Evening star., 1902-07-31
HIS BODY RIDDLED
INEFFECTUAL EFFORT OF SHER-
IFF TO PROTECT PRISONER.
Colored Man Charged With Killing
VIM. n. Wilson, Prominent
Farmer.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

Leesburg by a mob of about 80 men. who
oyerpowered the guard. broke in the outer
door. and then the door to the cage, using
hammers and crOwbars for the purpose.
Little difficulty was encountered in this
work. A moose was thrown around the
neck of the prisoner. and he was led off
down the pike in the direction of the scene
of the murder.
The men who composed the party were
anxious to take him to Fairfax county but
It was not believed that the crowd would
be able to restrain their anger until the
complete journey had been made This pre-
diction was fulfilled. for the party had
proceeded but a single mile when the rope
was thrown around a tree and Craven was
pulled from the ground and left dangling
until the life had completely gone out of
his body.
On the way down the pike the prospective
lynchers were heartily cheered by men. wo-
men and children who lined the road.
Gov. Montague was appealed to by the
officer of the commonwealth. Acting on
this appeal the company of Alexandria
Light Infantry was at once sent for, but
the work of the mob was accomplished so
speedily and with so little excitement that
when the infantry arrives there will be
nothing for 1t to do.
Protests His Innocence.
Before Craven was lynched he was given
an opportunity to make statement This
he did. and in It he strongly protested that
he was innocent of killing Wilson, and also
that he was innocent of burning Smiths
barn. for which Offense he had been sem
fenced to jail years before This protes-
tation, however. made no change In the
determination of the mob.
Before the feet of the victim had hardly
left the ground the mob began shooting
In an instant fully five hundred shots had
pierced his body, when the mob quietly dis
persed
Mayor White and Sheriff Russell were
notified of the lynching. and an Inquest
was at once ordered. This will doubtless
be held Immediately. when the body will be
buried in the cemetery near which the
hanging took place.
Special DisDatch to The Evening Star.
LEESBURG, Va, July 81, p.m-Charles
craven. colored. the alleged assassin Of
William II. Wilson. was captured this
morning about 10 o'clock on the farm of
Alfred Stanton. near Ashburn about eight
miles from here. He was brought here on
the train an hour later and lodged in Jail.
bic but considerable difficulty was expert
enced in keeping him out Of the hands of
the infuriated citizens. The ride from Ash
burn to this place on the train. as well as
through the streets to the jail. was an ex-
citing one Men armed with muskets and
rifles protected him from assault When
the train reached here there was a crowd
OF several hundred people at the depot and
loud cheering of eXulting citizens greeted
the prisoner as ne was pushed and pulled
from the baggage car. Sheriff Russell and
Mr.. William l.. Aud. the latter former
Washington policeman, received the pris-
oner and with great difficulty succeeded In
getting him into the wagon in which ne
was driven TO jail The sheriff declared the
ends of justice should be met and he would
protect the prisoner. Seated in the wagon
were dozen armed men who had been
deDuttzed to assist the sheriff. Just about
the time the wagon reached the Jail
the cOlored emancipation procession ap-
pedred on the streets. and some of the COL
ored women added 20 the excitement by
oenOilncing the conduct of those who had
endeavored to take the prisoners life Af-
ter the prisoner had been landed In Jail the
crowd remained about the brick structure
swearing vengeance Such exciting scenes
had not been witnessed here since the
IynChing of a cOlored man for rape, about
eighteen years ago.
Hurricane" Branch, owner of the blood
hptiflS, gave up lUe SSdTCn iOr craven
about II o'clock last night and made an
early start this morning. The dogs were
on the mans trail soon after leaving Lees
burg this morning but had not gone far
before the Suffolk detective learned that
Craven had been captured. The fugitive
had been trailed to a hen roost and the dogs
were making tracks IN the direction of
Ashburn when the capture was reported.
Where Capture Was Made
Craven was caught less than two miles
from where last nights trail was aban-
doned. Early this morning ne was seen to
cross the road near the farm of Mr.. Stan
ton. and farmers who were on the lookout
for him traced him to a hay rick. He had
climbed to the top of the hay to get little
rest. and was asleep. He was perhaps en-
joyinS his first soft bed since Sunday night.
Ernest Norman. John Higgins jerks Bry-
ant. Maurice McNedley and Ellsworth
Simpson captured him.
Feeling certain that Craven was on the
hay rick. one of the men fired his gun to
attract the attention of men at work in the
field, fearing assistance might be needed
Come down. Charlie" said one of the
men. and the fugitive. who had been hunt
ed since Monday night, obeyed. More than
dozen weapons were aimed at him when
he started to descend. and he was taken
without Offering the slightest resistance.
Il wish God could come down from
heaven and testify was the only sIgnin-
cant statement he made before leaving
AshbUrn.
News OF the capture was sent over the
wire to the nearby stations and scores of
passengers crowded the cars bound for
here Several attempts were made to shoot
Craven before he was put aboard the train,
and fully one hundred weapons were
drawn on him before he reached here.
Herndon and Sterling added to the number
OF passengers, and every man who boarded
the train was armed. Six resolute farmers
had charge of Craven. and they succeeded
in getting him TO the baggage car in safety,
although they had to pass through two
lines of armed men, most Of whom had
their weapons drawn. The ladies' on the
train were anxious to see what was going
on and showed no signs of being frighte,I-
ed. although they were greatly relieved
when they saw the excited crowd following
the sherifs team up the main street.
Crowd Wanted to Lynch Him.
When the train bearing the prisoner
reached here the excited crowd ditfA great
amount of talking. Cries Of Lynch him.
ard Bring the rope!" were heard, but
Sheriff Russell and his assistants were
equal TO the occasion. and bloodshed was
prevented Armed men from the surround
Ing country who had participated In the
pursuit poured into town at rapid rate
Ak~A-