The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-12-07
Expiates His Crime at the Hands Of a Mob
at City of MaysviIIe.
Taken From q Guard Of Officers on
Arrival at the Court-House to
Stand Trial, a Mob Of Thousands
of Citizens Drag the Murderer
to the Outskirts of Town, Tor
ture Him in a Horrible Manner,
and Burn Him at the Stake.

NASHVILLE (Ky.), Dec. 6.-Richard
Coleman, colored who confessed to the
murder of Mrs. James Lashbrook, wife
| of his employer, expiated his crime in
daylight to-day at the hands of a mob,
consisting 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
city, one of the oldest and among the
proudest cities of Kentucky. The bar
barities 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 account
ed for by the intense horror created by
long consideration of the atrocious
crime of which full confession had beer:
made by Coleman.
Just two months ago Richard Co,e-
man, the trusted employe of Farmer
James Lashbrook, in a moment of de-
pravity and savagery not eoualled IN
the annals of crime murdered the wo-
man who had been his benefactor. Cole
man was not only employed ON the
farm, but had been installed as house
servant, and was trusted implicitly 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
| had driven to Maysville and returned,
when Coleman asked her to enter the
| cabin to look at some work at which
he had been engaged. The negro locked
the door on the inside. Mrs. Lashbrook
became frightened and screamed Cole
man struck her ON the head, knocking
her down, but not stopping her cries
He then seized a razor and cut her
throat. He picked up the bleeding
body and placed it on the bed. He then
left the room, but returning, heard her
still groaninas and with an ak he struck
her repeatedly on the head until he
was sure she was dead.
Without any show of alarm or re-
morse for his crime the negro calmly
washed the blood from his hands and
clothing, and went to where Mr.. Lash
brook was at work in the field and
! told him that he had better come to
the house, as some one had killed his
wife Mr.. Lashbrook did not take the
matter seriously until Coleman insisted
that his wife was dead. Even then, so
great was the confidence of Mr.. Lash
brook in Coleman, that no thought oc-
Cured that he was the murderer.
1t was not until after officers arrived
that suspicion was directed against
Coleman. Bloodspots had been found
on his clothing, but he accounted for
| -, l,x he I'LL Inv
chickens That night however, at
Maysville a partial confession was Oh
tanned. and knowing the result if that
fact should become known, the officers
quietly took him to Covington, KY, for
safe keeping. He was indicted for the
murder.
Shortly after his incarceration at Cow
| ing ton he made a complete and hcrrl-
BILE confession of his crime to the jaler.
| The story of his revolving crime, in
Guiding worse than murder was told
without any appearance of feeling by
the prisoner.
| This confession, becoming public,
reused feeling of Indignation against
| the prisoner among the relatives and
| friends Of the victim. which made it
morally certain that the officers of the
| Jaw would be powerless to prevent a
summary vengeance at the first OPP
portun'ty. Still, the officers at Nays
vile did not act upon that basis. There
| was no call upon the Governor for
troops to protect the prisoner.
! On Tuesday Sheriff Perrin received
orders from Judge Harbeson, and with
four assistants went to Covington ex-
pecting to return with Coleman on
Tuesday but after reaching Covington
the Sheriff received word that he had
better not attempt to bring the pris-
oner into Maysville at night.
! The trial was set for to-day. Sheriff
Perrin determined to leave Covington
by the train on the Chesapeake and
Ohio which started at 7:3O o'clock on
Wednesday morning from Cincinnati
and Covington.
Coleman had been apprised Tuesday
night to prepare to return to the scene
of his crime. He was instantly strick-
en- with fear, and begged piteously to
be permitted to remain in Covington
until after his trial. He said he ex-
pected to die, but he dreaded the ven
geance of a mob. When he was hand
cuffed on leaving the jail at Covington
he was 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, until 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 in
formation of any attempt to seerete the
prisoner.
| Coleman arrived at Maysvi1le at $50
! this morning under special guard
sworn in by the Sheriff, including De-
| tective Fitzgerald, Constable Dawson,
Chief of Police Donovan, all the police
i force and two Deputy Sheriffs. When
they arrived at the courthouse they
We're met by mob of fully 900 peo-
pie headed by James Lashbrook, the
husband of the murdered woman. and
went Immediately I'D Second street,
! through the central portion of the city,
! to the hill, followed by mob OF fully
5000 persons.