Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-01-21
JUDGE Lynch PRESIDED
Murderers of the Cotton Family
Near Amite, La,
RIDDLED AND HANGED
Jon p.t
The Night Was Miserable. but the Mob Was
~ Determined
AND MADE QUICK WORK OF IT
The Scoundrels Brought Face to Face After
Knowing Their Doom and Acknowl-
edged the Crime-Wife Muir
derer Meets Same Fate.

Amite City, La, Jan. 20-Yesterday
evening when it became known that John
Johnson and Arch Joiner, charged with
the Cotton family murders. would be
lynched, small groups of strangers from
every section of this and adjoining par
ishes commenced to come in and hold
low conversations on the street corners.
The night was a most miserable one,
raining and gloomy.
About o'clock there was perhaps $50
people on the streets, when suddenly
some $50 men on horseback galloped up
to the Jail, and having found the deputy
who had charge, forced him to open the
Jail door and also open the steel cages,
and them took from the cages John john
son and Arch Joiner and Gus Williams,
the latter a negro charged with murder
ing his wife last summer near Independ-
ence. The crowd Of men were very quiet
and made no hostile demonstrations
other than to get the three negroes. At
ter procuring their men they held short
consultation and decided to hang VIII
liams to an oak tree near negro church
on the outer edge of the town.
rope was quickly adjusted over a
large limb and one end placed around
williams neck. Williams was made to
get on a horse and the horse struck with
a whip, jumping from under Williams.
His neck was not broken, and some men
caught hold of his body and jerked him
down.
williams disposed of, the crowd start
ed on the long march to John CottonfS
house, where the murders were commit
ted. Johnson and Joiner walked a mile
or so, when a wagon was procured and
they rode the rest of the way. The dis
l'tance travelled was twelve miles through
heavy rain. There were nearly two
hundred in the crowd during the march.
Joiner prayed deal, but Johnson did
not seem to mind his fate, remaining
quiet most of the way.
After ride Of four hours the Cotton
residence was reached and all dismount-
ed Joiner made a break for liberty, but
was captured before he had gone very
far. Joiner and johnson desired to fight,
and they were permitted to, after which
they were taken into the house, sepa-
rated, and efforts to get a confession
from them were made. johnson stuck
to his former statement that Arch Joiner
was the man who did the deeds. Joiner
stoutly maintained his innocence for
awhile. but when finally brought face to
face with johnson, confessed that he
killed Mrs. Cotton, Miss Agnes Miller
and Miss Lizzie Miller A discussion
then arose as to the best way to dispose
of the two self-confessed murderers.
Some were in favor of burning them,
and fires were made for that purpose,
and some say Johnson was actually
pushed in the fire and burnt. Cooler
judgment prevailed and it was finally
decided to hang them, which was done
and their bodies riddled with bullets.
1t was Arch Jofner's earnest request that
he be shot to death, and this was finally
determined on, as was the mode of death
which was to be meted out to Johnson,
but at the last moment after the fire had
BEEN started it was urged that both be
Cotton residence and executed as above
hung, as Williams had been, and they
were taken a quarter of a mile from the
stated. They both implicated two other
negroes, but said nothing about a white
man. All is quiet now