The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-05-19
FURY OF A MOB
DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO LYNCH A
COLORED MURDERER.
Latter Robbed a IL. & o. Railway EN-
pIoye, Threw Him over n Wall
and Broke His Neck.
WIFE ASSISTED IN THE CRIME
JAIL AND LOCKED UP.
Mob Soon Formed and Broke Into the
Place. but Was Held at Bay
by N Few Officers.
latter SHOWED MUCH NERVE
NEGROES WERE TOUCHED.
WOuid-Be Lynchers Finally Thwarted
and the Prisoners Hurried Out
of Town on SnecinI Trafu.
Mob Soon Formed and Broke Into the
Place. but Was Held at bay
by N Few Officers.
latter SHOWED MUCH NERVE
AND THREATENED TO Kill IF THE.
NEGROES WERE TOUCHED.
WOuid-Be Lynchers Finally Thwarted
and the Prisoners Hurried Out
of Town on Special Train.

CONNELLSVILLE, Pa, May 1s.-Five
thousand frantic white people surrounded
the fragile little lookup in the town hall
here tonight. Behind the cell bars trembled
William Fairfax and his wife, BLACK FL"
both colored, who had just murdered Will
liam Moore, assistant yardmaster in the
Baltimore a. Ohio yards here. and well
known In Fayette and Westmoreland rail-
road circles for many years.
The streets tonight were crowded with
the Saturday night throngs. William Moore
and Baggagemaster Johnston, of the Fair
mont branch train, walked down Main
street and turned in towards the Hotel
Hass, on Water street through the rear
alley. Johnston left Moore and the latter,
before he had gone a moment, was as
saulted suddenly by Fairfax and his wife,
who threw several stones. Several people
saw the woman dart forward and the black
man also, each hurting the missiles. Among
the bystanders who witnessed the attack
was Otto Ebbert. Moore was struck with
a brick on the head and fell forward.
Quick as flash Fairfax leaned down over
the PROSTATE victim, jerked his watch from
his pocket took his money from his cloth
ing and then took the body in his arms and
hurled it over a stone wall, a distance of
thirty feet. Moore was not dead when he
was hurled from the wall, but the fall
broke his neck, and he died instantly.
In IA moment the town afre with ex-
citement. The woman continued TO stone
back the crowd which pressed upon her.
Fairfax, in the confusion, fed. Constable
William Hart of Connelsville township,
County Detective Alex. McBeth, who hap
pened upon the scene, and Policeman Chas.
Stillwagon took the woman and hustled
her up Main street to the lookup, she
compelling them to drag her and carry
her the entire distance. In the meantime
search was made for Fairfax. He ran up
the rear stairs of a vacant house in
Meadow lane and was there betrayed by
a woman Who saw him secrete himself. He
was hustled up the dark alley and be-
fore the crowd knew of it he had been
placed in the lookup in the cell next his
wife.
SURROUNDED BY A MOB.
In a few moments the lookup was sur
rounded by a bowling mob. In the midst Of
them were Moores three sons, crying and
adding to the excitement and the bitter
ness of the crowd. For two whole blocks
the crowd of men held sway, and their
shouts could be heard all over the town.
Inside with the negro murderers were
County Detective McBeth, Policeman Frank
Mccormick, Martin Coyne, Charles Still
wagon, Constable Hart. Baltimore * Ohio
officer Robert Sheppard and few others.
The officers blockaded the narrow aisle
leading from the outer door to the cells and
the men on the outside beat this in. But
the police remained firm. The crowd kept
battering at the doris, entreating the Of
ficers to give up the prisoners and shouting,
Bring them out to the roper' Lynch
them." All this time the phalanx of Of
ficers, who remained cool and determined,
blocked the little passage inside and others
outside helped to keep back the crowds
that rushed against those protecting the
prisoners rithin. The shouts were deaf
ening
In the crowd su rounding the lookup
were many railroad men. thoroughly fran
tic over Moore's. death. A few minutes
before 10 o'clock few of the ringleaders
succeeded in getting the inside and
opened fire with revolvers at the negroes
through the cell doors. For several min
utes this fusillade continued The officers
shot into the air to frighten the people.
Suddenly down the street came a crowd
of men bearing a telephone pole. which
the crowd speedily took. and, using it 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
found, and, with large posse, started TO
Connellsville from Uniontown on a freight
train, the intention being to take the pris-
oners under escort to the train and get
them into the jail at Uniontown.
GATHERING RAM USED
BY 1880 o'clock the mob used the batter
ing ram so effectively that in the outer
wall of the building separating the hose
carriage from the aisle of the lookup a
big hole was made. Exposed and showing
plainly under the electric light within stood
the negro Fairfax. The sight added to the
fury of the mob The battering ram beat
at the cell bars till they bent and twisted,
and the negro stood exposed so that he
could have been dragged out. But the Of
fcers. headed by County Detective Nc
Beth. stood before the man, thwarting the
work OF the RAM standing on il with their
feet 10 stop its progress. McBeth calmly
in nformed the men the head Of the ram:
IF YOU break through. the first man that
enters the cell dies He held his pistol in
his hand.
the loon high over the heads of the crowd
but none was brave enough to face death
at the hands OF the officers. EverywheY..
the citizens OF calmer feeling commended
McBeth, the police and the other defenders
AT midnight the crowd had not lessened
around the lookup. Sheriff Mccormick
had not arrived, and a report is out that
the engineer on the locomotive hauling the
train learning at Dunbar that he was
bringing the sheriff TO protect the murderer
OF his railroad friend, refused to move the
train farther. IL Is probable no attempt
viii be made by the sheriff and his posse.
II he arrives, 10 move the prisoner to-