The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-08-22

! jail and both he and the mayor mace
! speeches pleading with the mob to dis
| perse and go home, and warning them
Of the consequence of the course they
| were pursuing: but of course such ad-
monitions might as we'll have been ad-
dressed TO the waters of the Potomac
| in flood time. The mayor is even
| quoted as begging the mob to wait one
| more day and see whether the grand
| jury would not return an indictment.
The mob only hooted and jeered, and
| addressed itself afresh to its work.
| One constable fought manfully to save
the life of the negro. After the latter
had been brought out of the Jail with a
| rope around his neck. this officer drew
his revolver. boldly faced the crowd
and declared that the wrong man had
been taken. For minute even this ire
sponsible gang was held in check by the
new turn given to its thoughts. TAX
| ing advantage of the effect of the ruse,
the constable removed the moose from
the neck OF, the negro, who hobbled
away a short distance and fell, faint
and trembling, in the vestibule of a
private dwelling. At this point some
one positively identified him, and an
other rush was made upon his body.
He was dragged to lamp post and
strung up Here the constable who
tried to do his duty forced his way
again into the middle of the crowd with
his two revolvers, but was overpoW-
cred and disarned before he had time
to pull the trigger. A final effort re-
manned for him, however: when the
struggling body was lifted off the
ground he made g. dash for it with a
knife to cut it down, in reckless de-
flance of 4 volley Of pistol shots, but
was prevented by force
The demoniac character Of the whole
riot was heightened by the incidents
Immediately preceding the hanging.
On emerging from the Jail in the first
instance, the negro was faced by man
with O revolver, who fired at him at
close range, with the intention of
wounding but not killing him, and the
shot took effect in his leg. When he
was recaptured after his momentary
release, procession was formed to the
improvised gallows, his captors drag
ging his body over the rough cobble-
stones while other members of the
crowd pelted him with stones and beat
him with whatever weapons the could
lay hands on, till he was covered with
bleeding bruises and his clothes were
torn almost entirely off. He would
gladly have walked if the crowd would
have let him, and struggled piteotlsly
to get upon his feet as they pulled him
along. Meanwhile, the men on the out
skirts of the crowd, being deprived of
the share in the enjoyment of those on
the inside, sought compensation by
joining in the hdeous din, shouting and
shrieking and firing pistols in the air
AS result of the reckless shooting,
two citizens at some distance received
more or less serious wounds The
hanging itself was more than usually
brutal; for it was not discovered till
Thomas had been swinging from, the
lamp post for some minutes that the
rope had slipped from under his chin
and caught in his mouth. AS he. APP
peared to be still alive. though uncon-
scious, when finally cut down. one of
the mob stepped UP and fired a shot
into hts body, which evidently reached
g vital part and ended his suffering.
On Wednesday hundreds of people
went down from this city to Alexan-
dria, impelled by some motive which
they would have found hard to ex-
plain. Everywhere they found sup
pressed excitement and anxiety. The
negroes were gathered In little groups
here and there, discussing the tragedy,
but closing their lips as soon as they
discovered white man within hearing.
c11t1 nd i,,Ji
talk except among themselves were full
of ominous suggestion. The white cit
liens became alarmed. fearing q negro
uprising to avenge the mob murder,
and telegranhed the governor at Rich
mond for supply of firearms Sixty
rifles came in response before nightfall,
and local militia organization was
promptly armed and placed under or
ders, but fortunately were not needed
in action.
The circumstances of this riotous out
break are such as to leave little excuse
for not discovering some, at least of
the parties concerned, If the authori-
ties will do their full duty. There ap-
pears to have been very slight caution,
or attempt at the concealment of iden-
tity practiced by any of the members
Of the mob. No ono seems to have
worn mask, and though the mlscre-
ants were drawn from the lowest social
stratum in the city and neighhorhood, |
it will be strange If evidence cannot be |
by slillful detectives against
a handful of them, whose fate would |
suffice as warning to others Of their
stripe. The hanging, by calm judicial |
process, of q half-dozen members of |
Tuesday nights mob would have the |
most Wholesome effect upon popular re- |
spect for law and order throughout the |
state of Virginia, redeem the good |
name Of Alexandria and rid thar COM |
munity and this one of a small propor- |
ton of the most pestiferous human
growth Washington Correspondence |
Of the Boston Transcript.
IN THE DIAMOND DIGGINGs.
Trade-Once as Large as |