The Van Buren press., 1901-08-24
IN HANDS OF AN ARMED MOB.
4 Terrible Time 1T Pierce City, NO. Fol-
lowing the Murder of Miss
Gaxeile Wild.

AiSANS wy <AO't ~Hee
ly fifteen hours ending at noon, yes
terday, this town of 5000 people was
in the hands of a mob of armed
whites, determined to drive every ne
gro from it's precincts. In addition
to the lynching, Monday night, OF VIII
Cooley, accused Of the wanton MUIR
der of Miss Gazelle Wild and the
shooting t. death of his grandfather,
French Cooley, the mob yesterday
cremated Pete Hampton, a negro, in
his home; set the torch to the houses
of five blacks, and, with the aid of
state militia rifles, stolen from the
local company's armory, drove dozens
of negroes from town.
After noon the excitement died
down, the mob gradually dispensing,
more from lack of negroes upon
which to wreak their hatred than for
any other cause.
Many of the negroes who fled the
city are hiding in the surrounding
| woods, while others have gone great
er distances in seeking safety. Every
negro has left the town except a few
railway porters known to be respecta-
| BILE, but who must also leave. The
citizens of Pierce City say that as
negroes have committed several such
crimes in the last ten years, none shall
live there in the future. The same
feeling already exists at Monet,
four miles east of Pierce City, and
the end of Frisco division. 1t may
be necessary to change all porters in
Springfield hereafter.
1t is now believed that the man
viii Cooley lynched was not the real
culprit. A negro named Starks UNI
der arrest at Tulsa, |. IT,, across the
border from here, tallies exactly with
the description of the murderer. He
is held there awaiting Identification
Unless the man is brought back here
it is believed there will be no further
trouble. If returned here he will
surely be lynched.
| Another suspect, Joe Lark, is under
arrest in Springfield, Mo.
Eugene Barrett, also known as Car.
ter, in a confession while rope was
around his neck, yesterday, accused
Joe Lark, Frisco railroad porter, of
being implicated in the crime, and
Lark was arrested, yesterday, at
Springfield. When arrested Lark gave
n detailed statement as TO his where
abouts Sunday, and he is not believed
to be guilty. 1t is not likely that
either suspect will be taken to Pierce
City while the excitement remains
high. Some here think that Barrett
told the mob it was Lark to save his
own life.
The funeral of Miss Wild yesterday
afternoon was witnessed by several
thousand persons. Pierce City is near
the junction of four railroads, and
trains from all directions brought in
large numbers of armed men, yester-
day. bent on bloodshed if necessary.
When the mob went to the section Of
the city occupied by negroes, someone
in the cabins opened fire, but no one
was hit. The mob then destroyed five
houses, but the financial loss is small.
Reckless firing broke several plate
glass windows, and train was fired
into
The rifles taken from the Pierce
City military company, it is expected
will be returned. Members of the com
| th.,,ualvap hn inn for
the escaping negroes with rifles, and
this suggested the idea of taking all
the guns. The local hardware stores
sold out their arms early, but several
applications from negroes were re-
fused. The mob was composed of a
thousand or more, and no masks were
used, and 30 negro families were
driven from their houses.
New elements in the murder, on
Sunday afternoon, of Miss Wild. de-
,eloped yesterday. II appears she
started home from church alone, her
brother lingering behind. About one
mile from home her brother found her
with her throat cut, lying lifeess near
culvert under which her assailant
had attempted to drag her. Evidence
of u terrible struggle was shown. a
coppcr-colored negro was seen sitting
on the bridge short time before the
tragedy occurred
Monday bloodhounds were taken 10
the scene, and the girls body and
handkerchief was laid before them.
They Immediately caught the trail,
and ran at full speed to the home Of
Joe Lark, where, on being admitted,
they rushed into his bedroom and
sprang upon the bed Il is believed
that the man under arrest at Tulsa,
who boarded with Lark the Spring.
field suspect, slept on this bed,