Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-12-18
Two Negroes Hung by a Fren-
zied Mob.
MURDERED A BARBER
One Thousand Frenzied Citizens put
BIoodhourds on the Trail Of Muir.
derers; Find Negroes, Lynch Them
and Riddle Them With Bullets.

SfCeS, jim HENDERSON anu buu row |
lands, who confessed they waylaid,
brutally murdered and robbed Hollie
Simons, barber, early Sunday morn
ing, were lynched in the Jail yard by a
mob Of 1000 frenzied citizen last
might
The negroes were arrested early,
and altho Rowlands' clothing had
bloodstains on it the men claimed they
were innocent of the crime. In the
meantime Sheriff Clemens, of Union
county, Kentucky, arrived with a train
ed bloodhound in response to tele-
graphic summons.
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 baying to the bed the negro
had occupied. This was enough for
the excited citizens. Within few
minutes a mob of 1000 bowling, blood
thirsty citizens, with sledge hammers,
ropes and guns, were running to the
Jail.
Sheriff Tries to Protect Men.
Sheriff Anderson and his two depu-
/
protect lie prisoners. The officers
were seized by the leaders of the mob,
who disarmed them. The sheriff was
then locked in room and placed un-
der 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 determined but unsuccessful
Eattempt to break in the Jail door. By
4 this time the would-be lynchers were
in a perfect frenzy, and, securing a
telegraph pole, they used it as a bat
|tering ram and caved in. the side wall
of the Jail. The door of Rowland's cell
was then quickly broken in with
lsledges and he was dragged from the
Jail to the east side of the courtyard,
where moose was placed about his
meek. He was given time, to make a
statement, in which he implicated Jim
Henderson and another negro. Row
lands then begged piteously for mercy,
but the mob swiftly swung the confes-
sed murderer to a tree and riddled his
body with bullets.
Second Victim Is Secured.
Leaving the body of Rowlands dan
Cling from the limb of the tree, the
mob rushed back to the Jail and at
tempted to burst open the cell occu-
pied by Henderson, but before the
steel bars yielded to the blows of the
; sledges someone in the crowd fired up
: on the terrified 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
more dead than alive, was dragged at
!, ropes end to the court house yard
, and swung on the tree beside the body
Z of Rowlands.. $500.
Firing parting volley at the swing
ing bodies, the mob eager for another
victim, hurried away to catch the 9th
{ er negro implicated by Rowlands in
his confession. He was found at ho
! tel. where he was employed as por
! ter. The negro escaped to the roof oi
! the building, and Manager Debrulel
: succeeded in conr .ncing the mob that
/ the porter had nothing to do with the
: crime, proving an alibi for him. The
!, mob then dispersed, apparently salts
! fed with its awful work of vengeance
A Story of the Crime.
The negroes victim, Simons, wa.
waylaid and murdered in the most bru
tai manner one square from the mair
. street of the city as he was going tt
y his home from his barber shop at
! o'clock yesterday morning. AS was Gus
!, to1nars with him, he carried the re
u ceipts of the day at his place of bust
! ness.
! The negroes were aware of this ant
e evidently laid the plans accordingly
y lCrouching behind fence. they await
! ed their victim and jumped from thei
place of concealment and attacke,
him from behind. striking him owe
the head with heavy club with
T large nail driven into the end of it. Al
d tho terribly beaten, Simons made
e desperate fight, and his cries an
n struggles soon attracted two boys, ,wh
;, went to his assistance, but they wer
e a moment too late; the victim of th
S two negroes had succumbed to the tel
d rible beating and was lying dead a
II their feet. The murderers then drov
the Nculd-be rescuers away and az
complished their original design, tina
of robbery, securing a bag containin
g something over $40 from the prostrat
l. form of their victim, and made thei
1t escape.
e .s MONSIGNOR KEANE
d MADE A BISHO]