The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1897-10-01

vile Courier gives this account o.
the hanging of Raymond Bushrod
at Hawesville, Ky.
In broad daylight and on the
holy Sabbath day, men withou'
masks or any sort Of disguise took
Raymond Bushrod (colored) frou
the hands of the officers and hung
him to tree in front of the court
house.
Four churches stand within q
stones throw Of where the mans
life was choked out, and in one OF
them a protracted revival is being
carried on.
The leader of the mob is said to
be mechanic in Lees foundry, al
Cannelton just across the Ohio riv-
er in Indiana. After the victim
was dead he ascended the court
house stairs and made a speech, the
crowd applauding. Pointing to the
corpse dangling from the tree top
he said
"This is the protection we offer
our wives and daughters"
After the body had been suspend
ed for forty minutes it was cut
down. Coroner Michel viewed the
body and empaneled a jury. Their
verdict was
That Bushrod came to his death
at the hands Of unknown parties.
Bushrod was lynched for crimi
nal assault on 14-year-old Maggie
Roberts. 1t was not his first Of
fence. In 1890 or 1891 he was sent
to the house of correction for at
tempted assault on girl named
Wires, at Rockport, Ind. He then
barely escaped the mob's fury.
The village was thronged with
people, but they went about their
work as though performing sacred
duty. There was Sabbatic calm
over the village and the citizens
viewed the body dangling over the
side walk with the same sort of sat
isfaction that follows a successful
revival.
Bushrod was from Rockport,
Ind. Several months ago he was
taken in and treated kindly by VIII.
lis Clark, a farmer in the upper par,
of the county. He repaid Clark
kindness by stealing his watch,
For this he was released only two
weeks ago from the county jail after
having served a sentence of 156
days. He was in town yesterday,
drinking. In the afternoon he SET
out afoot going west on the Texas
railway. Three miles below town
near Petrie station he encountered
poor little defenseless Maggie Rob
erts, daughter of Ben. Roberts, a
prominent farmer.
She was returning home from the
railway where she had missed the
five 0 'clock Texas train. Had she
arrived at the station few moments
sooner, to-day's tragedy would have
been averted.
Bushrod struck the girl down
with a coupling pin and left her by
the railway track to die.
The news of the revolving out
rage spread and search parties were
sent in every direction. Failing in
his attempt to cross at Tell City he
made his way back over the railroad
to Falcon, a town by courtesy, con-
sisting Of two houses and depot.
Under the platform Of this building
Bushrod hid.
Here Charlie Long, the Tell City
ferryman, found him at o'clock.
Armed with a shotgun, Long, un.
aided, arrested the negro and turned
him over to Sheriff Fewgree, who
took him to this city.
For fear of a mob he was secretly
guarded in graveyard till morning.
In the meantime a bold attempt
was made to get Bushrod to the
station unobserved and get him out
of harms way. They were bound
for the same train Maggie Roberts
had missed the day before.
But the crowd closed in on Sheriff
Fewgree and his six deputies. Re-
sistance on their part was useless.
The excitement at this time was
Intense. The march to the court
sqaare, only few steps away, was
begun. Right in front Of great
shady poplar with limbs overhang.
ling the most public street in town
they stopped and a selection was
made. Some delay was caused fol
want OF a rope, but directly a new
half inch pillow line was furnished
and everything was in readiness fol
the first lynching in Hancock
county.
In the meantime Bushrod was
given an opportunity for confession
and prayer and his confession was
complete. He stated that he was
guiltv and that this was his third