Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-01-06
THE OFFICERS STORY
a small Number o, uen yi.Isea tho
Prison. Held tho over conadous
wn'chns"n mp, Removed WIN. w.
WAIT. 10 Woodland Near BY.
whcro he WINS Subjected TO nor.
ribio Death.
Especial to virginian-Pilot.)

Especial to Virginian-P ilot)
Newport News, Va. Jan. 5.-The pun
ishment melted out to W. w. Watts. the
white man who assaulted Mrs. r. NJ.
Simpson yesterday afternoon, was swift
and terrible. He was found this morn
Ing in the woods on the edge OF the
city, Just east of the Chesapeake and
Ohio junction, tied by the hands to
| sapplng, his body riddled with bullets.
The rope which fastened his hands
To the tree had slipped down possibly
several feet, probably while the wretch
was writhing In the agony Of death.
The body was in a half recumbent po-
sition. the feet stretched out on the
| ground, the hands in the hempen moose
blue and clenched upon the face OF the
man look OF mortal terror was frozen:
as snake suddenly flung into alcohol,
CHASTITY grin. which had writhed up-
on his lips, had been caught and fixed
| by death.
THE NEWS SPREAD QUICKLY.
The news Of the lynching spread like
wild fire through the city, and by 8
O'Clock hundreds of people had ff0cked
| TO the scene. AS the morning grew old.
hundreds increased to thousands. II
| was as though the entire male popu-
| latton OF the city had turned out to
| witness the aftermath OF the first
| lynching In the history OF Newport
| News. IN the crowd. too, were many
white and negro women. Workmen, on
their way to the shipyard. stopped
enroute and plunged into the wood to
get glimpse of tho CHASTITY sight.
There were men with pieces of gas
hn 10 ,,,t4 =.
hammers, with planes and chlssels.
with kodaks; there were men on foot,
on horseback. on bicycles and in bug.
gics. #
OFFICIALS KEEP GUARD.
Forming close ring ground the
corpse, several officers kept the gather
Ing crowd back. Now and then a hat
was passed around in the crowd and
many contributed nickels, dimes and
quarters TO n fund that was bety,g
raised as q mark of appreciation of
the services rendered by Tom Sally,
the boy who jumped the Chesapeake
and Ohio train as 1t was leaving yes
terday, captured the man as he was
ENeelng from justice, and brought him
hAck 10 the city.
About 10 o'clock some one cut the
rope that held the body suspended,
and 1t fell TO the ground. Later on the
county authorities, In whose jurisdlc-
ton the tragedy occurred. took charge
| OF the corpse and removed 1t from the
gaze OF curious eyes.
~ DRAMATIC EPISODE.
The episode Is probably the most re-
rarkable in the criminal annals of the
Old Dominion-the most dramatic.
| There is little variation in the state
ments of the principal facts, though
accounts differ somewhat in unessen-
tial details.
! Watts, upon his arrest had been
taken back into the lookup and inn
INJURED in felony cell. Two locked
| iron doors were between him and free
| dom. In the sergeant's Office were
House Sergeant Booker. who Is on night
duty. and Tom Sally. AS early as mid
night there were rumors that an Mt
tempt would be made to lynch the
prisoner. and, hearing these, officer
Booker weht to a lawyer and asked
what he should do in case mob came
and tried to get the man out. This
| lawyer told him that he was sworn
officer. and that If there were only two
or three he should resist. II he was
overpowered. however he was advised
| that 1t would be foolish to resist, IS a
liz he was wanted,
Everything was quiet. however, and
the officer did not believe that there
would be any trouble. No additionar
7 guard was put on, and the man was
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