Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-03-29
| COLORADO LYNCHING
Pullman Car Porter Hanged by a
Howling Mob.
OUTRAGED eRAY-HAlRED WOMAN
Peaceful Element Locked Negro In
Court House, But Mob stormed the
Building and Secured VIctlm-eod,
Was RiddIed With Bullets.

'co sh0dtC0 WIKI ouiiCIS.
La Junta, Colo, March 26.-W. II.
Wallace. Pullman sleeping car por-
ter, was lynched at O'Clock last
night In a corner OF Court House
Square. being hanged to an electric
light pole by bowling mob OF 1000
persons. who had been hunting for
him all day. After the hanging the
body of the negro was riddled with
bullets. The prisoner made no resist
ance to the lynching and died protest
ing his innocence.
Mrs. Henrietta Miller, 8 grayhaired
woman, aged So years, going from Los
Angeles, Cal, to Denver to visit rela-
tfves, was brutality assaulted in the
Santa Fe railway yards here Monday
night by a negro porter on a Pullman
car running between Denver and La
Junta
After leaving the Chicago limited
train here, Mrs. Miller asked a porter
whom she met on the station plat
form where the Denver sleeper was.
The man offered to conduct her to
the car After going with him a con.
siderable distance, Mrs Miller be.
came suspicious and started to return
to the station. She was then knocked
down by blow on the head, and after
struggle with her assailant was
choked into insensibility. When she
regained consciousness about an hour
later she crawled back to the station
and gave an account Of the assault and
description of her assailant. Wash.
inSton II. Wallace, Pullman car por.
ter, was arrested in the car of which
he had charge He was identified by
Mrs. Miller. Bloodhounds were brought
from Canyon City, and they trailed
the man who accompanied Mrs. Miller
through the yards to the car in which
Wallace was found.
Fearing a lynching, Sheriff Farr de-
cided to take the prisoner TO Pueblo.
When his intention became known the
railway employees declared that he
could not travel by rail, as they would
refuse to operate the train out OF La
Junta with Wallace on board. The
sherin placed his prisoner in a car
rtage and started for Sugar City.
Meantime an armed party had left La
Junta to overtake the sheriff and his
prisoner. The carriage was finally
resistance and Wallace did not ask
for mercy. The carriage was turned
back toward La Junta A peace ele-
ment asked the privilege OF trying to
get confession from Wallace. 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 were locked, and
that the committee would try to pre-
vent a lynching. Immediately pande-
monium reigned. Stones were hurled
at the building until every window was
broken. Then, with telegraph pole
for battering ram, the crowd broke
In the doors and Wallace was taken
out
A boy was sent up a telegraph pole
with a rope. IL was thrown over the
cross-bar and then dropped into the
crowd. A hundred hands grasped it,
and in an instant the negro was in the
air. Hardly had the boy climbed out
OF danger when hundreds Of pistols
were drawn, and before the negro's
body reached the top OF the pole IL
was riddled with bullets and the man
was dead.
Sheriff Farr said last night that Wal
lace steadfastly declared his inno-
cence. But the police claim that when
he was arrested there was blood and
gray hairs on his clothing and other
evidence which convinced them he was
the guilty man.