Hutchinson gazette., 1900-12-20
Overtakes Two Negro Murderorl
in Indiana.
HANGED BY An lNFUUIAHED MOB
The Negroes Had Waylnid, Murdered
aud Robbed a White BARBER, A
Witness Of tho Crime aud
Lynching GOes Insane.

were lynched in the l0il yard by a
mob Of 1000 frenzled citizens tonight.
The negroes were arrested early, and,
although Rowland's clolhing had
blood stains on ", the men claimed
they were innocent OF the crime. In
the mtAntlmu Sheriff Clemens OF
Union county, Kentucky, arrived
with a tltGllned bloodhound in Ne
sponse TO lelegIaphlc summons.
When the dog was placed on the
tra.l he followed II until he reached
the house whore Rowlands Hyed, SIX
blocks from the scene Of dhe murder,
and went baying to lhe bed the negro
/ had occupied. This was enough for
the excited citizens, Within u few
moments al mob OF one Thousand
howling, bloodthlrsty citizens, with
sledge hammers, ropes and guns, were
running 10 The jail,
Sheriff Anderson and his two depu-
Ties made stand and attempted to
protect the prisoners. The officers
We're seized by the leaders Of the mob
who disnrmed them. The sheriff was
then locked In Il room and placed un-
der GUARD, but he stoutly refused to
give up the keys or tell where the
prisoners were hidden.
Failing to get the keys, the mob
made determined but unsuccessful
attempt to break in the Jail door. by
this time the would.be lynchers were
In a perfect frenzy, and, securing u
telegraph pole, they used it as a bat
tering ram and cayed dn the side wall
OF the Jail. The door OF Rowlands'
mell wtas quickly broken In with
sledgrg au.1 he was dragged away
from the jail to the east side Of the
court yard, where a moose was placed
about his neck. He was given time 10
make a statement in which he i'm
pllcaed Jim Henderson and another
negro. Rowlands then begged pit.
eously for mercy, but the mob swift
ly swung the confessed murderer to
Gu tree and rlddled his body with bull
lets.
Leaving the body Of Rowlands dan
CLING from the limb of the tree, the
mcb rushed back TO the jail and at'
tempted to burst open the cell occu-
pied by Henderson, but before the
steel bans yielded to the blows of the
sledges some one fired upon the ter.
rlfied nego as he crouched In the cor
ner of his cell. A few moments more
and the door Of the cell was broken
i'm. The negro, more dead than alive,
was dragged ait ropes end to the
court house yard and swung on the
tree beside the body of Rowlands.
Filming ~ parting volley at the
swinging bodies, the mob eager for
another vicbim, hurried away to catch
the other negro implicated by Row
lands in his confession. He was
found at "a hotel, where he was EN-
ployed aS porter. The negro es.
capped to the roof Of the building and
Manager De Bruler succeeded In con-
vincing the mob that The porter had
nothing ITO do with the cEmc, proving
an allbi for him. The mob then dis
persed, apparently sUl1siied with its
awful work Of vengeance.
The negroes victim, Simons, was
wayhald and murdered in the most
brutal manner one square from the
main street of the city, ais he was GO
ing to his home from his barber shop
at o'clock this morning. AS was
customary with him, he carried the
receipts Of the day ait his place of
business.
The negroes were aware of this and
evidently laid the plans accordingly.
Orpuching behinda fence, they await
ed their victim and jumped from their
place of concealment and attacked
him from behind, striking him over
the head with heavy club with
narge nail driven into the end of 1t.
Althaugh badly beaten, Slmons made
desperate fight and his cries and
struggles soon ATTRACTED two boys,
who went to his assistance, but they
were momCnt too late, the victim
of the two negroes having succumbed
to the terrible beating, lying dead at
Thelr feet. The murderers then drove
the would be rescurs away and
accomplished their original design
that OF robbery securing bag
conralning over $40 from the pros
trate form Of the victim, and made
their escape. SlmonH was terribly
bealen: his skull was crushed In his
head and face beaten into pulp
Four gaping wounds showed Where
the spike ON the club had punctured
the dead mans skull and penetrated
the bnaln.
Waiter Evans, one of the young
men who attempted TO save Simons'
life, and who afterward assisted In
the removing of the dead mans re-
mains to- his home, was greatly af.
racted and almost suffered nervous
collapse. Tonight he Witnessed the
ymchiug and he is now a raying ma.
Mac.
The dead mans wife is proatrated,
Gnd It y believed she will die from
the shock. Ilolie Simons came here
from Winslow, Ind, three years ago,
and was a popular young man.