Connecticut western news., 1896-01-02
VENGEANCE OF A MOB
AWoMAN BURNED TO DEATH AND 4
 MAN MURDERED.

~
 MAN MURDERED.
 The Terrible Ending of a Kentucky scss-
 dal-A Furious Mob Set Fire to House.
 and . Woman PsrIshss In the FIamss-
 The Man RiddIsd With BuiIsta
 LEBANON, Ky. Dec. 8o.-Within two miles of this city last night @ relentless mob burned to death a woman and rid dled with bullets her gray haired para mour. The blaokened and disfgured corpses of the viotims. Mrs, Thomas West and William DeveerA were found in the ruins of the woman's home by the l+- year-old daughter of the murdered man.
 The tragedy was one of the most brutal ever enacted under the grewsome sway of dread Judge Lynch Despite the pleadings for her fathers life of & half clad, fright ened 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 OCT tain that both man and woman were dead.
 The affair was the outgrowth of the old story of faithless wife and vengeful hus- band. Several months ago DeveerA . middle aged widower, was accused by Thomas West, prosperous farmer, of in- timaoy with Mrs Vest Quarrel followed quarrel throughout the fall until West instituted divorce proceedings and de- clared that Deveers must die. The men met in Lebanon. West mapped his revolv- or, which missed Ire. and Deveers killed him on the spot On the plea of self de- fense the murderer secured bail and soan- dalixed the neighborhood by immediately taking his two daughters and moving in- to Vests house. The relatives of the mur- dered husband swore vengeance, which came in terrible and brutal form.
 A band of men rode up to the West homestead and demanded admittanoe-
 The Hoass Riddisd With Bullets.
 from West is dead. Now it's your turn," the spokesman called, and Deveers and the woman awoke, to find their house surrounded. Mrs- West rushed to dark ened window and began a wild, hysteriosl plea for mercy. A dozen bullets answered her cries, and the demand for immediate surrender was repeated Deveera too. asked for @ hearing, but his request was greeted with shower of shots.
 "We'll give you ten minutes to open up. Then you burn" said the mob's lead er,, and his men quietly retired from the door. A hurried consultation was hold in- side the house, and then, wbite and terror
 
 thrust out to plead with the mob. Clad in her nightrobe, barefootcd and unprotece- ed, she bravely walked out into the moon light and sobbed out e prayer for her white haired fathers life "Get out You're liable to get shot your self, ruffian said, and the panic strick- en child fled to the cabin of e negro neigh bor. aa.t.tt ,
 Mrs. West then appeared at the door and made last appeal for mercy. It was unavailing. and in another moment the house was fired. The shrieks of the inn prisoned wretohes failed to move their torturers, who, as the flames reached the living room, could see the man and wom- an in the agony of death by the 1ra Just before the roof fell the woman was seen to reel across the room and plunge headlong into the fireplace among the burning coals, and thsre she died. Wild with pain, Dsveers at the last moment made a dash for liberty, but . soore of bullets stopped him half dozen steps from the door.
 The little girl led her negro protector to the scene, and there the bodies, soorohsd beyond recognition, were found, untouch- cd by the lynchers There Is but little doubt that the members of the mob will be captured, as they were without masks and made no attempt at secrecy.
 Another Tragsdy May Follow. It Is not improbable that the scenes of the inhuman affair will be re enacted in the vicinity shortly, as the outrage has aroused the most intense indignation among the people of the county. Because of the fact that Vests relatives had | threatened vengeance there is strong be- lief that they arc responsible for the crime The uncertainty, however, as to just who was implicated has 60 far pre- vented further trouble.
 The child of Deveers who was . wit ness to the tragedy is dangerously i'll as the result of the fright and exposure, but upon her recovery she may be able It Is hoped, to identify some of the lynohers- | The night was brilliant with moonlight, l and the unmasked faces of the members of the mob should be easily Identified as soon as the child is able to appear In court. Mrs. Vests corpse was oharred almost | beyond human semhlAnoe. Overcome by l the flames, she had fallen into the large old fashioned fireplace of the living room. and the head was almost burned from the body. Deveers' body was pierced by at least 26 bullets. Before his desperate dash for liberty he had been frightfully burned and would probably have died | without the gunshot wounda His hair and beard were burned of, his clothes wsra In oharred shreds and his face blis- tered and blaokened.
 No arrests have SO far been made, but developments are expected
 Dsveers formerly lived in Knoxvills |