The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1897-06-09
URBANA'S HORROR.
Citizens Of the Town Shot and
Negro Ravisher Lynched.
Frenzied Mob Attacks the Jail and
Is Fired Upon by the Militia
Story of the Night of
Tragedies.


Urbana, o., June S. - In the riot here
at $3.50 Friday morning two lives were
| lost and ten citizens were wounded. At
1880 a. M, Charles Mitchell (colored),
the cause of all the trouble, was taken
| from the Jail by Infatuated citizens and
| lynched. The two previous nights and
Thursday portended the gravest dan
ger, but no such results were antici-
pated as those within the five hours
from 2:30 to 1880 a. m. Friday. Includ-
| ing the brutal Mitchell, there are three
dead and ten wounded. All of the vic
! Tins were innocent citizens who were
| spectators on the scene of excitement
except Mitchell. In addition to this list,
| it is feared that Mrs. Eliza Gaumer,
negro, will not recover, and several of
| the injured are in serious condition.
| Besides this list of casualties there is
such intense feeling against some of
the officials that it will not be wiped
out in the present generation and fur
Their complications are apprehended in
the future. While the past two nights
and the past two days witnessed scenes
of lawlessness and bloodshed, yet the
feeling at no time has been as intense
as it is at this hour. The body of Mitch
ell was exposed all day in rough coffin,
and it intensified the feeling among the
masses who witnessed it.
| The Victims.
| Following is revised list of the killed
and wounded in the riot of Friday morn
ing:
Dead-Harry Beu, Urbana. shot in the
er living north of Urbana.
Fatally Wounded-Wesley Bowen, of
Cable, shot in the hip; lack Wank, Urbana
shot in the groin and leg.
| Other Wounded-Dennis Graney, Urbana
right foot, slightly; DR.: Charles Thomp
Deaton, urbana, prosecuting attorney. leg,
| slight: Gus Weiser, Urbana, in the face,
painful; Ray Dickerson, Urbana, shoulder.
serious; John McKeever, Urbana, right
arm, painful; Ray Mcclure. Urbana. right
| arm, painful
| Mob Fired On by the Militia.
| The early morning scenes-the fierce,
blood-thirsty fury of the mob, the de-
termined attack on the Jail and the
| reply of the militia with fire and lead
that laid low many innocent spectators
| will be as a nightmare in the memories
of those who witnessed them. Angry
citizens began to collect early Thursday
| determined to lynch Mitchell for his
| terribly brutal assault on Mrs. Eliza
| Gaumer. The local militia was called
out and, by dressing Mitchell up in sol.
dier's uniform, the authorities succeed
ed in smuggling him into the court
house where he pleaded guilty to the
charges and was sentenced to 20 years
In the penitentiary, the extreme penal
| ty for the crime. When he had been re-
| turned to the Jail, the enraged crowd
| learned what had been done and re-
solved that he should not be taken out
of town alive At $3.50 in the morning
| the jail was stormed and the door bat
| tered in. The sheriff ordered the militia
| to fire and when the report of 20 rifles
had died away a dozen or more of the
| innocent spectators lay writhing on
the ground. The mob then fell back
and the dead and wounded were tender
ly cared for. Anticipating the fury of
the mob the sheriff telegraphed for
more troops and at :10 the Springfield
militia arrived. They were received
with boots and jeers and were stoned
and besmeared with mud. The mayor
advised that they withdraw, fearing
riot. The local militia had in the mean
time withdrawn to the sheriff's quar-
tiers, and when the Springfield troop
had disappeared in the direction of the
depot the crowd made rush for the
| Jail, battered in the door, secured their
victim, dragged him out at the end of a
rope, and, after stamping and beating
him almost to death, the hundreds of
willing hands strung him up to the
nearest tree. The body was later cut
down, put in a plain pine box and
placed in the courtyard where it was
viewed by thousands.
Gov. Bushnell Arrives.
| Gov. Bushnell arrived Friday night
! to investigate the trouble, and especial
| ly the action of the troops. While the
Urbana company is overwhelmed with
local sentiment against their action,
they are also liable for abandoning
their post of duty. Capt. Leonard
withdrew the guards about seven a. M,
and the Springfield company took or
ders from the mayor instead of the
sheriff when they turned back from
the courthouse. Gov. Bushnell was at
tending an encampment at Wooster
Thursday night and was met by dele
cation from here on his return to Co
| lumbus Friday afternoon.
Sherffr's Life I'm Danger.
| These citizens from Urbana asked for
protection by troops of Sheriff McLain,
against whose life threats have been
| freely made, and if he were here it is
haliaued that there would be trouble