs. but
lawson then drew the bet, declaring that
pean eViaeht!y was on the inside ana knew
| 100 much. Mr.. Veirs also testified that
"hen the train on which he was a passen-
ger passed Gaithersburg he saw Deputy
nnerlH Horton g. Thompson and told the
| latter he had heard that Randolph would
| pe Iyhched that night and that he should
| hot let an innocent man be lynched.
Nary hlnsdon swore that Harry King
mad told him Friday evening that Randolnb
forhs
| Bean had asked him not to go to Frade-
| TICK that night. but to stay "and see The
| fun" but Bean had afterwar5 said he ,-as
| Joking. '1 "e vas
Harry King testified that SomerviIle Bean
| nad come to his store about 4 O'Clock Fri
day afternoon and said that Randolph vas
| 10 be lynched that night Bean said he
mad the news pretty straight
Very great interest was taken in the an
p1arance e. Mr. r l. Buxton on the stand
| lie gave HIS testimony in a matter-of-fact
way, stating that he had spent Friday
night last, during which Randolph was
| lynehed, at the house Of Mr.. Carson Ward.
ana that ne first heard Of the lynching at
/ ing.
Mr.. Carson Ward, who was the first wit
| ness called. had testified to Mr. Ruxtou's
| spending The night at his house, and Sleep
| ing with him.
James English. John Selby, William
| Ccombs and John and William Snouffer
I gave unimpOrtant testimony.
! When Somerville Beams name was called
| there was no answer, and States Attorney
| hilSour stated that a summons issued for
| Bean had not been served, as he was out
| of the county. IL is said an attachment
! VIII be issued to compel his attendance
| next Monday.
| There evident expectation on the
| part OF many in the audience when the
| hearing began that the jury would finish
| the case last night and render the yerdict
| usual in such cases, that Sidney Randolph
| had come to his death at the hands of
parties to the jury unknown, and there was
not a little surprise when the announce
nent was made that further sittings would
be held.
| Sheriff Collier.
| There appeared in this correspondence
| last Saturday a recital of the circum-
stances of Randolph's having been taken
| out of Jail and given the impression that
| he was In danger of being lynched in order
| to extort confession from him. In Mon
| days issue. Sheriff Collier was given as au-
| thority for this statement. This caused
considerable feeling in certain quarters
| against the sheriff. and last night he gave
| out lame and impotent explanation in the
| shape of the following card:
| I'm reply to communication in The Even
| ing Star of Saturday last. wherein II was
stated that Randolph had been taken out
of the Rockville Jail and threatened with
| lynching, in order to eXtort a confession,
| l wish TO make a statement. He was never
| taken from the jail at any time for such
| purpose and he was never threaten IN
| any shape or form. 1 did state that we put
| him under a vigorous sweating. which ao-
| compljshed nothing, to my mind. These
instances were always witnessed by either
newspaper men or county officials. RAN
| dolph never left the Jail, except in my
| presence, and there were but two Instances
where he was taken out of prison before
the lynchers carried him away.
u. w. COLLIER, Sheriff"
| The Star correspondent never said Ram
Il dolph ha5 t1,raa nod wifi
| He repeated exactly what Sheriff Collier
had told him: that he Collier) had taken
Randolph out in the woods. and made the
| prisoner believe that the lynchers We're az
ter him; that he told Randolph he didn't
think he could protect him, and that RAM
| dolph didn't have more than one chance in
ten thousand. but that truthful state
| ment might secure that chance for him.
| Then Sheriff Collier told The Star reporter
that Randolph replied that he knew he was
| going to be hung, because the people had
| made up their minds to do It. Two min
utes after Sheriff Collier told The Star re-
| porter this. while seated on the bench in
| front of the Montgomery House. the re-
| porter went to Wilson's drug store and
| wrote the following in his note book:
Collier: Randolph said 1 know they's
goin' ter hang me; that they done made up
they mind ter do It, Use on'y a Niger.
| 'ithout er fren' a cent. / didn't hab
| never wuz in dat town ter my knowledge
till dem men caught me and TUX me dar."
Sheriff Golfers memory is evidently short,
| for he told Mr.. Samuel Riggs the same
| thing, and Mr.. John Kelchner of Rock
| willie is also aware of the occurrence.
Governor Lowndes thinks Sheriff Colliep
| Is at fault in the matter of the taking off
of Randolph, az shown in his Baltimore
| interview.
There seems to be a general impression
In this neighborhood that the newspapers
should keep quiet, and give space to
| considering the outrageous affair, and
| covert threats and cowardly insinuations
are directed against the representatives OF
| the papers, as well as the independent
| citizens, who have the courage to charao-
terize the murder of Randolph as IT prop
| erly deserves.
| Rev. james f. Mason, DID.