Evening star., 1897-06-04
Desperate Encounter Between State
Troops and an Urbana Mob.
Two KILLED AND MANY WOUNDED
Crowd Finally Succeeds in Hang
ing Click Mitchell.
NEGRO CHARGED WITH RAPE


irteiligent and order-loving city. Ever
since the rest of Charles Mitchell and the
sensational scene when his victim swooned
Ia her bed she identified him as the
black brute who. had assaulted her n
week ago, and left her in a pitiably critical
condition, the feeling against the prisoner
Kept growing more and more intense. The
local militia, fifty-five men. were ordered
to the Jail to protect the prisoner.
Then came the hurried efforts of the Of
ficers of the law to get Mitchell safely into
the peniteLtiary- All the while the excite
Dent among the people grew more and more
intense. ne sheriff was foiled in his plan
to get Mitchell out of jail and on the Co
lumbus train. Night infiamed the excite
Ment among the citizens. The streets were
thronged all night. YelIs were heard all
around the Jail. Finally, at 2:3O am. came
the attack on the jail, when the militia
hled on the attacking party, ard. as is
usual in such cases. struck more innocent
SPECTATORS than active lawbreakers.
Produced an Explosion of Wrath.
But such a sudden catastrophe well nigh
produced an explosion of wrath. The
sheriff instantly wired the governor for
more troops, sending the message to him
at Wooster. Ohio, and as quickly an order
was sent to the Springfield Guard to re-
port at once to Sheriff McLain. 1t is to
the credit of the National Guard that
the order was obeyed promptly. At 40
the Springfield company was in Urbana. a
desperate condition encountered. The
revulsion of feeling against the troops was
so great that on all sides the new addi-
ton to the force was greeted with jeers
and hootings. and the soldiers soon began
to be pelted with mud. Fearing fresh
outbreak and more bloOished, aus the
troops began to show signs of resistance
to the insulting mob. Mayor Ganson or
dered the troops to return to the depot.
Then II was that the mob made a fresh as
sauit on the Jail The feeling today is in
tense against the sheriff for allowing the
National Guards TO fire on the people, and
there is very general approval of the
work of the mob
The climax suiminIte,l when the militia
opened fire on the crowd and shot twenty
rounds
The volley resulted in Harry Bell of this
city being shot through the head and killed
instantly.
A young man nanal Hagins was shot
through the body and killed instantly.
Denais Granny ue Urban.l, shot in right
foot.
DIR. Charles Thompson of North Lewis
burg, received slight wounl on forehead
, Hes,ey Rowen of Cab.s shot IN hip and
wounded seriously.
Ray Dickcrson. living near the city, was
shot III shoulder.
Ray Mcclure Of Crbana was SHOT
through muscle OF right arm
Gus Neiser, who WAS stanliag in the
street. received Il slight wound on face
John Wank was shot in foot, and Ralph
Mccomb Of this place was shot in The arm
Shot Into the Crowd.
When the shooting. occurred a crowd of n
thousand people stood congregated around
the jail. 1t had been rumored that an at
tempt would Se made to take Mitchell from
Jail and hang him. The crowd was more
DOiSter0llS than ar cin
oner had been confined in the Jail The
crowd was howling for the prisoner and
more de >ermined to secure Mitchell Ii had
crowded into the tail yard and was making
Tor the jail Capt. George W. Leonard in
command of the militia addressed the
crowd and gave them three minutes to dis
rtrse. There was Il general rush from the
Ja!l yard. but the crowd again returned.
me noise had subsided. The dcmonstra-
tlon was less pronounced. Fully a half hour
mad elapsed from the time the order was
given when the roaring of musketry was
heard- Foiey after voliey was fired, until
as many as twenty rounds had been fired
INTO the crowd There was a general
panic for a while. and the dead and wound
ed We're carried in every direction in search
or doctors Offices. Dr. Robert Henderson
DIR. H. NJ. Pearce. DR.. ]. c. Burcher and
DE- Havcns Were called into service and
Their offices looked liked regular hospitals
After the firing of the militia on the
crowd of spectators during the early morn
ing hours, Gov Bushnell ordered Comuanv
-, 80 Infantry. of Springfield to come
here at once The Springfield militia ar
INeo I mere at 40 this morning and left
thelr special train on the outskirts of the
city, or near the water works The com
peny, thirty-six strong, under Capt Brad
Dury' marched up town to the Jail, whence
they found 100 people surrounding the
jail 'he
Marched Into the Jail Yard.
The company marched into the iai1 ward
NJ
to Captain Bradbury: I'VE don't want Won
now
Who are you?"
i am the deputy sheriff." replied Lewis
There IS the sheriff over there" point
ing 10 Mayor Ganson, who at that part,cu-
lar moment came forward from the crowd
on the court house steps and proceeded IN
address the militia and the crowd rhe
mayor assured the militia that their SER
wees were not wanted: that the people
were law abiding and would assist him In
preserving order; that the company couId
leave the court house yard and when their
services were needed he would send for
them.
The Springfield company without wait
leg Tor further orders, marched down the
street to the depot without as much as the
sheriff seeing them. The local military
company had previously refused to serve
longer, and went to the second story Of the
sheriffs residence and tiled to sleep.
Win no resistance Onered. the crowd at
once made a rush for the side door, Two
strong and determined men kicked 1t down
in short order and gained admission to the
Jail. the crowd following. There were pien-
" OF sledge hammers. chisels and other
tools in the crowd. and the men went to
work.
Took the SheriTs Keys.
Part of the crowd had previously forced
them selves upstairs into The private apart-
ments of the sheriff, and after looking
about found q bunch of keys. wdici had
been mid away. AID which proved to he the
keys to the jail. The crowd got into the
Jail in short order. They didn't wait to
unlock the door to Mitchell's cell, but
bursted the lock with a sledge hammer,
and the door soon flew open. Mitchell was
standing in his cell and offered no resist
ance and lid not utter a word. Some one
In the crowd had rope and 1t was placed
over the brute's neck and the crowd made
Tor the door, Mitchell following at the end.
In going down the steps on the outside
OF the tau. Mitchell fell down and the rope
slipped OF his neck The crowd surround
ed hffn, jumped on MIN like a thousand
hungry dogs after one bone.
The brute was kicked, beaten and almost
killed right then and there. The rope was
quickly slipped over his head again and q