The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-08-10
VENGEANCE
is WROUGHT
By the Outraged People of
Clarendon, Ark,
For the Murder of John T. Orr,
a Citizen.
VENEGROES HANGED
Murdered Mans Wife Escaped
by Taking Poison,
And a Woman Friend Saved
Herself by Flight.
FIVENEGROES HANGEI

groeS are hanging from limbs OF trees
near the railroad track and the widow
OF John T. Orr is dead in her cell. This
is the tragic denouement of the assassi-
nation of John T. Orr, a wealthy mer-
chant, at Clarendon, a few nights ago.
The wife died from a dose of poison
self administered, while the negroes,
her associates in crime, were strung
up by mob of citizens.
The report of the lynching was re-
ceived here at an early hour this morn
ing after telegraphic communication
had been suspended for the night and
the only authentic details of the affair
came from a railroad telegraph opera
tor at Clarendon, who saw the lynching.
Four bodies, two women and two men.
are hanging from the limb of a tree not
far from his office and a few PAGES
away bangles the body of another ne
gro woman, the former cook in the Orr
household. Miss Morris. the Jewess
implicated in the assassination, was not
hanged, she having disappeared last
night. The lynched are:
MANSE CASTLE.
DENNIS RICARD.
RILLA WEAVER.
SUSIE JACOBS.
WILL SAUNDERS.
Last Saturday night, John T. Orr was
assassinated while making a glass of
lemonade. He had just returned from
choir practice, where his wife was or
ganist. The crime was shrOuded in
mystery until Miss Morris told somebody
that she knew who fired the shot
The coroner's inquest resulted in the
arrest of the five negroes and Mrs. Orr
and a warrant for Miss Norris. It
was charged that the wife had hired the
negroes to do the murder Orr's life
was insured for IS. .O0O, and it developed
at the inquest that Orr and his wife
lived unhappily. Mr.. Orr was formerly
a theatrical man. In 1890 the couple
eloped to a summer resort in Wiscon-
sin and were married. Later they set
tied in Clarendon, where Orr prospered
in business and was considered wealthy
at the time of his death.
Another Account.
Little Rock, Ark, Aug. 1O.-A special
to the Gazette from Clarendon, Ark,
says:
Five people, three men and two wo-
men, were lynched at Clarendon before
daylight this morning.
All the victims of the mobs were ne
groes. They were the parties accused
of the murder of Mr.. John T. Orr, the
wealthy young merchant who was as
sassinated a few nights ago.
While the five bodies swung from the
limbs of a tree in the breeze the body
of the widow of the murdered man lay
rigid in death in her cell in the county
JAIL with only the soft, sweet voice of
her three year old child to break the Si-
lence of the gloomy Jail, as the innocent
little tot vainly cried 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 Rachel Morris and
she is the only survivor of the coterie
as being responsible for the tragic death
of John T. Orr.
Mrs. Orr died by her own hand After
completely breaking down and making
a partial confession, she obtained in
some manner a quantity of poison and
took the dose about 2 O'Clock yesterday
afternoon. She never regained con-
sciOusness.
Clarendon has been the scene of great
excitement ever since Orr was assassi-
mated. Mr. Orr was prominent young
hardware dealer of that city. Last Fri
day night making lemonade in his home
an assassin crept up to his window and
fired a shot into his body from the eff
feet of which he died the following day.
There was apparently no clew to the
assassin. Mr.. Orr had just returned
from choir practice at a church Of
whose choir he was a member, while
his wife was the organist.
Blood hounds were put on the trail,
but they were unable to run down the
assassin.
AFTER an inquest extending over TWO
days, a verdict was returned charging
Mrs. Orr the murdered mans wife, with
being the instigator of the crime. Miss
Rachel Morris, a prominent young Jew
ess, NIanse Castle, VIII Sanders, Dennis
Ricord, Rilla Weaver and Susie ia
cobs, the latter five negroes, were
charged with completely in the crime.
Castle was arrested Sunday and barely
escaped lynching Sunday night. The
mob had already gathered to swing
him up and would undoubtedly have
carried out their plan but for the earn
est appeal in behalf of law and order
made by Judge Thomas, who appeared
on the scene just in time to prevent the
seeching them to let the law take it's
course and promised that the accused
should have a speedy trial
Castle was accused of firing the shot
that killed Orr, but he denied his guilt.
According to his story, one of the negro
women involved in the case had told
him that Mrs. Orr wanted her husband
killed and would pay $500 to have the
deed done. Castle agreed to the propO-
sition but later weakened and turned
the job over to RicOrd. Ricord likewise
denied his guilt and accused Castle
The negro women in the case had been
Orr household and it was shown at the
inquest that they had simply acted as
agents of Mrs. Orr in securing a man to
do the murder. What connection Miss
Morris had with the case is not clear
from the information at hand.
After the arrest of Mrs. Orr and the
five negroes, Mrs Orr made a confess
sion. She admitted that she said to her
cook that she wished her husband dead