Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1900-12-21
LYNCHED BY A MOB.

LYNCHED BY A MOB.
Vengeance Dealt Two Negroes In indiana
Authorities We're Overcome.
Rockport, Ind, Dec. 19.-Two me-
groes, Jim Henderson and Bud Row.
lands, whe waylaid, murdered and rob-
bed Hollie Simons, white barber,
early this morning. were lynched to-
night in the Jail yard by a mob OF
1900. The neg, oes were arrested soon
after the murder occurred, and al
though Rowlands' clothing had blood
stains on it they claimed they were in
nocent. In the meantime Sheriff
Clemens, of Union county, Kentucky,
arrived with q trained bloodhound.
When the dog was placed on the trail
he followed it to the house where Row
lands lived, six blocks from the scene
of the murder, and went baying to the
bed the negro had occupied. This
was enough for the excited citizens.
Within few minutes mob of a thous.
and bowling, bloodthirsty men with
sledge hammers, ropes and guns were
on the way to the jail.
Sheriff Anderson and his two deIdl-
ties made stand and attempted to
protect the prisoners. The Office
were seized by the leaders of the mob
and disarmed. The sheriff, although
locked in a room and placed under
guard. stoutly refused to give up the
keys or tell where the prisoners were
hiding.
The mob made determined but un.
successful attempt to break in the Jail
door. Finally they secured a telegraph
pole, and using it as battering ram
caved in the side wall of the Jail. The
door of Rowlands' cell was then quick
ly broken in with sledge hammers and
he was dragged from the Jail to the
east side of the court yard, where
moose was placed about his neck. He
was given time to make statement.
in which he implicated Jim Henderson
and another negro. Rowlands then
begged piteously for mercy. but the
mob quickly swung the confessed muir
derer to tree and riddled his body
with bullets.
Leaving the dangling body of Row
lands. the mob rushed back to the jail
and burst open the cell occupied by
Henderson. Before the bars yielded to
the blows OF the sledge some one in the
crowd fred upon the terrified negro as
he crouched in the far corner. 1t took
but few moments to get at Hender-
son, and the negro. more dead than
alive, was dragged at the ropes end to
the court house yard and swung to the
tree beside the body of Rowlands Fir
ing parting volley at the swinging
bodies. the mob. eager for another VIC
tim, hurried away to catch the other
negro implicated by Rowlands. He
was found at MOTEL where he was EN-.
ployed as porter. The negro escaped
to the roof of the building, and Mama
ger De Bruler succeeded in convincing
the mob that the porter had nothing
to do with the crime. The mob then
dispersed. apparently satisfied with its
work of vengeance.
Simons was murdered in the most
6rutal manner, one square from the
4main street of the city, as he was
going to his home from his barber shop
at . o'cJock this morning. He car
ried the receipts of the days work, a
fact of which the negroes we're aware.
They attacked him from behind, strik-
ing him over the head with a heavy
dub into which large mai. had been
driven. Although terribly beaten,
Simons made desperate fight. His
cries attracted two boys. The negroes
drove them away and accomplished
their original design, securing bag
containing something over $40 from
their victim, and made their escape.
When others arrived Simons was dead.
His skull was crushed in and his head
and face beaten to pulp. The spike
on the club had punctured the skull in
four places and penetrated his brain.
Walter Evans, one of the young men
who attempted to rescue Simons, and
who afterwards witnessed the lynch
ing. has become a raving maniac.
The dead mans wife is Frustrated,
and it is believed she will die from
the shock.