The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-12-20
VENGEANCEOF A MOB
Infuriated Citizens of Rockport,
Ind, Lynch Two Negroes.

Indianapolis, Ind, Dec. IA special
to the Sentinel from Rockport, Ind,
says: Two negroes, Jim Henderson
and Bud Rowlands, who waylaid, bru-
tally murdered and robbed Hollie
Simons, a white barber, early Sunday
morning, were ly ahed in the jailyard
by a mob of 1000 snzied citizens Sun
day night. The nj oes were arrested
early and, although owlands' clothing
had bloodstains on the men claimed
they were innocentS the crime. In
the meantime She i Clemens, of
Union county, KentU arrived with
a trained BLOODHOUND response to a
telegraphic summons
Traced by n b Mound.
When the dog was pl ed 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 a few minutes a mob
of a 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 s~toutly refused to give
up the keys or tell where the prisoners
were hidden.
R~owIands Hanged.
Failing 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 a perfect frenzy, and, securing a
telegraph pole, they used it as a 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 a moose was placed about his
neck. He was given time to make a
statement, in which he implicated Jim
Henderson and another negro. Row.
lands then begged piteously for mercy,
but the mob swiftly swung the con-
fessed murderer to a tree and riddled
his body with bullets.
Fate of Henderson.
Leaving the body Of Rowlands
dangling from the limb of the tree,
the mob rushed back to the Jail and
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 fred
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
a ropes end to the courthouse yard
and swung on the tree beside the
body of Rowlands.
Proved an AIibi.
Firing a 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 a hotel, where he was employed
as a 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 name 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 a
heavy club with a large nail driven
into the end of it. .
Beaten to Death.
Although terribly beaten, Simons
made a desperate fight, and his cries
and struggles soon attracted two boys,
who went to his assistance, but they
were a moment too late, the victim Of
the two negroes had succumbed to the
terrible beating, and was lying dead
at their feet. The m%urderers then drove
| the would-be rescuers away, and ac-
complished their original design-that
of robbery-securing 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 a pulp. Four gaping
wounds showed where the spike on the
club had punctured the dead mans
skull, and penetrated his brain.
Driven Insane.
Walter Evans, n 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 v collapse. He wit
messed the ~lynching, and he is now a
! raving maniac.
The dead mans wife Is Frustrated.
and it is believed she will ie.from the
| shock, Hollie Simons came here from
Winslow, Ind, three years ago, and was
a popular young man.
An Honor for Kruger.