The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-05-19
WILDLY RAGING MOB
wANToy MURDER ARoUsEs CON-
NELLSVILLE, PA.
2 NEGROES MAY BE LYNCHED.
ONLY SAVED so FAR by BRAVE
DETECTIVE McBETH.

Yardmaster william Moore Murder
Over a stone Wall by william
Fairfax and HIS Wife-The MUIR
derers hmm edintely Caught ana
Placed in Lookup, which Is BE-
sieged by 5000 Frantic Men-sOn
of Murdered Man and Priest APP
peal TO Mob TO Dispense.
Connellsviile, Pa, May 1S.-Five thous-
and frantic white people surrounded the
fragile little lookup in the town hall
here tonight. Behind the cell bars trem-
bles William Fairfax and his wife, both
negroes, and who had just murdered Will
lam Moore, assistant yardmaster in the
Baltimore and Ohio yards here, and a
man we'll known in Fayette and West
moreland railroad circles for many years.
The tragedy developed so quickly that 1T
took the breath from the townspeople.
The streets were crowded with the Sat
urday night throngs. William Moore and
Baggage-master Johnston of the Fairmont
branch train, walked down Main street
and turned in towards the Hotel Haas on
Water street, through rear alley. john
ston left Moore and the latter before he
had gone a moment. was assaulted by
Fairfax and his wife, who threw
stones. Several people saw the
woman dart forward, and the
black man Also each hurting the missiles.
Moore was struck with brick on the
| head and fell forward. Quick as a fash
Fairfax leaned down to the PROSTATE Vic
tim, jerked his watch from his pocket,
took his money from his clothing and then
with wanton brutality took the uncon-
scious body in his arms and hurled 1t over
a stone wall, a distance of thirty feet.
Moore was not dead when he was hurled
from the stone wall, but the fall broke
his neck and he died instantly.
In moment the town was afre. The
murder was right in the heart of 1t. The
woman continued to stone back the crowd
confusion fed. Policeman Charles Still
wagon took the woman and hustled her
to the lookup.
In the meantime search he
gan for Fairfax. HI
ran up the rear stairs of vacant house
and was thereby betrayed by woman
who saw him secrete himself. He was
hustled up the dark alley. and before the
crowd knew of 1t, he had been placed in
| the lookup with his wife. In a few min
utes the lookup was surrounded by a
bowling mob of infuriated men. In the
midst of them were Moore's three sons
crying and adding to the excitement and
the bitterness of the crowd. Inside with
| the murderers were a handful of officers
who blockaded the narrow aisle leading
! from the outer door to the cells. The
men on the outside beat this in. But the
| police remained firm The crowd kept
battering at the doors, entreating the off,
GERS to give up the prisoners and shout
ing: Bring him out to the rope" Lynch
him.
The Mob in the Jail.
A few minutes before 10 O'Clock a few
ringleaders succeeded in getting on the
inside and opened fire with revolvers at
the negroes through the cell doors. For
several minutes this fusllade continued.
The officers shot into the air to frighten
the people. Suddenly down the street
came a crowd of men bearing a tele-
phone pole which the crowd took and,
using 1t as a battering ram, began to
knock down the walls OF the building.
In the meantime Sheriff George A. Nc
Cormick of Fayette county had been no.
titled and with a large posse is being
rushed to Connellsville from Uniontown
| on a freight train, the intention being TO
take the prisoners under escort to the
train and get them into the jail at Union
| town.
BY 11:30 o'clock the infuriated mob had
used the battering ram so effectively that
| the outer wall of the building separating
| the hose carriage from the aisle of the
lookup, broke through. Soon giant hole
gaped. Exposed and showing plainly un-
der the electric light within stood the
negro, Fairfax. The sight was madden
ing. The battering ram bent and twisted
| the cell bars until the negro stood cx-
posed so that he could have been dragged
out. But the officers, headed by County
Detective McBeth, stood before the man,
thwarting the work OF the ram, stand
ing on 1t with their feet to stop its work.
McBeth calmly informed the man at the
head OF the ram:
A Brave Onlcer.
"If you break through, the first man
that enters the cell dies"
He held his pistol in his hand A
man appeared with a rope, swinging the
loop high over the heads OF the crowd,
but none were brave enough to face death
at the hands of the officers.
Shortly after midnight William Moore,
the eldest son of the murdered man,
mounted the steps in front Of the lock-
up and said:
For my mothers sake and for my own
sake ask the mob to dsperse. / do not
want the negro dragged out and you
should therefore not want him"
Father John Burns pastor OF the Inn
maculate Conception Church, also spoke
to the crowd and asked them to preserve
the good name Of the town. as did also
Burgess Josiah 3. Kurtz. The crowd list
ened attentively and respectfully. but re-
newed the efforts 10 get the negro as
soon as the speakers had finished.
ghcrlH EIudca ahn AInI