The age-herald., 1902-03-26
Hanged to Telegraph Pole While 4OOO People HOW|-
 ed With Delight
DIED DECLARING HIS
 INNOCENCE OF CRIME
Woman Was Enticed Away Under the Pretense of Being Shown to Car. Fully Identified Her
 Assailant.

Pueblo Coio., March 25.-A special from La Junta says:
 w. H. Wallace. a negro sleeping car porter was lynched at o'clock tonight in a corner of the courthouse square, be- ing hanged to a telegraph pole by bowling mob of 40OO people who had been hunting for him all day. After the hang ing the body of the negro was riddled with bullets. Wallace had been kept out of town all day by Sheriff Farr In an at l tempt to save him from the mob. The prisoner made no resistance to the lynch ing and died protesting his innocence. | Mrs. Henrietta H. Miller, aged 67 years, going from Los Angeles to Denver to visit relatives, was assaulted In the Santa Fe Railroad yards here last night by an zero porter of a Pullman car run ming between Denver and La Junta.
 After leaving the Chicago limited train here Mrs Miller asked porter whom she met on the station platform where the Denver sleeper was. The man offered to | conduct her to the car. After going with him a considerable distance Mrs. Miller | became suspicious and started to return to the station. She was then knocked down by a blow on the head, and after a l struggle with her assailant was choked 1 into insensibility. When she regained consciousness about an hour later she | crawled back to the station and gave an account of the assault and a description | of her assailant. Washington Wallace, | a Pullman car porter who runs between | Denver and this city, stopping here on | each run from 9:45 at night until noon the next day, was arrested in the car l of which he had charge. He was 1denti- fled 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 1 which Wallace was found.
 Eight assaults have occurred here Tn the past few months, and 1t is believed that all were committed by one man. Mrs. Mller's condition is critical.
 Started Prisoner to Pueblo.
 Fearing lynching, Sheriff Farr decided to take the prisoner to Pueblo. When his intention became known. however, the railroad employees declared he could not travel by rail as they would refuse to | operate the 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, twen- ty miles north. At that place he was too late to catch the train for Pueblo, and then decided to drive through. Meantime an armed party had left La Junta to overtake the sheriff and prisoner. The carriage was finally overtaken at Pat terson Hollow, midway between Rocky Ford and Manzanola.
 Sheriff Farr made no resistance and Wallace did not ask for mercy. The car | riage was turned back toward La Junta. Passing through Rocky Ford the mob was joined by 800 men of that town. La | Junta was reached about o'clock where thousands of men, women and children, many from the surrounding country, awaiting them. A peace element endeav ored to stop the proposed lynching, and | a committee consisting of Robert Pat | terson, banker; Dr. Fleming, Charles | Dearborn, county treasurer, and other prominent citizens, asked the privilege of l 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 were | locked and the committee would try to prevent a lynching. Immediately pande- monium reigned.
 Stones Hurled at Building.
 Stones were hurled at the building until l every window was broken. Then with l a telegraph pole for battering ram, the crowd broke in the doors and Wallace was taken out. Mayor Sabine made ! speech to the crowd counseling them l to let the law take its own course. He was listened to but as soon as he fin- | ished the crowd moved down the street I dragging the negro by rope. boy was sent up a telegraph pole with the rope. 1 It was thrown over the cross bar and | then dropped into the crowd A hun dred hands grasped 1t and in an instant | the negro was in the air. Hardly had l the boy climbed out of danger when hun | dreds of pistols were drawn an. before | the negro's body reached the top of the pole 1t was riddled with bullets and the man was dead.
 At lat hour tonight the body had not been taken down. The coroner lives at Rocky Ford. Sheriff Farr said tonight that Wallace steadfastly maintained his innocence, but that the police declare that when they arersted him in his car there were blood and gray hairs on his colth- l ing end other evidence which satisfied | him he was the guilty man.
 Wallace lived with his wife at 1257 Law renee street. Denver.
 | He Is said to have come here from Sedalia Mo-, and had been employed by | the railroad company for several years.