The true northerner., 1900-12-21
HANGED
BY A MOB
NEGRO MURDERER HANGED AT
BONNEVILLE, IND.
THE MOB WENT FROM BROCK.
PORT TO DO THE WORK.
EXECUTION AS QUIET AS If UN.
DER sANcTIoN OF LAW.

Bonneville, Ind, Dec. 1S.-John
Rolla, the third of the colored men inn
plicated in the murder of Hollie 81
mons, was hung TO a tree in the court
house yard by mob of about 100 men
from Rockport Monday evening. Two
Df his companions were lynched az
Rockport Sunday night for the murder
of white man there.
Not a shot was fired, and everything
was conducted as quietly as if the ex-
ecution had been one under the sane.
tion of the law. Rolla was brought TO
this place this afternoon about 3
o'clock in charge of Sheriff Anderson,
of Rockport. Upon his arrival ne was
placed in a cell on the second floor
of the Jail and his presence was
known only TO few citizens.
A few minutes after 6 o'clock a
body of 100 men marched through the
principal street to the Jail and de-
manded that the prisoner be turned
over to it.
Deputy Sheriff Raymond Cherry
was in charge of the Jail. He declined
to give the keys and the mob at once
began to batter in the wall of the jail
with a telegraph pole. six members of
the mob crawled through the hole and
with a sledge hammer broke down the
door of Rolla's cell, and sool the
thoroughly terrified negro was in the
hands of the men, who placed rope
around bis neck. All left, crawling
through the hole by which they had
entered, dragging the negro after
them.
A few minutes was consumed in the
march to the Jail yard, the rope was
thrown over the limb of a tree and a
hundred hands sent his body flying
into the air The loose end OF the
rope was tied to tree and as soon as
the members of the mob were sure
that their work had been completed
they left in as orderly manner as
they had entered the town.
None of the mob wore masks, and
men apparently from every station in
life took part in the lynching. Not a
shot was fired before or after the
lynching and, except for the excited
groups of men standing on the street
corners, a stranger would have known
nothing of the tragedy that had just
been enacted.
Owensboro, Ky, Dec. 1S.-John
Rolla, who was lynched Monday night
at Bonneville, was implicated by Row.
land, one of the negroes lynched Sun
day night at Rockport but denied his
guilt He told conflicting stories and
IL Was learned that he was away froIn
the Veranda hotel, where he worked,
about the time Sirtons was murdered.
Confronted with this evidence, R)ila
veal ened and confessed his share in
the crime. admitting that he struck
the first blow and that the other two
negroes helped him TO kill Simons.
The militia from Evansville arrived
at Bonneville Is minutes too late, and
the dead body of Rolla met their gaze
as they marched into town.
The citizens of Rockport held a
meeting Monday night and formed an
organization for the pur1cse of maiE-
tanning law and order ard assisting
the officers in the prosecution of cr,In.
inals. IT was resolved TO make effort
10 take municipal affairs ont OF poli
tics. While the lvnching was only in
cidentally mentioned, the sentiment of
the commrnity unholds the action Of
the mob. There is no purpose to pros.
ecute any one concerned in the mob.