Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1899-12-08

any attempt was made to Sc
crete the prisoner. Message
were sent here. The prisonel
with his escort arrived at Io:2t
o'clock. Sheriff Perrine, while
en- route to Maysville, had been
informed that mob was await.
ing the arrival of the train al
the depot, and he hastily pre-
pared for the swearing in OF
deputy sheriffs. AS the train
pufcd slowly into the old sta>
tiou the mob formed on both
sides in two long but closely
huddled crowds. Armed men
stationed themselves at the plat
form of all the cars and warned
the frightened passengers to re.
main quiet and not to interfere.
The Sheriff and his assistants
were strongly armed and there
was some resistance as the lead
ers of the mob jostled roughly
against them and demands were
uttered from the outer fringes of
the crows for the prisoner.
A BOLD MOVEMENT.
Sheriff Perrine made a bold
movement aud started walking
swiftly. but with no indications
of panic from the car. A step be-
hind him followed the officers
with Coleman in their midst,
seeking to conceal him behind
the brawny forms of his protec-
tors. AS the officers proceeded
the numbers of the mob were
constantly swelled by new ar
rivals, and through the downs
town business streets to the
Courthouse they were closely
followed. Hundreds of stones
and other missiles were thrown
and revolvers and rifles were
freely displayed.
HUSBAND LEADS MOB.
At the Courthouse a mob of
oyer ? 900 men, headed by James
Lash brook, the husband, had
been hastily formed. A demand
for the prisoner was made. There
was a brief struggle, in which
weapons were hastily drawn by
the off GERS, and then the Sheriff
and his assistants were overcome
by force of numb bers and the
prisoner was seized by the lead>
ers of the mob. The prisoner
was dragged along by ropes
loosely attached to his body.
He was the target again OF hun~
dreds of missiles and several
times he sank half conscious to
the ground, while the crowd
pressed forward, striking at him
with clubs, sticks and whips un>
til his head and body were scarce
ly recognizable More dead than
alive he was dragged along and
forced to his feet. Scores of wo,
men joined the men. The wretch
could be heard pleading for his
life, but the cry of the prisoner
was answered with an oath and
a blow.
THE FUNERAL PYRE.
The place of execution had
been selected weeks ago and all
the other details of the program
mapped out by the leaders of
the mob. The prisoner vas
strapped against a tree, facing
the husband of the victim. Large
quantities of dry brush and
larger bits of wood were piled
around him while he was pray>
ing for speedy death. James
Lashbrook, the husband of the
victim. applied the first match
to the brushwood. A brother of
the victim struck the second
match. Some one with knife
was vainly slashing at the pris>
oner's chest. Not a single shot
was fired. The purpose seemed
to be to give the wretch the
greatest possible amount of tor
ture. A fatal shot would have
been merciful and there was no
mercy in the crowd surrounding
Richard Coleman.
A PRAYER FOR WATER.
The ropes securing him to the
tree were burned and lhis body
finally fell forward On the burn.
ing pile. The crowd used rails
and long poles to brush his body