The age-herald., 1901-01-16

one of the large stores and was returning home after work. Alexander had followed her for several blocks when, to throw him off the track, she entered a neighbor's house a few blocks, from her own home Later believing that he had left Miss Roth again started home. When on South Broad. way, she was again met by Alexander. wha seized her around the throat and bore her to the ground. In falling his finger slipped from her throat long enough to en- able her to cry for help, and the negro fled. A crowd soon gathered, among them @ colored girl, who said the mans name was Alexander Alexander was soon cap tured and taken to the police station.
 News of the assault spread rapidly and 1t was not long until the streets about the jail were crowded with excited men, deter mined to lynch Alexander. The police, in the meantime, had spirited Alexander away and when the doors were broken In he was not to be found. The police had placed him in a hack and driven rapidly away to the state penitentiary at Jansinga. Before he was taken to the penitentiary Miss Roth had confronted her assaiant and identified him. The mob dispersed when 1t became apparent that assault upon the peni- tentiary would prove futile.
 A~VgiIance Committee.
 Sunday at a secret meeting attended by people of all classes, a vigilance committee was formed. Its avowed purpose was to lynch Alexander when he should be brought back ito Leavenworth for trial and to rid the city of the dozens of suspicious charac- ters that had overrun 1t sduring. the past month or 50. ~ Monday morning a mob began to gather about the penitentiary door. It grew in numbers during the day and as night ap- preached a determination to storm tha walls was expressed freely. A majority of those present were armed many with shot guns To prevent the prisoner being spirit ed away guards were placed at the differ ent entrances.
 Many citizens, among them the father of Pearl Forbes, addressed the crowd coun- selling that the law be allowed to take it's course. They urged that the penitenttiary was strongly guarded and an attempt to reach the negro would result in the death of many innocent people. The speakers were hooted at and ridieuled, but after midnight most of the crowd dispersed. Mob Increased in Numbers. Many, however, remained about the pris- on walls all night and today their numbers swelled with each hour. Later, when 1t became known that Sheriff Everhardy of Leavenworth would come for the prisoner the mob increased in size rapidly and be- came so formidable that Governor Stanley, in response to, telegram from Warden Tomlinson, ordered two companies of mili- tia to be in readiness to start for Leaven- worth at moments notice.
 |. Governor Stanley ordered Warden TOmlin- son to refuse to turn Alexander over te the sheriff unless he agreed in writing tt protect him. Shortly after noon Sheriff Everhardy and his deputies started to thu penitentiary determined to bring the negrt to Leavenworth for his trial The fact was soon in the mouths of hundreds of people along the line and they hurried to join the mob.
 Murder of Pearl Forbes.
 The assault and murder of Pearl Forbes occurred on <c1. .mber 6, last. Miss Forbes, who was 20 y.-4ls of age, was employed in candy factory. She had started from work at 6 o'clock, walking, as was her cus- tom. She failed to reach home that nigh. and her body was found in a ravine near her home the following morning. Marks on her throat indicated that she had been murdered by strangulation, and the sur roundings gave evidence of terrible strug- gle. She had first been assaulted. The scene of this crime was but a few blocks distant from the spot where Alexander at tackled Miss Roth, and Alexander, when ar- rested, was accused of both offenses. h the penitentiary he was sweated severely in an effort to make him admit the Forbes crime, but he steadfastly insisted that he had nothing to do with it.
 Miss Forbes was the daughter of William Forbes contracting carpenter.