The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-01-06
". ". WATTS TIED
AND PUT TO DEATH ]. |
Masked Men Take Him
From Police Station.
BOUND HIM TO A TREE
His Body RiddIed With Bullets and
UNIDENTIFIED BY HIS VICTIM.
The Body Viewed by Thousands OF
pcoplc - The Coroncr's Jury De-
ciues That lie Came to His
Death by Unknowr, Hands.
The Son of Policeman
in LynchburG.
His Body Riddled With Bullets and
UNIDENTIFIED BY HIS ViCTIN,

NEwroRT Ni.ws, VA. Jan. 5-spec-
iaL-The punishment meted out to w w
Watts, The white man who assaulted
Mrs. r. II. simpson yesterday after
Noon, vas swift and terrible
IIa was found this morning in the
woods On the edge Of The city, gust east
of the Chesapeake and Ohio Junction
tied by the hands 10 i sappllns' ms BODY
ridGled with bullets.
The rope r:hich fastened his hands TO
the tree had slipped down possibly sev-
e1,al feet. probably While the wretch Was
writing il agony of Death. The body
ras in half recumbent position, the teet
stretched out on the ground, the hands
ir the hemper Moose bi1e and clenche9.
Upon the lace of the man iook ei NOR
tai terror vas frozen. as a Si!&tc suuioh- su
ly flung into alcohol, SnasuY glin,
which had wrilhcd upon his bps, haa
haen caught and fixed by death.
The news Of the iynchinG spread llhe
wild-hre through the c!ty' 2nd ~ :
O clock hundreds of peonic had hocied
to the scene As the InornitG grew GO
hundreds increased to thousands. -
Vas as lhcucla the entire male ropnta-
1ion OF the city had turned out TO VII
ness tha aftermath of The lnoI iEilcn-
ing IN the history OF Newport News. II.
The crowd, too, were many WIFI @t'i
negro women WorlHnen on their way
10 the shin yards stopped Ell route ana
,,lunged into the woods TO get Il SAinipse
OF the ghastIy sight. There were N. n
with pieces of gas pipe In iheir haiius,
with saws and hammers, Win planes
and chiseis. with kodalIs Thcre We're
men on foot. on horseback, or ticE
ana in bugGies.
OFFICERS on GUARD
Forminr close ring around The coIpse,
several officers kept the gathering crown
back Now and then . hat Was IaSSe
around III the crowd and many cone;-
bute5 niciccts. dirTlss and quarters 10 4
1,1nd that ras being raised SIS a, mark OF
.sDnrcciatio1l OF the services rendered ny
Tom SslIy. the boy who Jumped Inc
t,t,esarealle and Ohio train AS IL Was
leaving Yesterday captured the brute
as he was fleeing from Justice anc
brought him back TO the city.
About 10 o'clock some one cut inc lol?c
that held the body suspended. ana ii
+eyi IA ,ae ground Later on as this
,.o,lnfy authorities in whose jurisdiction
the tragedy occurred. took charge of The
corpse and removed it from The Saze oi
curious eyes
The episode is probably the most re-
markabe- in the criminal annals OF tht
Old Dominion: the most dramatic
There is little variation in the state
,nents of the principal facts, though
accounts differ somewhat in unessentsa
details.
AT TIE STATION HOUSE.
Watts. upon his arrest, had been taken
back into the lock-up and :mmured in =
felony cell Two locked iron doors were
between him and freedom In the Ser
giants 5 Office were House Sergeant Book
cr, who is on night duty, and Tom sally
As carly as midnight there Were rumors
that an attempt would DE made to lynch
the prisoner, and hearing these Officer
Booker went TO j lawyer and asked what
he should do in case mob came anc
tried 10 get the man out The lawyer
told him that he was a sworn officer, and
that if there Were only two or three, he
should resist If he was overpowered
however, he was advised that it would
be foolish TO resist, as z mob would gel
the prisoner any way il he was wanted
Everything was quiet, however, and the
officer did not believe that there wo"ld
le any trouble. No additional guard WAS
put on. and the man was not removed &c
the Jail as, il is seen now, he should have
been.
About $50 o'clock in the morning Spe-
cial Officer Orange came to the station
house and told Officer Booker ts:at he
thought there would ite an attempt tc
lynch the prisoner. "aen are gathering
on the street-co:ners in Rockets, and ]
think there VIII be trouble" said Orange
Being an officer Of the law, ] though;
] would come over and tell you about II.
INcREDUIOUs OFFICER
Office Booker was still incr4dulous. He
saw no signs Of a disturbance, and Gid
not believe that there was any danger
OF such thing as q lynching in Newport
News. RE was unpleasantlv corrected
in tiis impression ;ibout half an II III
later.
il was about ten minutes after 1
O'Clock A gentleman, who rooms just
across Lafayette avenue from the Court
house, was awakened by notes.-the
sould OF men talking in the street He
90, up and went to the window and saw
q knot OF men. with White masks or.
standing IN front of the station house
He counted seven Of them. and saw but
seven They all entered the gate and
went into the corridor OF the station-
house. There The witness lost sight OF
them for awhile.
In few minutes. however, he saw
them returning with the prisoner Two
ol Inc men were ia front. one man was on
either side of the doomed nan. three were
:ran,diateiy bh.nd him. They vent on
down Twenty-iifth street and disappeared.
WHAT HAPPENED.
Officer Booker tells the following story
OF what happened within the station
house:
.'l had just been ont in the back yard .
said be, and was returning. AS ! got
into the corridor Two men met me and
covered me with revolrers.
= Throw UP your hands, d---n you,
said one Of them.
Go away from here men. Tn not
looking for any foel!shness.' / said, no,
quite realizing what was up.
:. Throw your d-n hands uo.' said the
man. we mean business. We aint loo
good TO low your d----a head off
"a reached my hand behind ane. and one
I IF hem ci.ahpnd ny hard and i,nllsd tnr