Evening journal., 1897-01-21
FIGHT UNDER GALL0WS.
Extraordinary Lynching In the
State of Louisiana.
HAVE A FIERCE BATTLE.
After the "Good Citizens" Had Enjoyed
the Mil the Murderers Were Strung
Up and Riddied with Bullets-Too Wet
For Burning at the Stake.

q the Mill the Murderers Were Strung
4 Up and Riddled with Bullets-Too Wet
+ For Burning at the Stake.
ANTE CITY, La, Jan. 21.-The lynch |
8 Ing here of the negro murderers Arch
B Joiner, John Johnson and Gus Williams |
y prove, as the facts are known, to have
y been the most extraordinary tragedy Of its
3 kind ever recorded in the annals of the
y south
The events leading up to the triple
lynching ans covering period of nearly
five months present also picture of law
* lessness most strange in this nineteenth
century
z This little place is but two hours dis
q tant from the cosmopolitan city of New
n Orleans, is on the main line of great
4 railroad system and is in an old and well
e populated country, yet no frontier town
or settlement of barbarians ever indulged
g In more fantastic execution of the death
e penalty
Three hundred men approached the
s courthouse the greater part on horseback.
g They found Deputy Wainwright in the
4 hotel and forced him to deliver up the
q keys before he had time to hide them. The
q work of getting into the prison was sim
q pie. johnson saw his executioners coming
3 and slipped off his shirt so that he would
"A be ready. Joiner was told that he would
Il be taken, too, and Immediately set up
n wild wall.
The three negroes were led out into the
81 court green, where the horsemen sur
rounded them and waited until the cap
a tain Of the squad announced his readiness
TO depart. Before going the captain thank
ed the people and said that if any one
wanted 10 join in and take u hand in the
+" =, no
captives, with long ropes attached To their
necks, were led by the horsemen to the lit
tie Zion church on Oak street in this
place, and there it was decided to hang
Williams to a tree that has done duty be-
fore as a gallOws.
Johnson and Joiner were conveyed to
the scene of their crime, distance of II
miles
rainstorm was prevailing when the
line of march was taken up. Joiner and
johnson walked about mile, when John
son said he would go no farther, that he
was exhausted. A wagon was procured,
and both negroes were hustled into it,
The rain came down in torrents, and the
night was dismal.
When Independence was reached, halt
was made, and those who desired were
given an opportunity to view the negroes,
after which the march was again resumed
When within two miles of the residence
formerly occupied by the Cottons, some of
a the crowd set up yell, and much promis-
cuous shooting was INDUCED in. just be-
fore reaching Cotton's place few lines Of
Nearer, My God, to Thee was hummed
in a doleful tune
Arriving at the place where the muir
ders were committed, johnson and Joiner
were made TO jump out of the wagon.
Tofr haI IN lonenpnn rOpp
on his hands, and he made daring break
for freedom. He got off only few feet
however, when some one grabbed him.
Fought Under the GalIows.
Joiner set up piteous moan and begged
his captors to shoot him. He then request
ed TO be permitted to fight johnson, say
ing that Johnson had got him into all tn,
trouble. johnson signifed his desire tC
fight, and they were given an opportunity
to crafty their passion for a fisticuff.
johnson, though much smaller thar
Joiner, put up a good fight and dealt Join
er some telling blows. The spectacle OF
the two men, who were on the very brink
of eternity, fighting in the pouring rain
was indeed a strange one.
They were finally conveyed into differ
ent rooms of the Cotton house, and by
threats of severe torture Joiner was askeC
10 tell all ne kueW dDOul lnt iluTutISs "a
nally, by little torture and more threats
he admitted the crimes In the meantime
another squad had johnson off getting hi
confession.
Some one suggested putting them t.
death by burning them. Nearly every on
acquiesced in this suggestion, and thre
big fires were started, one for the men
who were all wet, to dry their clothes b.
and the others presumably for the purpos
of burning the negroes Most of the mei
were eager to burn johnson anyway, ant
It is generally believed that he was put o
the fire for minute or two, but other
pleaded for him, and the programme wa
changed
Joiner confessed killing Mr.. John Cot
ton and Mr.. Mervin Stevens, and Johnso
reiterated his first confession made whe
he was first caught, to the effect that b
killed Mrs. John Cotton, Miss Agnes Mi
Ter and Miss Lizzie Miller
After this statement by the negroes th
men conveyed them several hundred yard
from the Cotton residence and hange
them side by side and fired volley
shots into their bodies. Joiners head wa
almost shot Off and johnson was file
with bullet holes. In their confession JohI
son and Joiner said that two section hanC
working near Independence were thei
and took part in the murders. Their ol
ject was robbery It is "A noticeable fa
that the two negroes they implicated, Wi
lie Bell and Charles Brooks left Indepen,
cnce the day after the Cottons were mu
dered and have not been heard of since
Almshouse Keeper to BE Arrested.
BUFFALO, Jan. 2i-Three warran