Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-06-05
He DESERVED IT.
A Negro Brute Lynched by
Citizens Of Urbana, Ohio.
Had Committed Horrible Assault Upon
White Woman, Mrs. Graumsr.
Militia Fires on Crowd killing One, Woundins
0thers-6reat Excitement.

Urbana. Ohio, June 4.-The climax in
the Mitchell outrage eliminated at
2.30 this morning, when the militia
opened fire on the crowd and shot q
rounds. The volley resulted in Harry
Bell of this city being shot through the
head and instantly killed. Dennis
Grancy of Urbana. shot in right foot.
DIR. Charles Thompson of North Lew
isburg received slight wound on fore
head; Wesley Bowen Of California,
shot in hip and wounded seriously:
Ray Dickerson. living near the city,
was shot in the shoulder; Ray Mcclure
of Urbana was shot through the mus
Gle of the right arm. Gus Weiser. who
| was standing on the street, received a
| slight wound on the face and John
Wank was shot in the foot.
| When the shooting occurred crowd
of 1000 people stood congregated around
| the jail. 1t had been rumored that an at
tempt would be made to take Mitchell
from the jail and hang him. The crowd
was more boisterous than at any time
since the prisoner had been confined in
the Jail. 1t had crowded into the Jail
yard and was making for the Jail. Capt
George w. Leonard, in command Of the
militia, gave them three minutes to dis
perse. There was a general rush from
again.
The noise had subsidized The demon
stration was less pronounced. and fully
an hour had elapsed from the time the
order was given when the roaring of
musketry was heard. Loud volley after
voley was fired until as many as 20
shots had been sent into the crowd. There
was a general panic for a while. and the
dead and wounded were carried in every
direction in search of doctors offices.
| Recently Mrs. Eliza Gaumer. the widow
of the late publisher of the Urbana Dem
ocrat. was criminally assaulted by
Charles Mitchell. alias Chick Mitchell.
| a notorious negro. He was arraigned.
| last Wednesday. but his victim was too
| i'll to appear in court. The man WAS TIA
| ken to her home for identification. As
he entered the door. she raised herself
on her elbow and exclaimed: THE brute
Hang him. How dare you face me, you
| brute?''
| In default of $1,000 bail. Mitchell was
locked up in the city prison, but. on ac-
| count of the feeling. was removed to the
county Jail. the same night. for safe
| keeping. That night the Jail was sur
| rounded by a threatening mob that was
| held back by the sheriff's posse and the
local company of the Ohio National
Last night, the situation was more
| threatening than ever, and Gov. Bushnell
was called on for assistance. but he re-
fused to order the militia from any other
L
| from Springfield and 40 miles from Co
| lumbus. from which places troops could
soon be transported. but it was thought
1 that Mitchell could be taken to the pcni-
| Tertiary quietly.
| The grand jury was empaneled yester-
| day and Mitchell was indicted for GRIM
| inal assault. Then the crowd was thrown
| off the trail by bringing Mitchell into
court in a soldiers uniform. Mitchell
| was scared. He pleaded guilty and was
| sentenced to the limit of 20 years.
| The trial lasted only a few moments
| and Mitchell wanted to get to the peni-
| tertiary at Columbus. but when the car
| riage drove up to the Jail. the crowd
rushed in to get Mitchell and lynch him.
| Another crowd surrounded the depot.
| The sheriff remained fortified in jail with
his prisoner while the militia patrolled
the ground.
The crowd would not dispense and at
80 A. NJ they broke through the lines
of soldiers and were about entering the
| jail when the soldiers opened fire
The Springfield troops arrived at 80
and Immediately marched toward the
| court house. Angry citizens. who were
inccnsed over the killing of townsmen by
| the militia at $50 A. NJ. were only fur
Their irrtated by the appearance of more
troops.
Crowds gathered along the streets and
greeted the soldiers with hootings and
all sorts of insulting remarks. Next mud
balls were thrown at the soldiers.
4 ne FEVER OF excitement fdSeu more
and more fiercely. Women appeared on
the streets in large numbers. and their
presence seemed to be an incentive to the
mob to avenge in some manner the out
rage 10 Mrs. Gaumer. The excitement
was growing so fast that another clash
between the troops and citizens seemed
inevitable.
In this emergency Major Cannon took
the responsibility of ordering the Spring
field company to return to the depot The
order was obeyed.
No sooner did the crowd perceive this
apparent retreat by the soldiers than
their fierce demand for the blood of
Mitchell grew stronger An immediate
attack was successfully made upon the
jail. Mitchell was in moment in the
hands of the mob. and in the next minute
he was hanging from the nearest tree
Hundreds of women were present and
witnessed the final scene of the mob's
fury.
In going down the steps on the outside
of the jail. Mitchell fell down and the
rope slipped off his neck. The crowd sur
rounded him and jumped on him like a
thousand hungry dogs. Mitchell was
kicked. beaten and almost killed then and
there.
The rope was again quickly slipped over
his head and rush was made for tree
in the southeastern corner of the court
house yard in front of the court house
The cord was thrown over a strong limb
and a thousand willing hands pulled the
wretch up. The end of the rope was tied
to the iron fence ana Mitchell was left
hanging there to die in full view of sew
eral thousand people.
All this was done in an incredibly short
space of time. The lynching took place
at about go O'Clock this morning The
men taking part in it made no attempt
to disguise themselves. but it is not
known who did the work and the person
who attempts to find out will get himself
into serious trouble. They did their work
well, and il is all the people wish to
know.
1t is doubtful If Mitchell died from the
effects of the hanging. His life had been
almost kicked out of him when he fell
down.
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