The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-26
Negro Porter of Pullman Car
Hanged at La Juntas
For Brutal Assault Upon an
Aged White Woman.
TAKEN FROM OFFICERS.
Court House Windows Broken
and Door Battered Down.
Four Thousand People Partici-
pate in the Hanging.

Pueblo, Colo, March ga special to
the Chieftain from La Junta says:
w. H. Wallace, the negro sleeping car
porter accused of brutally assaulting
an. aged woman in the La Junta rail-
road yards. was lynched at O'Clock
last night in a corner of the court
house square, being hanged to an cleo
trio light pole by a bowling mob of
1000 people who had been wildly hunt
ing for him all day. After the hanging
the body of the negro was riddled with
bullets. Wallace had been kept out of
town all day by Sheriff F'arr in an at
tempt to save him from the mob. The
prisoner made no resistance to the
lynching, and died protesting his limo
cence.
Fearing a lynching Sheriff F'arr de-
cided to take the negro to Pueblo.
When his intention became known,
however, the railroad employees de-
clared that he could not travel by rail,
as they would refuse to operate train
out of La Junta with Wallace on board.
The sheriff placed his prisoner in a
carriage and started for Sugar City, on
the Missouri Pacific, 20 miles north At
that place he was too late to catch the
train for Pueblo and then decided to
drive through.
Meantime armed party had left
La Junta to overtake the sheriff and
hauled at Patterson Hollow, midway
between Rocky Ford and Manzanola.
Sheriff Farr made no resistance and
Wallace did not ask for mercy. The
carriage was turned back toward La
Junta- Passing through Rocky Ford
the mob was Joined by 500 citizens of
that town. La Junta was reached
about O'Clock, where thousands of
men, women and children, many from
the surrounding country, awaited them.
peace element endeavored to stop
the proposed lynching, and a commit
tee consisting of Robert Patterson
banker, DR.. Fleming, Charles Dearborn
county treasurer, and other prominent
citizens asked the privilege of trying to
get from Wallace a confession. This
was granted, and the negro was taken
into the court house. After half an
hour or so the word went out that the
court house doors We're locked and that
the committee would try to prevent a
lynching.
Immediately trouble began Stones
We're hurled at the building till every
window was broken. Then, with a tele-
graph pole for a battering ram the
crowd broke in the doors and Wallace
was taken out. Mayor Fred A. Sabine
made speech to the crowd counselling
them to let the law take its course. He
was listened to but as soon as he finish
ed the crowd moved down the street
dragging the negro by rope. A boy
was sent~up a telegraph pole with the
rope. 1t was thrown over the cross bar
and the end dropped into the crowd. A
hundred hands grasped it and in an in
slant the negro was in the air. Hardly
had the boy climbed down out of dan
ger when scores of pistols were drawn
and before the Negroes body reached the
top of the pole it was riddled with bull
lets and the man was dead.
Sheriff Farr said that Wallace stead
tasty maintained his innocence but the
police declare that when they arrested
him in his car there was blood and gray
hairs on his clothing and other evidence
which satisfied them that he was the
guilty man.
Wallace lived with his wife at 2157
Lawrence street, Denver. They have no
children. He is said to have come here
from Sedalia, Mo-, and had been en-
ployed by the railroad company for sew
eral years.
The Denver police declare that he has
no police record so far as they know.