Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-04-23
The Station House.

L
fault of his. The crime had been &C.
ing on for the past two weeks,
and yesterday the children's condition
became SO serious that they were COM
PEELED to make confession. A ply
sician was called and a revolving eX-
posure followed.
When the facts in the case became
noised around the greatest indignation
was aroused, and suggestions of sum-
mary vengence were made by numbers,
but the more sober-minded believed a
conservative spirit would overcome the
minds of all and that the law would be
allowed to take its course. The result,
however, showed the surmise to be er-
roneous. Instead of quoting down the
spirit of vengeance was growing every
moment. The streets near the City
Hall were swarming with people from
early in the night, and excited ard de.
termined groups were on corners talk
ing angrily. At ten o'clock the Mayor
undertook to cast oil on the troubled
waters by advising all he met to abstain
from rashness and let the law take its
course, but in the face of the
indignation that was manifested his
| admonitions were but little needed.
Crowds were in the neighborhood
when the relief guard went out at ten
o'clock, and at that time were becom-
ing menacing, but the police, Chief
Webster and Lieutenant Smith, who
we're in the station house, believed the
angry waves would soon subside and
the excitement quiet down. The
crowd, however, kept in the vicinity
and would occasionally come on the
station house pavement, but attempted
no violence. The officers had deter
mined to protect the negro as long as
possible, and made every preparation
to resist an attack. About II o'clock
he first decided movement toward TAX
ing Mccoy from the cell was made.
The front door was broken open and
number of excited men, among
them Mr.. Lacy, entered. The at
tack was successfully repulsed by the
policemen and some of the ringleaders
captured, but subsequently released.
At this iuncture Lieutenant Smith ap-
peared at the front door and ordered
the crowd to dispense. He advised
them to be law-abiding citizens and to
let Justice take its course in the usual
way. The Mayor had ordered the Of
6cers to protect the prisoner and would
have called out the Alexandria Light
Infantry had it been deemed neces-
sary, but all in authority at that
time believed the trouble was over, as
the crowd had scattered when the of.
fcers discharged their pistols at the
first attack. But the assemblage had
no intention of abandoning their pur
pose and had repaired to neighboring
lumber yard, where large piece of
timber was procured to be used as a
battering ram. At quarter past one
o'clock the mob returned with a yell,
and it is believed that at least five hum
dred people were in the gang, and,
strange to say, it was impossible, in the
excitement, to identify those who COM
posed the crowd. Some were strangers
and nearly all had their hats pulled
down over their eyes. The station
house door was smashed in few sec.
onds and excited men surged in imme-
diately. The chief, lieutenant and Of
6cers Wilkinson, Atkinson, Lyles, Davis
and Knight and Constable Webster
we're thrown aside by some and secured
by others. The chief was knocked back
on the steps he was descending and the
lieutenant was thrown first one way and
then another and finally pinioned and
made helpless by half dozen men.
The chief had drawn his pistol but was
prevented from usingit. Officer knight
had also produced his pistol. but his
arm was caught and the weapon turned
against his own head. 1t was with the
greatest difficulty that he succeeded. in
turning the muzzle upward and pre-
vented it from being discharged. In the
meantime the crowd outside WHICH
could not gain an entrance were break
ing the windows and cutting out sash in
their eagerness to get at Mccoy. Those
inside soon demolished the door lead.
ing into the corridor and went directly
to the ravisher's cell. Mccoy, who
had been listening to the assault, had
become terribly frightened and had
climbed up on the door and was Sc
GREETED near the ceiling. The mob sup
posed they were at the wrong cell, and
were about to leave for another, when
one of McCoy's legs was discovered.
He was pulled down with a yell aud
dragged to the pavement, and the mob
sureed toward Cameron street with
him. The negro cried piteously for
mercy and resisted all the way. The
crowd turned down Cameron street to
Lee street and on the southeast corner
made rapid preparations to carry out
their purpose. 4 rope had been pro-
cured from Mr.. G. E. Price's avn
ing. moose was soon AROUND McCoy's
neck and in less time than it takes to
tell it he was dangling from the lamp
post on that corner. Bullet after
bullet was sent into his body, ana
when he had been cut down one OF
the mob used an axe on his head anu
blood onI hraino uara anattar6d on GQe