The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-05-01
Men of Their Own Race the Swift
Avengers,
THEIR CRIME WAS
A HORRIBLE ONE
COMMITTED THREE MURDERS,
RAVISHED TWO GIRLS.
And Then Set Fire to the
Cabin in which the Victims
Lived-One of the Most Sicken-
ing Crimes Ever Charged Up
Against the Colored Race.

Houston, Tex, April 30.-For the
child, and a woman in the first flush
of young womanhood; the ravishment
of the two girls; the burning of the
home of their victims, the two bodies
being consumed in the flames, six
young men were last night sent to
their doom by the hands of an infuri-
ated mob of negroes, the victims also
being negroes. at Sunnyside, Walter
county.
Last fall a gentleman from BRENNAN
was robbed of SOS.
Suspicion pointed to the four Thomas
boys and they confessed to having
committed the theft, saying they had
given $50 of the money TO Henry Dan
iels. Daniels spent the money and on
Sunday evening last the four Thomas
boys, according to their confession, de-
cided to either collect their $50 or kill
Daniels. They carried the latter part
of the programme Henry Daniels, an
old negro, lived there in a little hut
with his Stepdaughter, Marie, and
7-year-old child. Wednesday night the
house was broken open, Marie Daniels
and the 7-year-old child were ravished.
and old man Daniels dubbed to death
While trying to protect those in his
charge. Then cid man Daniels and his
stepdaughter were thrown into the
house and the child was thrown into
the well. The house was set on fire
and the devils capable of such crime
left, thinking that they had covered
their inhuman deed from the sight of
the world. The fire had not attracted
much attention, but when Daniels and
his people did not show up the charred
remains of the house were searched
and the terrible truth was soon only
too plain. The burned remains of hui
man bodies left no doubt in one direc-
ton, while the bloodstains about the
premises indicated the commission of
a murder. The local officers went to
work with a will and were ably as
sisted by the best citizens of the neigh
borhood. The blood hounds from
Steele's plantation were secured and
they We're not long in finding the right
track. Before night they went straight
into the place where the Thomas boys
resided, and one by one they were Sc
cured. Fayette Rhone, q years of age:
VIII Gates, 30 years of age; Louis
Thomas, 20 years; Amron Thomas. Is
years old: Jim Thomas. IA years old:
Benny Thomas, Is years old, were
placed under arrest. The last four
were brothers. Later on Will Williams
smeared with blood and a bloody shirt
was found hidden in Richmond house
The blood hounds worked splendidIy,
and after the boys were confronted
with the evidence they acknowledged
the crime and laid the killing on Louis.
the oldest. All the seven prisoners
were under guard last night.
About u o'clock the guards were
overpowered by strong body of men
and the prisoners taken toward the
Brases bottoms, north of here. A little |
later 40 or 30 shots were fired, and all
was quiet.
This morning, dangling from the !
limbs of large oak tree, were found |
the bodies of six negroes, limp and |
lifeless. Hundreds of people from all |
over the country are surging back and /
forth, but always with one tree as the |
center of attraction. The bodies of all |
of the negro fiends are there except |
that of Williams and he is not to be
found, but the shots probably ex
planned the absence.
At a late hour this evening the bodies /
are still hanging from the tree. AS
far as can be learned the mob was
of white and black men. with /
the colored element largely FREEDOM
mating. Tonight there is calm after
the storm, and opinion is almost uni
versal that if the right party is ap-
pretended no harm has been done.