The Topeka state journal., 1901-01-16

| the prisoner would be to invite rioting,
/ if not assassination. Il guess can ar
| range to protect him. said the sheriff
| to the warden TIL swear in these gen
] tlemen as deputies
These gentlemen" comprised a crowd
/ of some 40 or so curious ones who had
| gone to the penitentiary to get look at
I the prisoner and to see him lynched, for
i it was in the air that Alexander was to
/ swing or burn.
IF you have a posse of 40 Mr. Ever
l hardy" said the penitentiary warden, II
/ will let you have the prisoner" where
| upon the sheriff made deputies of police
men, who already were empowered; of
newspaper men, of idlers, and of friends,
and, with such a staff, he took Fred Al
exander from safety in the Lansing pen
itentiary and started with him for the
Jail
The posse" rode on. horses, in bug
gies, in wagons and in carriages; three
covered hacks had been taken by the
sheriff Into the first and third Of these
he put deputies, and into the middle one
ne put the prisoner, with UndersherlI
Myers and Tom Brown to guard him.
The journey from the penitentiary to
the jail was without incident until the
city limits were reached. At Fourth and
OLIVE streets 1000 people We're gath
cred.
The sheriff himself was riding in an
open rig behind the last of the closed
carriages, directing the movements OF
his posse" He saw some armed
negroes in the crowd of people at this
point, and gave orders to have them
disarmed. One man had shotgun, and
the others, six or eight, made display
of their revoIvers. Police and deputy
sheriffs tumbled from the wagons
swooped down these negroes and
took from them their arms. This was
most fortunate for the sheriff, for the
affair served to distract the attention
of the crowd from the closed carriage,
and they were able to force their way
through a crowd that had plan to
impede their progress.
In the posse" were men who were not
there to protect the prisoner, although
they had taken an oath to. Two OF
these, seeing the carriages driving to
the jail unnOticed by the crowd, put
ahead. shouted to the crowd at the jail:
Look out for the second hack Look
out for the second hack
And that is precisely what the crowd
did. When the first hack drove UP to
the jail door at a gallOp no heed was
paid to it. The mob, at least 1900 strong,
had eyes and hands only for the second
hack They stopped It peremplOflly De-
fore the jail was reached, tore one door
from its hinges, dragged from it two
deputy sheriffs, only to learn that the
order of procedure had been changed
and that the second hack was in re-
ality the first.
A hundred people saw Alexander run
up the jail steps by Myers and Brown.
TIA, ia, boys" he grinned, as he en-
tered the precincts of the jail. He
thought he had found safety
Hes in the JAIL these 100 cried, but
the crowd did not hear. Thousands were
muttering, murmuring, shouting, de-
manding, questioning, pulling and push
ing, all bent on finding the negro When
the third carriage had been searched
they listened to and believed the little
crowd which was Immediately about the
Jail steps, and then there was rush
for Sheriff Everhardys He had just ar
rived in his buggy
A demand was made on him for the
keys of the Jail, but that was refused
He was asked to bring the prisoner out
so we can get a look at him" but that,
too, was refused. Then we viii force
the jail" cried a voice, but all that was
comedy. The crowd, the r1ngleaqers,
the front and foremost of them being
aged William Forbes, the father OF tne
murdered girl, were by that time over
the stOekade on the south side of the /
Jail and battering at the oak door, with |
a man for the ram. They had found /
the door locked, but found man to /
volunteer for a battering RAM On high /
they hoisted him and hurled his feet |
against the barrier. Soon it gave way /
Through the stockade they went and l
through the oak door in the brick wall /
Gaining access there the mob found /
itself in the wrong corridor, and an iron
door in the same wall, but further along, 1
was assailed. Sledges and cold chlselS 4
were needed there and they were found
at hand That door was thrown to the /
ground in five minutes and then It was
but grating to get at the cells
Alexander lay in his first cell on the i
main floor He heard the murmuring of
the mob without, the demands for the
KEYS and every blow of the sledges on
the iron door. He heard the demand for
the keys and the answer, i guess this
one will fit.
And it did It was the right key and
was found on the table in the sheriff s
Office. At the moment of its discovery
Sheriff Everhardy was ten feet away.
declaring he would never give up the
HE is not here was the next cry. One
of the leaders had peered through the
He had not looked in the other. cell. But
Alexander was there, crouched in dark
minutes his cell door had been forced. he
was seized, still handeufeds as he had
been delivered at Lansing, ana While one
man struck him on the forehead with one
of the sledges, the blow falling short, an
other made a lunge at him with knlIe-
Blood flowed and its sight whetted the
appetite Of the crowd which was outside
waiting his arrival The progress OF the
leaders was reported minute by minute
and step by step to the crowd outside. 50
cheer when eventually the shivering
wretch was hustled out into the open.
through the collapsed stockade, across
Confess the men holding him by the
.sBurn him the crowd demanded. Some
cried to have him hanged where he stood,
ieveled a pistol at Aiexander;s forehead.
but before he could terminate the negro's
sufferings the weapon was wrested from
Confess was the demand.
Il have nothing to confess, men, was
the reply I have not done anything.
You have got the wrong man."
You lie. Take that was the retort,
and with 1t a singing blow was delivered
The negro scarcely moved his head as he
received the shock
BY this time the crowd was at its
densest. There were estimates as high as
Z 600 and none under 1000 No one wore
a mask Every man knew his fellow.
Public officials were IN the outskirts of
the crowd Only one name was mentioned.
That's old Mr.. Forbes" the tongues said.
Did you murder my girl2 Tell that
before we harm you" the old man asked.
Mr.. Forbes. if that Is your name" the