The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-12-30
MURDERS KANSAS POLICEMAN
IN COLD BLOOD.
SHOT OFFICER IN The BACK
Mob Hang Him to Telephone Pole
Cut His Throat When
Rope Breaks.

Pittsburg, Kan, Dec. 26.-Mont
gomery Cooley, a negro, vas taken
from the Jail here today and lynched
by a mob because early this morning
he shot and killed Milton Hinkle, a
policeman, who was trying to protect
himself against a crowd of unruly
blacks.
Shot With His Own Pistol.
The negro jerked the officers pistol
from the holster and shot him with it
from behind. Two hours later a mob
gathered and took Cooley. from the
city Jail, where he had been incar-
cerated, and hanged him to a tele-
phone pole. AS he vas choking to
death one of the members Of the mob
cut his throat and ended his suffer
ings.
- "A ~ ~ AL VI SSA $1,000 ~AN
women from the various mining
camps in the vicinity, among them
Mont and Joe Cooley, brothers, were
drinking and carousing at a ball.
Hinkle requested them to be quiet.
The Cooley borthers answered him in
an insolent manner and he tried to
arrest them. They resisted and Hin
kle blew his whistle for help. He then
began to use his club in order to pro-
tect himself from the onslaught of
the crowd. He was holding his WI
against three of them when Mont"
Cooley grabbed the officers revolver
and, placing the muzzle behind Hin
kle's right ear, pulled the trigger. The
ball passed through his head and
came out over the left eye. He fell
to the sidewalk. Other officers pur-
sued the negroes, all of whom started
to run when the officer fell. The
Cooley brothers were both captured
and locked up in the city Jail. Hin
kle was carried to the city hall,
where he died at 2 this morning.
Mob Storms City Jail.
The news of the murder spread and
soon a crowd was gathered about the
Jail. shouting, Hang him. Burn
HIM" Get a rope!"
An attempt was first made to rob
the city marshal of his keys to the
Jail door. but he convinced the mob
that they we're not in his possession
at the time. A crowbar and hammer
were then procured and the Jail doors
battered and broken open.
Cooley cursed the mob when it's
leaders entered the Jail, but his our
age left him when he began to realize
that death was near. He began to
supplicate and beg for officers to pro-
tect him. but they were overpowered
and taken care of by a portion of the
mob. The negro was then dragged
from the Jail into the yard and given
a few moments to talk. He told SO
many conflicting stories about the af-
fair that the mob became impatient
and hurried him about three blocks
away from the Jail. Procuring a rope
on the way they hanged him to the
Step-pins of a telephone pole. The
rope broke on the, first effort and
Cooley fell to the ground. At this in
slant someone in the crowd cut his
throat on the left side, severing the
juggler vein. This brought a more
merciful death than was intended. He
was then hanged again.
Cooley came here from Pierce City,
Mo-, at the time the citizens of that
town drove the negroes out of the
city about two years ago.
The mob left his body hanging for
several hours before it was cut down,
Great excitement prevails here
among both whites and negroes as a
result of the lynching of Cooley. Bel
ligerent crowds have been upon the
streets all day and have made ugly
threats.
Numerous negroes have been lock-
ed up for carrying concealed