The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-17
LIYNCHED TWO NEGROES
MURDER OF WHITE MAN AT ROCK
PORT, ANESGED

OWENSBORO, Ky, Dec 16-Jim Hen
derson and Bud Rowland, negroes, were
hanged by a mob of 500 persons at 8
o'clock tonight in the Jail yard at Rock
port, Indiana. Henderson and Rowland
WaYlaid, murdered. and then robbed Il.
5 Simmons White barber, at l o'clock
this morning. The two were suspected
and arrested and by the aid of a blood
hound their guilt was established. Hen
derson was shot TO death in his cell and
then hung Rowland confessed before ne
was strung up. The bodies were riddled
with bullets after hanging.
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 bay
ing to the bed the negro had occupied.
This was enough FOR the excited citizens
Within a few minutes mob of
thousand blOOdthirsty citizens, with
sledge hammers, ropes and guns, were
running to the jail.
Sheriff Anderson and mis- two deputies
attempted to protect the prisoners. The
officers We're seized by the leaders of
the mob, who disarmed them The sher-
if was then locked in d room and placed
under guard, but he stoutly refused to
give up the keys or tell where the pris-
oners were hidden.
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 lynchers were in frenzy, and
procuring a telegraph pole, they used
it as a battering ram, and broke in the
side wall of the Jail The door of Row
lands cell was quickly broken in with
slcdges, and he was dragged from the
jail to the east side of the court yard
where a moose was put about his neck
he was given time to make a statement
in which he implicated Jim Henderson
and another negro. Rowlands then beg
ged dteously for mercy, but the mob
swiftly swung him to a tree and fired
many bullets into his body.
Leaving the body of RoWlands dangling
from the limb of the tree, the mob rush
ed back to the jail and attempted to
burst open the cell occupied by Hender-
son, but before the steel bars yielded
some one in the crowd fired upon the ter
rified 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, half
dead, was dragged at a ropes end to
the court house yard and swung from
the tree beside the body of Rowlands.
Firing a parting vOlley at the bodies
the mob, eager for another victim, hur-
ried away to catch the other negro i'm
phcated by Rowlands III his confession.
He was found at hotel, where he was
porter. He escaped, however, to the roof
of the building, and Manager Debruler
convinced the mob that the porter had
nothing to do with the crime proving
an alibi for him. The mob then dis
perSed.
The negroes victim, Simons, was way
laid 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 2 o'clock this
morning. He carried the receipts of the
day at his place of business. The negroes
were aware of this, and evidently lad
the plans accordingly. Crouching Le-
hind fence they awaited their victim,
and jumped from their places of conceal
ment and attacked him from behind,
striking him over the head with heavy
club with large nail driven into the end
of it. Although terribly beaten, Smons
soon attracted two boys, who went to his
late, the barber was lying dead at their
feet. The murderers then drove the
would-be rescuers away, securing a bag
form of their victim and made their es-
cape.
Simons was terribly beaten, his skull
crushed ill., his head and face beaten into
a pulp. -Four gaping wounds showed
where the spike on the club had punctur-
ed his skull and penetrated his brain
The dead mans wife is Frustrated, and
it is believed she will die from the shock.
Simons came here from Winslow, Ind.
three years ago.