The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-12-26
NEGRO STRUNG
UP IN KANSAS
His Death fastened by Having
His Throat Cut.
HAD KILLED A POLICEMAN
OFFICER WAS KILLED IN DIS
CHARGE OF HIS DUTY.

DITTSBURG. Kan. Dec. 25.-Mont-
gomery Cooley. a negro. was
taken from the Jail here today
and lynched by a mob because early
this morning he shot and killed Milton
Hinkley, a policeman. while the officer
was trying to protect himself from a
crowd of unruly negroes
The negro Jerked the officers pistol
from its scabbard and shot the officer
with 1t from behind. Two hours later
q mob gathered and took the negro
from the city Jail, where he had been
taken after he was caught, and hanged
him to telephone pole. AS he was
choking to death one of the members
of the mob cut his throat and ended
his suffering.
Officer Doing His Duty.
A large number of negro men and
women from the various mining camps
in this vicinity, among them Mont and
Joe Cooley, brothers, were drinking
and carousing at a ball. Officer Hinkle
requested them to be quiet. The God
ley brothers answered him in an in
sulting and insolent manner, and he
tried to arrest them. They resisted
and Officer Hinkle blew his whistle for
help. Then he began to use his club in
order to protect himself from the on
slaught of the crowd He was holding
his own against three of them when
Mont Cooley grabbed the officers re-
Volver from its scabbard and. placing
the muzzle behind the right ear of the
officer, pulled the trigger. The ball
passed through Hinkle's head and came
out of the left side. He fell to the side
walk.
Murderer Captured.
Other officers pursued the negroes. all
of whom started to run when the Off
GER fell. The Cooley brothers were
both captured and locked up in the city
Jail. Hinkle was carried to the city
hall. where he died at ? o'clock this
morning. The news of the murder
spread and soon a crowd was gathered
about the jail. Leaders were not slow
in coming forward and cries OF Hang
him Burn him." Get a rope" were
heard on every side. A mob gathered
in the corridors and about the Jail doors
An attempt was first made to rob City
Marshal Higgins of his keys TO the jail
doors, but he convinced the mob that
they were not in his possession at the
time.
A crowbar and hammer were then
procured and the Jail doors battered
and broken open.
His Courage oozed Away.
Cooley had courage and cursed the
mob when its leaders entered the iaiI.
but his courage left him when he be-
gan to realize that death was near. He
began to supplicate and beg for the
officers TO protect him. but they were
overpOwered and taken care of by a
portion of the mob. Cooley was
dragged from the jail into the yard
and given few moments to talk He
told so many conflicting stories about
the affair that the mob became impa-
tient and hurried him about three
blocks away from the jail Procuring
a rope on the way, the men hanged him
to step pins of a telegraph pole. The
rope broke on the first effort and Cod
ley fell 10 the ground. At this instant
some one In the crowd cut his throat
on the left side, severing the iugu!ar
Vein This brought a more mercifuI
death than was intended by the mob.
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 citv
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 over the lynch-
ing OF Cooley. Belligerent crowds have
been upon the streets all day and have
made ugly threats. Numerous negroes
nave been locked up for carrying con-
cealed weapons It is expected that
there will be further trouble between
the races.