The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-12-18
AN INDIANA LYNCHING.
Two Colored Men Put to Death
by Infatuated Citizens.
One of the Murderers Confessed,
duplicating the Other One-The
Swinging Bodies Were Filled
Full of Bullets.

white barber, early Sunday morning,
were lynched in the jail yard by a
mob of 1000 frenzied citizens Sunday
night. The Negroes were arrested
early in the morning, and, although
Rowlands' clothing had blood stains
on it, the men claimed they were in
nocent of the crime. In the mean
time Sheriff Clemens, of Union coun-
ty, Kentucky, arrived with trained
bloodhound in response to a tele-
graphic summons.
When the dog was placed on the
trail he followed it until he reached
The house where Rowland lived, six
blocks from the scene of the murder,
and went baying to the bed the Ne
gro had occupied. This was enough
for the excited citizens. Within a few
minutes a mob of thousand howl
ing, bloodthirsty citizens, with sledge
hammers, ropes and guns, were run
ming to the jail
Sheriff Anderson and his two dep
uties made a stand and attempted to
protect the prisoners. The officers
were seized by the leaders of the
mob, who disarmed them. The sher-
if was then locked in a room and
placed under guard, but he stoutly re-
fused TO give up the keys or to tell
where the prisoners were hidden.
Failing to get the keys, the mob
made q determined but unsuccessful
attempt to break in the Jail door. By
this time the mob of lynchers were in
perfect frenzy, and, securing tele-
graph pole, they used it as batter
ing ram and caved in the side wall of
the Jail. The door of Rowlands cell
was then quickly broken in with
sledge hammers and he was dragged
from the Jail to the east side of the
court yard, where a moose was placed
about his neck.
He was given time to make state
ment, in which he implicated Jim
Henderson and another Negro. Row
land then begged piteously for mer-
cy, but the mob swiftly swung the
confessed murderer to a tree and rid
died his body with bullets.
Leaving the body of Rowland dang
ling 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 some one in the crowd fired
upon 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 a ropes end to the court house
yard and swung on the tree beside
the body of Rowland.
Firing a parting volley at the
swinging bodies, the mob, eager for
another victim, hurried away to To-
cate the other Negro implicated by
Rowland in his confession. He was
found at a hotel where he was en-
ployed as porter. The Negro escaped
to the roof of the building, and Man
ager Debruler succeeded in convinc-
ing the mob that the porter had moth
ing to do with the crime, proving an
alibi for him.
The Negroes victim, Hollie SimoDs,
was waylaid 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 o'clock Sunday morning.
AS was customary with him, he car
ried the receipts of the day at his
place of business.
The Negroes were aware of this,
and evidently laid their plans accord
ingly. Crouching behind a fence,
they waited for their victim to pass,
when they jumped out from the place
Of concealment and attacked him
from behind, striking him over the
head with a heavy club with large
nail driven into the head of it. AL
though terribly beaten, Simons made
desperate fight, and his cries and
struggles soon attracted two boys,
who went to his assistance, but they
we're moment too late, the victim of
the two Negroes had succumbed to
the terrible beating and was lying
dead at their feet. The murderers
then drove the would-be rescuers
away and accomplished their original
design-that of robbery, securing a
bag containing something over $40.
Walter Evans, one of the young
men who attempted to save Simons'
life, and afterward assisted in the re-
1noval of the murdered mans remains
to his home, was greatly affected and
almost suffered nervous collapse.
Sunday night he witnessed the lynch
ing, and he lost his reason.
The dead mans wife is Frustrated,
and it is believed she will die from
the shock. Hollie Simons came from
Winslow, Ind, some years ago, and
was a popular young man.
Exposition Lost Two Millions.
Paris, Dec. 1.-THE official report
of the finances of the exposition