The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-07

| Coleman tccloreD confessed murderer
of Mrs. James Lashbrook. wife of his
employer. expiated his crime in day.
light today at the hands Of a mob con-
sisting of thousands of citizens, by
burning at the stake, after suffering
torture and fright beyond description
| The dreadful spectacle occurred on the
peaceful cricket grounds of this, one of
the Oldest and among the proudest
cities of Kentucky
The barbarities inflicted upon this
young negro by citizens of one of the
most highly civilized cities of the state,
are mostly beyond belief and can only
/ be accounted for by the intense horror
created by long consideration of the
atrocious crime of which full confess
sion had been made by Coleman.
On Tuesday Sheriff Perrine. under or
ders of Judge HarbesOn. with four as
Sistants, went to Covington, where
| Coleman had been confined since his
confession. expecting to return with
him on Tuesday night. but after reach
! ing Covington, the jailer at Maysville
wired him not to attempt to bring the
! prisoner into Maysville at night.
Trial Set For Yesterday.
The trial was set for today. Sheriff
Perrine determined to leave Covington
by the train on the Chesapeake & Ohio
which started at 7:30 O'Clock WedneS-
day morning from Cincinnati and Cow
ington. Coleman had been appraised on
Tuesday night to prepare to return to
! the scene of his crime. He was in
stantly stricken with fear and begged
piteously to be permitted to remain in
Covington until after his trial. He said
he expected TO die. but he dreaded the
vengeance of a mob.
When he was handcuffed on leaving
the iai1 q CnUinofnn he. almost
paralyzed and had to be assisted to the
patrol wagon. The crowd about the
Jail there and at the Covington depot
added to his fear. On entering the
train he seemed unable to sit down un-
til one of the guards forced him into a
| seat.
1t developed that in the crowd at
Covington and even on the train there
were some of the relatives of Mrs.
LaShbrook, ready TO convey informa-
ton of any attempt to secret the pris-
oner. Messages We're sent here
Seized By the Mob.
Coleman arrived at MaysviIle at $50
this morning under special guard
sworn in by the sheriff, including De-
tective Fitzgerald, Contable Dawson,
Chief of Police Donovan. all the police
force and two deputy sheriffs. When
they arrived at the court house they
were IiltL Oy d liltD VI luliy l.VvV pCOPAcr
headed by James Lashbrook the hus-
band of the murdered woman, and went
Immediately up Second street through
| the central portion of the city to the
hill, followed by a mob Of fully 5000
persons.
All was done that was possible by
the sheriff and guard to prevent a
lynching, but in the face of such a moS,
of people, irrespective of color, it was
useless to attempt to do anything.
the mob grabbed Coleman and threw
a rope over his head and took him up
above the city. Coleman could be
heard above the cries of the mob plead
ing for his life.
The place of execution had been Sc
lected weeks ago. in accordance with
all the other details of the programme
mapped out by the leaders of the mob.
Husband Applied the Torch.
The prisoner was dragged to a sap
ling and strapped against the tree. fac
ing the husband of the victim. Large
quantities of dry brush and large bits
of wood were piled around him while he
was praying 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. Someone
with a knife was viciously slaShing at
the prisoners chest. BY a sort of cruel
concurrence of action on the part of the
mob, not shot was fired. The pur
pose seemed to be to give the wretch
the greatest amount and duration of
torture. A fatal shot would have been
merciful, but there was no mercy in
the crowd surrounding Richard Cole
man.
AS the flames arose, his horrors in
creased. He made vain efforts to with
draw his limbs from the encroaching
fires, his eyes rolled in frenzy of suf-
fering. The ropes securing him to the
tree were burned and his body finally
fell forward on the burning pile.
Pushed Body Back In Flames.
Even then, although it was not GER
tain whether he was living or dead,
the vengeful purpose of the crowd led
them to use rails and long poles to
push his body back into the flames. 1t
is not certain how long life lasted.
During the process, while his voice
could be heard he begged for drink
of water his tongue protruding and
his eyeballs fairly starting from his
head. At the end of three hours the
body was practically cremated-
During all that time members of the
family of Mrs. Lashbrook had remain
ed to keep up the fire and TO keep the
body in position where it would con-
tinue TO burn After three hours a
nephew of Mrs. Lashbrook was still
pushing the body on the burning en-
bers while a curious crowd of several
thousand persons, including many wo-
men, fingered on the scene.
1t is said that on the march through
the city the prisoners eyes had been
burned out by acid thrown in an egg
SHE'LL
In all the thousands who constituted
the mob there was not a single effort
to disguise or conceal identity No
man wore a mask. All the leaders of
the mob are well known and there are
hundreds of witnesses who can testify
to their part in the tragedy. They in
clude leading citizens in all lines of
business, and many are members of the
church.
Story of Heartless Crime.
Just two months ago Richard Cole
man the trusted employee of Farmer
James Lashbrook, in moment of de-
pravity and savagery not equalled in
the annals of crime, murdered the wo-
man who had been his benefactor.
Coleman was not only employed on
the farm, but had been installed as a
house servant and was trusted implic-
lily by both Mr.. Lashbrook and his
wife.
On the day of the murder Mr. Lash
brook was at work some distance away
from the house Coleman was left in
charge of the house. Mrs. Lashbrook