The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1896-07-10
Sidney Randolph Lynched.
Especial to the Citizen.)
ROCKVILLE, July 6, 1896.

ed, together with her father and
mother and elder sister, Maud, at their
home in Gaithersburg early in the
morning of May 18th, was taken from
the jail here shortly after l O'Clock Sat
urday morning by a mob of men sup
entity and hung to tree i'll piece of
woods on the Anderson place, about a
mile and a-half from Rockville. Ever
since the lynching of Cooking in lower
Mary land it has been feared that those
who believed in Randolph's guilt
would take similar measures with him,
and this was realized Saturday morn
ing. Jailor Peyton. was awakened by
ID knocking on the Jail door, voice
asking him to hurry up and open the
door, as there was prisoner to be
taken in. PeytOn was slow in dress
ing, and a conversation was Kept up
outside to convey the impression that
a prisoner was there. When he at last
opened the door he saw a crowd of ten
or dozen men, and, realizing what
was intended, he slammed the door
shut again and went back to his room.
Thereupon the mob promptly forced
the door open and going to Peyton,
showed revolvers in his face and de-
manded the keys.
1--WE don't want to hurt you, Charlie,
but if you don't give up the keys we
will" said one.
Peyton then gave up the keys but re-
fused to open the locks. One of the
crowd did so, and the lynchers pro-
ceeded to Randolph's cell and opened
that. The negro yelled Justify, and
his shrieks could be heard pleading for
mercy and asserting his Innocence. He
was struck OH the head with great
force, and in the face, and was
then dragged, bleeding copiously, from
the cell and from the Jail, and out
through the yard and by the rear,
through DIR. Warfield's lot to private
road leading to the residence of Mrs.
r. L. Viers and Edward F.
Droop's, where spring wagon was III
waiting near the residence of Elk
placed in this and driven to the All
derson place by circuitous route,
where a large crowd was in waiting.
Here rope was placed around his neck
and swung over the limb of "a chest
nut tree, the end of the rope being tied
TO hickory tree near 0y. His strug-
giles were terrible, but he died in ten
minutes, and then hung motionless
with his feet but three feet from the
ground. Here his body was found at
$50 O'Clock by MesSrs. Minor Ander-
son and Benz. Riggs.
AT 8 o. clock Saturday morning Mag
istrate Charles Jones empaneled jury
composed of b. &. Riggs, foreman
Samuel Soper, George Zurich, Thos
Mccullough, Thomas w. Stonestreet,
J. .. Moulden, F. Cushnlan Braddock,
w. E. Ricketts,, w. r. Humphrey,
Laurence Flack, Samuel A. Matlock
and Charles Ogden.
The justice and jurynlen proceeded
to the scene of tile lynching, where
Randolph's body was still suspended.
The scene Was striking one. There
was an immense crowd Iii attendance
which had been attracted by curiosity
and it was a motley tl1rong. Rau-
dolph had been hung, AS stated before,
on a chestnut tree. 1t stool within
ten feet of the public road, in full view
of all passers. The bushes in the im-
mediate vicinity and the condition of
Randoiph's clothing showed lie had
made a final desperate struggle for his
life. The bushes We're broken and the
blue hickory shirt and brown overalls
i'll which the victim was dressed were
almost torn off HIM. His herculeau
frame hung bootless, and his powerful
arms were scratched where he had
fought for existence. There was deep
cut in the back of his head where he
had been struck at the jail SO as to
quiet him. Randolph's tongue was
hanging out and bloody saliva had
fallen upon his hickory shirt. His legs
had been securely tied together at the
knees and ankles with pieces of tarred
rope, and the rope with which he was
hung was bran new and about five
eighths of All inch in thickness. After
the jury viewed the body the inquest
adjourned to 3 O'Clock to meet in the
coart house in Rockville.
The body was then cut down and
immediately the rope was seized and
cut into little pieces, hundred or
more morbid men eagerly struggling
to secure portions of the CHASTITY me-
mento. The remains were then re.
moved to Rockville and placed in w.
r. Humphreys undertaking establish
ment, where they were viewed by
Buxton aud Miss Maud Buxton came
here from the Garfield Hospital on the
o'clock train Friday evening and re-
manned at the house of Mrs. Buxton's
half brother, Mr.. John Hilton, during
the night. Mr.. Buxton and his neigh
Dor, Mr.. English, were also in town.
The presence of all of the surviving
victims of the assault may have in
spired the rumor that summary VEN
geance was to be melted 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 pre-
pared and carried out that it is evident
they had been arranged for some time.
The crowd that went to the 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 men talking when
Randolph was put in the vehicle. One
of them said: "Gag the - - -
Another who heard them on the road
declares that one of them said: "Any
tree is good enough for him." but
~ ....l