The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1900-12-22
ARE SHOWN NO MERCY
Indiana Mob Lynches Two Colored
Murderers.
Halter Down Jail walls mt Rockport
The CuIprits Taken Out and
Hanged-Bodies Rfddled
with Bullets.

HunEeu-BOuies hiuuieu
with bullets.
indianapolis, Ind, Dec. IA special
to the Sentinel from Rockport, Ind,
Pays: Two negroes, Jim Henderson
and Bud Rowlands, who waylaid, bru-
tally murdered and robbed Hollie
Simons, white barber, early Sunday
morning, were lynched in the jailyard
by mob of 900 frenzied citizens Sun
day night. The negroes were arrested
early and. although Rowlands' clothing
had bloodstains on it, the men claimed
they were innocent of the crime. In
the meantime Sheriff Clemens, of
Union county, Kentucky, arrived with
n trained bloodhound in response to
telegraphic summons.
Traced by n bloodhound.
When the dog was placed on the trail
he followed it until he reached the
house where Rowlands lived, six blocks
from the scene of the murder, and went
baying TO the bed the negro had occu-
! pied. This was enough for the excited
citizens. Within few minutes a mob
of thousand bowling, bloodthirsty
citizens, with sledge hammers. ropes
and guns, were running to the Jail.
Sheriff Anderson and his two deputies
made a stand and attempted to protect
the prisoners. The officers were seized
by the leaders of the mob, who dis
armed them, The sheriff was then
locked in a room and placed under
guard, but he stoutly refused to give
up the keys or tell where the prisoners
were hidden.
Faiing to get the keys, the mob
made a determined but unsuccessful
attempt to break in the jail door. BY
this time the would-be lyncners were
in perfect frenzy, and. securing
telegraph pole. they used it as bat
tering ram and caved in the side wall
of the Jail. The door of Rowland's cell
was then quickly broken in with
sledges and he was dragged from the
Jail to the east side of the courtyard,
| where n moose was placed about his
neck. He was given time to make n
statement, in whicn he implicated Jim
| Henderson and another negro. Row
lands then begged piteously for mercy
but the mob swiftly swung the con-
| fessed murderer to tree and riddled
his body with bullets.
! Leaving the body of Rowlands
dangling from the limb of the tree,
attempted to burst open the cell oc-
cupied by Henderson, but before the
steel bars yielded to the blows of the
| sledges some one in the crowd fired
upon the terrified negro as he
crouched in the corner of his CELL
| A few moments more and the door Of
| the cell was broken in. The negro,
more dead than alive, was dragged at
| ropes end to the courthouse yard
and swung on the tree beside the
body of Rowlands.
Firing parting volley at the swing
ing bodies, the mob. eager for an
other victim. hurried away to catch
| the other negro implicated by Row
lands in his confession. He was found
at hotel, where he was employed
as porter. The negro escaped to
the roof of the building, and Manager
Debruler succeeded in convincing the
mob that the porter had nothing to
do with the crime, proving an alibi
for him. The mob then dispersed, ap-
parently satisfied with it's awful work
of vengeance.
| Their Crime.
The negroes victim, Simons, was
waylaid and murdered in the most
brutal manner one square from the
main street of the city, as he was
| going to his home from his barber
shop, at two o'clock in the morning.
AS was customary with him, he car
ried the receipts of the day at his
place of business. The negroes were
aware of this, and evidently laid their
plans accordingly. Crouching behind
a fence. they awaited their victim and
jumped from their place of conceal
| ment and attacked him from behind,
! striking him over the head with q
heavy club with large nail driven
into the end of it.
Although terribly beaten, Simons
made n desperate fight, and his cries
| and struggles soon attracted two boys,
| who went to his assistance, but they
| were n moment 100 Idte, the Nlctln Oh
the two negroes had succumbed to the
| terrible beating, and was lying dead
| at their feet. The murderers then drove
| the would-be rescuers away, and ac-
| complished their original design-that
| of Notwithstanding a bag containing
something over $40 from the PROSTATE
form of their victim, and made their
escape. Simons was terribly beaten;
his skull crushed in, his head and face
beaten into pulp. Four gaping
wounds showed where the spike on the
| club had punctured the dead mans
skull. and penetrated his brain.
Walter Evans. one Of the young men
who attempted to save Simons' life, and
who afterwards assisted in the remov-
| ing of the dead mans remains to his
home. was greatly affected, and almost
suffered nervous collapse. He wit
messed the lynching, and he is now q
raving maniac.
More Bodies Recovered.
-Dunkirk, y. Y, Dec. 17.-Bodies of
| - 81 Ao1 a.