Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-12-07
he scene of his crime. He was in
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 h~andcuffed on leaving the
Jail in Covington he was almost par
alyzed 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 un-
able 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 information if any attempt
was made to secret the prisoner. Mes
sages were sent here. The prisoner
with his escort arrived at 1920 O'Clock.
Sheriff Perrine, while en- route to Mays
vile, had been informed that a mob
was awaiting the arrival of the train at
the depot and he hastily prepared the
swearing in of deputy sheriffs. AS the
train pulled slowly into the old station
the mob formed on both sides in two
long but closely huddled crowds. Arm
ed men stationed themselves at the plat
forms of all the cars, and warned the
frightened passengers to remain quiet
and not to interfere. A low murmur
gathered louder force as it spread up
and down the lines and it's volume slow
ly increased to a roar as first and
then another of the waiting men plung-
| ed into the cars. 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 hoarse demands were uttered
from the outer edges Of the crowd.
| Sheriff Perrine made a bold movement
and started walking swiftly but with no
| step behind him followed the officers
with Coleman in their midst, peering
affrightedly from side to side and seek
ing to conceal himself behind the
brawney forms OF his protectors. AS
| the officers proceeded the numbers of
the crowd were constantly swelled by
new arrivals and through the down
town business streets to the court house
they were closely followed.
Hundreds of stones and other mis-
siles were thrown and revolvers and
rifles were freely displayed. The pris-
oner was frequently struck and he pre-
scented
A FRIGHTFUL APPEARANCE,
the blood streaming from wounds on
his face and head. At the court house
a mob of W 1000 men, headed by
James Lashbrook, the husband, had
been hastily formed. The demand for
the prisoner was made, accompanied
by threats from the leaders, and there
were loud murmurs from the outskirts
of the mob. There was a brief strug-
gle in which weapons were hastily
( drawn by the officers, and then the
sheriff and his assistants were over
come by sheer force of numbers, and
the prisoner was pulled from their
midst by the triumphant leaders of the
mob. Up through the center portion
of the town the march was taken. The
prisoner being held by the vanguard
and dragged along with the aid of
ropes loosely attached to his body. He
was the target again of hundreds of
missiles and several times he sank half
unconscious to the ground while the
crowd pressed forward, striking at him
with clubs, sticks and whips until his
head and body were scarcely recog-
nizable. More dead than alive, he was
dragged along and forced to his feet.
Scores Of women Joined the men.
High above the noise, the wretch could
be heard pleading for his life and the
cry of the prisoner would be answered
with an oath and a blow. This spec
IdClS COnlllutu uuJll lnc SIOunuS WSI0
reached, where the final work of the
mob was accomplished with pelting
and burning.
The place of execution had been
selected several weeks ago, in accord
ance with all the other arranged de-
tails of the programme, mapped out by
the leaders of the mob. The prisoner
was dragged to the sapling and strap
ped against the tree, facing the hus-
band of the victim. Large quantities
of dry brush and larger bits of wood
were piled around him while he was
praying for speedy death. James Lash
brook, the husband of the victim, APP
piled the first match to the brushwood.
A brother of the victim struck the sec
ond match. Some one with a knife
was vainly slashing at the prisoners
chest. By a sort of cruel concurrence
of action on the part of the mob, not a
single shot was fired. The purpose
seemed to be to give the wretch the
greatest possible amount and
DURATION OF TORTURE.
A fatal shot would have been merciful