The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1898-08-11
THE HOO-DO0 DOCTOR
WHO TRIED TO POISON ORR
WITH BOILED SNAKE HEADS,
AMONG THE FIVE THAT WERE LYNCHED
Strung up by a Mob of Citizens. Miss Rache
Morris, Accused Of Being an Aces
sorry 10 0r's Murder has
Disappeared.

groes are hanging from the llmbs 81
trees near the railroad track ana III.
widow Of John I. Orr is dead i'll her cen
This is the tragic denouement Of the as
sassnation of John 7. Orr, wealthy
merchant at Clarendon, a few nights ago.
The wife died from Il dose of polSon'
self-admnistcred while the negroes, her
associates in crime. were strung up by
a mob of citizens The lynched are:
MA CASTLE.
RILLA WEANEAR.
DENNIS REGARD.
SUSIE JACOBS.
WILL SAUNDERS.
AT midnight mob composed of 800
persons visited the Monroe county Jail
Mt Clarendon took thcrefrom the pris-
oners charged With the murder of Orr
and lynched them. The mob was most
orderly one. not a word being unncccs-
sarily spoken and not Il shot being fired.
They marched to the jail and demanded
the keys Of Deputy Sheriff Frank Mil
wee. who was in charge. He ut first
refused their demands. but seeing their
earneStness. turned over TO them the
keys A committee of the mob went in
side the jail and brought out the prison
ers and hanged them to the tramway of
the Halnern Saw Mill. which stands
about 100 yards in the rear of the jail.
Will Saunders WAS the one who fired
the shot that killed Mr.. Orr: Rilla Weav-
ear. the mother Of Saunders. and cook
in the Orr household: Dennis Ricard.
wne the "hoo-doo doctor" and ''conjur-
err" who tried to poison Orr with boiled
snake heads. and Manse Castle voIun-
teered TO do the job and transferred if
to Saunders. Miss Rachael Morris. ac-
cused of being an accessory to the crime.
has disappeared and her whereabou
are unknown to the officers.
A placard bearing these words was at
tached to the bodies: ''Ths is the pen
atty for murder and rape"
The negroes remained where they were
hung until n. m. today. Great crowds
viewed the sight. The negroes seem to
endorse the lynchng and many of them
are open in their expression of satisfac-
ton over the death of Dennis Ricard.
whose arts of hoo-doo and coniuring
made him IN object of dread to them.
While The five bodies swung in the
early morning breeze. the body of the
widow of the murdered man lies dead
in her cell in the county jail with only
the soft sweet voice of her three-year old
child TO break the midnight silence of
the gloomy cell as the innocent little tot
yainly cries for mamma.
Somewhere Young woman. once
prominent in Clarendon society. is a fu-
gitive from justice. hunted by the Off
GERS of the law. charged with murder.
Her name is Miss Rachael Morris. and
she is the only survivor of the coterie of
seven named in the coroners verdict as
Eai l. e., II
John T. Orr.
Mrs. Orr died by her own hand After
completely breaking down and making
Il partial confession, in some way she
obtained quantity Of poison and took
the dose about = o'clock Monday after
noon. She never regained consciousness
Last Saturday night John r. Orr was
assassinated while making glass of
lemonade. The crime was shrouded in
mystery until Miss Morris told somebody
that she knew who fired the shot.
After Il cOroners inquest extending
over two days, Il verdict was rendered,
charging Mrs Orr. the murdered mans
wife. with being the instigator of the
crime. Miss Rachael Morris. Manse
Castle VIII Saunders. Dennis Rcard,
Rilla Wevear and Susie Jacobs. the five
last named negroes. were charged with
completely in the crime.
After the arrest of Mrs. Orr and the
five negroes. Mrs. Orr made a confess
sion. She admitted that she had said
to her cook that she wished her husband
dead and that she woulG he willing to
give 5000 to anybody TO XIII him. But
she said this was uttered while IN u fit
Of anger, and that she was innocent of
abused her. she said. and once struck
her and she, being of high temper her
self, sometimes said things in anger that
She did not mean.
Mrs Orr died late yesterday after
noon. Just before she lapsed into I'M
consciousness she wilcd all Of her prop
erty to her four year old daughter, Ma
and placed it in trust with the Clarendon
Lodge Knights Of pythias. OF which her
dead husband was Il prominent member.
John Orr was several years ago Il
theatrical man and in 1890 was manager
of n theatre in n small Wisconsin town.
There he met and married his wife. The
marriage was cIandesiine and the BRIDE
parents were bitterly opposed to it. The
Orrs lived happily but a short time. Orr
prospered and was considered wealthy
mt the time Of his death. His life
was insured for $1,000.
1t appears from letters received by
Mrs. Orr in the name of her cook, Itilla
Wevear, through whom all the CORE
spondenco was conducted. that Mrs. Orr
and Rachael Morris were 70 remain
here until Mr. Orr's insurance money
was collected and then go 20 New York.
where they were to meet two men and
form theatrical company. Mrs. orr
was also in correspondence with other
men.