Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-27
Troops From ottumwa Cal
led to Abba.
PROTECTION FROM MOB.
Negro Rapist Taken to Abba for Pre-.
smnary Hearing Under Guard OF
Company Gan Interview With
the Prisoner.
From Fridays Daily.


For the purpose of preventing the
Infatuated people of that vicinity from
avenging the terrible outrage of an
aged white woman by burly negro,
detail of men from Company &c, !"
50th regiment, /. N. G., was hurried
to Abba this morning to act as a
guard while the negro was having his
preliminary trial.
There was general air of eXectan-
cy and doubt when the citizens of OF
tumwa learned a portion of Company
C. had gone to Abba to defend the
negro Booker from the fury of mob
that it was rumored was waiting to
receive him there and it was relieved
when Sheriff Doner with his detail of
troops returned to this city with the
prisoner on Burlington No. 10 and the
negro was taken to the county jail
where he was placed for safe keep
ing until he can be tried here.
Sheriff j John Doner went to Ft. Mad
ison yesterday and got Booker, the
alleged rapist, and returned as far as
this city last night, leaving the prison
er in Mt. Pleasant Jail until this morn
ing. AS there had been rumors of
trouble, should the negro be taken
back to Abba, Sheriff Doner made a
requisition for guard of soldiers to
prevent riot and possible lynching.
Adjutant General Byers arrived in
this city last night and Immediately
called Colonel Caughlan, Adjutant D..
A. Emery and Captain Armstrong in
to consultation. After brief discus
sion of the case it was decided to send
a detail of men with Sheriff Doner this
morning when he took Booker to AL
bia, and to hold the balance of the
company in readiness il occasion
warranted the calling out of the entire
regiment.
While there was strong talk of
lynching the negro at the time of the
commission of the crime and deter
mined effort made to get hold of him,
which was frustrated by the quick &C
ton of Sheriff Doner in spiriting him
to the penitentiary for safe keeping,
it is thought now that the wiser coun-
sci will prevail and that the law will
be allowed to take it's course. So
quietly We're the preparations made
for calling out the guard, that scarce
~ anyone in the city had an inkling
of it, and the men themselves did not
know where they were going until
they boarded the train.
1t will be remembered, that on the
night of October 80, Alva Booker, a
negro who had made his home in Abba
for about three months previous to
that time, working in a mental capaci-
ty about one of the hardware stores of
that city, ran amucK on account of an
over Indulgence in liquor and after in.
sulting several ladies who were wait.
Ing at the Burlington depot for out.
going trains, went to the house of Mrs.
Sarah Howell, which he is alleged to
have broken into. It is said that he at
first attempted to outrage the 12-year-
old daughter of Mrs. Howell, who was
the sole companion OF the aged widow.
After pleading with the negro for some
time Mrs. Hoyel got him to desist in
his attempt on the little girl and it
is charged that he then turned atten-
ton to the woman, compelling her to
submit at the point of a pistol. Mrs.
Howell gave the alarm as soon as she
could make her way to neighbours
house where she told what had occur.
red.
The night Waterman was notified
and he soon afterwards located the
negro at the place where he boarded,
calmly eating breakfast. He was
placed under arrest and taken to Jail,
, but as,ssoon as the people of the city
learned the particulars Of the affair,
excited Knots of men began gathering
fv%<~, all L.. l. L ~l....