The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1900-01-09
SHOT TO DEATH BY MOB
Swift Vengeance Follows As.
sault on a Woman.
FIRST CONFRONTED BI Ills VICTIM
seven Wen Captured Newport News Police
Station and Threatened JailcF with Pis-
fSs-Tied To n small Tree and Pierced by
Score of f3ullers-GnmbIer from LYNCH
burg Attacked n Woman Who Had Be-
friended Him and Paid Terrible Penalty.

/ Special to The Post
Newport News. Va. Jan. 5-The kuch-
! ing of William W. Watts. white gam
4 bier, OF Lynehburg. at an early hour. here.
+ this morning. was the first in the history
! OF warwick County.
( Watts was charged with criminally as
saulting Mrs Thomas NJ Simpson. the
wife of shipjoiner employed in the local
/ shipyard. He was taken from the station
house in the center OF the city By an arm
/ ed mob. carried over across the corporate
line. tied TO an oak saplng. and shot To
/ death.
! The work of the mob indicated a deter
mination and organization which was re-
markable. Only seven men vent 20 the
station. They found the authorities to-
/ tally unprepared for such an emergency,
and their task was comparatively Easy
Although warned that a mob was or
| ganizing in Rockets. Jailer Henry w
| Booker was inclined 10 treat the matter
lightly, feeling confident that no effort
would be made 10 lynch the prisoner.
Just before a. m. Booker walked out into
/ the yard of the station-house. leaving De-
tective Tom Salley. who arrested Watts
on the train yesterday. in charge of the
station. As he stepped back into the cor
! ridor to return to the room, two men con
| frOnted him, and with pistols drawn, de-
manded the surrender of Watts. who was
confined in one of the cells near by.
Pistols Persuaded Him.
Booker demurred, but the persuasive
revolvers were pressed against his head.
He was disarmed, and finally forced TO
| surrender the thoroughly frightened and
|
| ers.
In the mean time Salley was covered by
a third man who walked into the room
of the station and thrust a huge. revolver
into the detectives face. Securing their
prey. the three men quickly left the sta
ton, and Joined their four companions
who had been waiting outside. The entire
party started up Lafayette avenue ON a
| run.
Farther on the party of seven Joined the
mob, which was awaiting the issue Of the
attack upon the station. and Watts was car
ried to the home of his victim, where Mrs
Simpson was called upon to arise and
| state whether he was the right man.
The woman again positively identified
| Watts as the man who assaulted her yes
| terday afternoon, and the crowd, now
stern and silent, hustled him across the
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway track into
the woods, where the final scenes in the
tragedy were enacted.
The victims hands were tied together
and fastened TO small tree, and the mob
| gathering around him. emptied the con-
| tents of a number of reVOlVers into his
| body One large bullet passed completely
through his head and over score or
more pierced various parts OF his body
Coroner Gary, who held an inquest over
hA 1aaF hat L. -.
showed no signs of mutiIation. other than
those accomplished by the pistol bullets.
Action Of Mob Depiored.
The mob dispersed as quietly as IL It's
errand had been a perfectly legitimate
one, and only those persons who sit
messed the peculiar actions around the
station and those who resided in the
vicinity where the last chapter was coll
cluded were aware of the fact that
tragedy had been enacted.
While the citizens Of Newport News
have no sympathy for the man who paid
so dearly for his folly, they deplore the
action of the mob, holding that there was
no reason to distrust the ability of the
law to deal with the matter in a salts
factory and legal manner There seems
little doubt of the guilt of the unfortunate
gambler. House Sergeant Booker declar-
ing that the man had made full con-
fession &c him last night.
When confronted by Mrs. Simpson,
Watts did not deny the serious charge
against him. cOntenting himself with re-
marking that love and Jealousy would
make a man do anything"
All the members of the mob were mask
ed. the leader caring red mask COW
ering his entire face. and his followers
being rugged out in the same style. ex-
cept that their masks were white. The
eye-witnesses of the affair assert that
there IS not the slightest clew 10 the
identity Of the members of the mob. and
Ii Is not likely that any arrests viii De
made in connection with the affair The
grand jury Will probably investigate the
matter at the next term OF the Corpora
ton Court.
II seems 10 have been the intention of
the mob TO hang Watts, but the only
rope with which the lynchers were pro
yided was too short 10 go over the limb
OF the tree. The rope with which the
victim was hound was cut up and dis
| tributed among those who cared Tor inc
CHASTITY souvenirs
Women Visit the Scene.
Thousands of persons visited the scene
OF the lyneking this morning, among
them many seemingly refined ladies aGd
children
From letters found on the person OF
!.
a member Of the Lynchburg police force.
Ii was also gathered that he had been "A
norphine fiend. bat that he had recently
decided 70 reform. The body was turned
over to the oyerseer Of the poor. and. un-
less the relatives OF the deac man claim
the remains they will be forwarded 10
one OF the medical colleges IN Richmond
for use in the dissecting room. the state
law providing for tits disposition Of the
bodies Of all dead criminals not claimed
by relatives.
/ 1t seems that Watts cane here several
weeks ago. ostensibly looking for work
He was dressed as q hobo and applied 70
Mrs simpson for aid She gave him some
thing n, eat on che or two occasions.
/ According 20 Der story, he returned yes
! terday neatly dressed. and told her hS
was going to Lynchburg, and had come
10 say zood-by and 10 thank her Tor her
Kindness TO him. He followed her lnto
the house and made an indecent proposal
! Yhereupon she screamed. SEEING her ~
/ tbrnat the prute forced Mrs. simpson
into 3 room and. oyerpo@srln2 heT after
a short struggle. assaulted her The alarm
was given. and the man MAS arrested
on the Chezapeake and Ohio train wnic .
!. left here yesterday afternoon for the