Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-08-11
CLARENDON'S LYNCHING bee
Three Men and Two Women
Hanged There Tuesday.
ALL or THE VICTIMS GOLORED
WereAccused of Assassinating
John t. Orr.
The Murdered Mans Widow, who Had
Hired the Negroes TO Kill Biin, Made a
Partial Con.esston, After Which She
Committed Suicide by Taking Poison.


Associated Press Dispatch by Special Wires.
Little Rock, Ark, Aug. 10.-The
Gazette prints the following account
Of the lynching at Clarendon:
Five people, three men aud two
women, were lyncnad at Clarendon at
an carly hour yesterday morning. All
Of the victims Of the mob's wrath are
negroes. They were accused of the
murder Of John L. Orr, the wealthy
young merchant who was assassinated
| a few nights ago. Thsir names are
Will Sanders. Dennis Ricard. Manse
Castle, Rilla Weaver and Susis Jacobs.
while the five bodies swung In tho
early morning breeze, the bouy of the
widow of the murdered man lay rigid
10 death in her cell in the county Jail,
with only the soft. sweet voice of her
s-years oil child to break the silence
of the gloomy jail. as the innocent rot
ysiniy criad for mamma.
Somewhere a young woman, once
prominent In Clarendon society, 10 a
fugitive from justice. hunted by tho
officers of the law and charged with
u urder. Sha 10 Miss Rachel. Morris.
and is the only survivor of the oatsrie
Of seven named in the coroner's verdict
as being responsible for the tragic
death OF John I. Orr.
Mira. Orr died by her own hands.
After completely breaking down and
making a partial confession, in some
way she obtained quantity OF poison,
and took the dose about 2 o'clock ON
Monday Afternoon. She never regained
consciousness. The details Of the
fearful work Of the mob are unobtain-
able at this hour. About II O'Clock on
Monday night the last dispatch was
| received from Gazette correspondent
II was stated in the dispatch that
everything was quiet, the prisoners
being in charge of Deputy Sheriff Mil
| wee, and that thsre was No prospect of
| lynching before morning. 1t is evil
dent FROM tbis that the lynching o.
CURED at very early hour yesterday
morning. and that the mob planned it's
| work so we'll that its appearance was in
| the nature Of surprise. Sheriff Jack
son was nut in Clarendon when The
lyncbing occurred, having been taken
| seriously i'll. =
THE NEGROES CRIME.
| Last Friday night, while he was
| making glass of Lemonade in his
| home, an assassin crapt up to bis
window and fired shot in Mr.. Orr'e
body, from the effect of which be dier.
the following day. MIR. Orr had just
returned from choir practice at o
church of whose choir he was q mem
ber, while his wife was the organiat.
Bloodhounds were Iut on the trail.
but they we're unable to run down the
assassin.
After an inquest extending over two
days, a verdict charging Mrs. Orr, the
murdered mans wife. with being the
instigator OF the crime was returned.
M las Rachel Morris. Manse Castle, Will
Sanders, Dennis Ricard, Rilla Weaver
| and susie Jacobs. the five last-named
negroes, were charged With completely
! in the crime. Caatle was arrested on
Sunday, and barely escaped lynching
on Sunday night. Tho mob had az.
ready gathered to swing him up. and
would undoubtedly have carried out its
plan but for 40 earnest appeal in behalf
of law and order made by Judge
Thomas, who appeared on the scene
| just in time to prevent the lynching.
| He addressed the crowd, beseechiug il
| 10 let the law take its course. and
promised TINT the accused would have
| a speedy trial.
Castle was accused OF firing1 the
shot that killed Mr.. Orr, but he denied
| his guilt, According to bis story, one
| OF the negro women involved in the
case had told him that Mrs. Orr wanted
her husband killed, and would pay $20C
to have the deed done. Castle agreed
| to tho proposition, but later weakened,
Il 49,. ha fSA %
| The latter likewise denied his guilt,
| in the case had been employed as cook
and ssryant in the Orr household. and
| il was shown OF tue inquest that they
had simply acted MS agents Of Mrs. Orr
| in securing man to do the murder.
| What connection NJ ISIS Morria had with
| the case ia not clear from the informa-
tion at hand.
After this arrest of Mrs. Orr and the
five negroes, Mrs. Orr made confess
sion. She admitted that she had said
| to her COOK that she wished her hus-
band dead, ana that she would be will
| ling TO give 5000 to anybody to kill
him, but she said this was uttered
while shs was in fit of anger, and
| that she was innocent of any criminal
| intantion. Her husband abused her,
she said, and once struck her, and she.
being of high temper, sumetimes said
| in anger what she did not mean.
John Orr was, several years ago, q
| theatrical man. and in 1890 was mana
ger of theatre in small Wisconsin
town. There be met and married his
wife. The marriage was clandsstine.
and the brides parents we're bitterly
opposed to it. The 0rrs lived happily
but short time. Both we're hot-tsm.
perei, and quarrels were frequent A
few years ago they settled in Claren-
don, where ths husband engaged in
business. lie prospersd, and was con.
sidered wealthy at the Tins of his
death. A 3-years-old daughter, the
only issue of the unhappy marriage ID
left an orphan.