The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-05-01
Hanging From One Tree is tho
Ending
Of a Series of Crimes Beginning
With Robbery.
THEY WE'RE NEGROES
And Were Dealt With by Men
of Their Own Race.
Murdered an Old Man and Two
Girls in Their Home.

Houston, Texas, May 1.-For the
murder of an old man in his dotage,
child in its homage and a woman IN the
first flush of young wOmanhood; crlIIh-
nal assault upon the two girls; the
burning of some of their victims, Two
of the bodies being consumed IN the
flames. six young negroes were Iast
night sent to their doom by the haIloS
of an Infatuated mob of negroes, the
victims also being negroes, at sunny
side, Walter county.
Last fall a gentleman from Brennan
was robbed of $50, Suspicion p0Inteu 70
the four Thomas boys and they con
fessed to having committed the the1l'
saying they had given $50 OF the money
to Henry Daniels. Daniels spent the
money and on Sunday evening last, the
four Thomas boys, according 10 tne!L
confession, decided to either collect their
$50 or kill Daniels They carried out
the latter part of the programme.
Henry Daniels, an old negro, lived
there in a little hut with his stepdaugh-
ter Marie and a seven year OLD cnlld-
Wednesday night the house was broken
Open Marie Daniels and the seven year
old child were assaulted, and old man
Daniels dubbed to death While trying
to protect those in his charge. Then
old man Daniels and his stepdaughter
were thrown into the house and the
child was thrown into the we'll The
house was set on fire and the murder
ers left, thinking that they had covered
their inhuman deed from the sight OF
the world
The fire had not attracted much at
tention, but when Daniels and his peo-
pie did not appear the ashes We're
searched and the bodies found The
charred remains left no doubt of the
murder While the blood stains about
the premises indicated the commission
of murder. The local officers went to
work with a will and were ably assist
ed by the best citizens of the neighbor-
hood. The blood hounds from Steele'S
plantation were secured and they were
not long in finding the right track. Be
fore night they went straight into the
place where the Thomas boys resided
and, one by one, they were secured.
Fayette RhOne, q years old Will Gates,
| 35 years old Louis Thomas, 20 years
Old Aaron Thomas, 10 years old, Jim
! Thomas, IA years old, Benny Thomas
| . years old, were placed under arrest.
| The last four are brothers. Later on
| VIII Williams was captured.
| When taken, they were smeared with
| blood and a bloody shirt was found
! hidden in Richmonds house. The blood
| hounds worked splendidly, and after
| the boys were confronted with the evil
! dence they acknowledged the crime and
| laid the killing on Louis, the oldest.
| All the seven prisoners were under
| guard last night until about II o'clock
! when the guards were OverpOwered by
! a strong body of men and the prisoners
| taken towards the RrazOs bottoms. A
! little later 40 or 80 shots were fired, and
| all was quiet.
This morning. dangling from the
! limbs of a large oak tree, were found
| the bodies of six negroes, limp and life
less.
Hundreds of people from all over the
| country are surging back and forth, but
| always with the one tree as the center
| OF attraction. the bodies OF all OF the
! negroes are there except that of Will
liams. and he is not to be found, but
| the shots probably explained the alb
sence.
The bodies are still hanging from the
tree. As far as can be learned the mob
was composed of white and black men
dominating.