The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-26
NEGRO
PORTER
LYNCHED.
Suspended From Electric Light
Pole at La Junta, CoI., by
a Mob Of 1000.

La Junta, Col. March 26.-W. II. wal
lace. a negro sleeping car porter. was
lynched at o'clock last night In "a cor
ner OF the court house square. lie was
hanged 10 ON electric light pole by mob
of 1000 persons. who had been hunting for
him all day. After the hanging the body
OF the negro was riddled with bullets.
Wallace had been kept out of town all
day by Sheriff Farr in an attempt TO save
him from the mob. The prisoner made no
resistance 10 the lynching and died pro-
testing his innocence
Fearing a lynchng, Sheriff Farr de-
cided 10 take the prisoner 10 Pueblo.
When his intention became known, how
ever. the railroad 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 sheriff placed his prisoner I'm a car
riage and started for Sugar city, on the
Missouri Pacific, 20 miles north. At that
place he was too late to catch the train
for Pueblo. and then decided 20 drive
| through.
Meantime an armed party had left La
Junta 20 overtake the sheriff and pris-
oner When the carriage was avertaken
Sheriff Farr made no resistance and Wal
]
riage was turned back toward La Junta.
Passing through Rocky Ford the mob was
| Joined by 500 men OF that town.
La Junta was reached about o'clock.
where thousands of men, women and
I children, many from the surrounding
country, awaited them. \ peace element,
| endeavored TO stop the proposed lynch
! ing and a committee OF prominent citi-
| zens asked the privilege OF trying 20 get
J a confession from Wallace. This was
| granted. and the negro was taken into
| the court house. After half an hour or
/ so the word was sent out that the court
| house doors were locked and that the
| committee would try TO prevent a lynch
ing The crowd broke I'm the doors. Wal
/ lace walked out and was dragged down
/ the street
A boy was sent up n telegraph pole
with rope. 1t was thrown over the
\ cross-arm and then dropped into the
! crowd 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 reach
l ed the top OF the pole IL was riddled with
| bullets Al late hour the body had
not been taken down.
Sheriff Farr said that Wallace stead
| fastly maintained mis- innocence, but the
| police declare that when they arrested
him in his car there was blood and gray
hairs on his clothing. and other evidenc'
that satisfied them that he was th'
guilty man.
Mrs. Henrietta Miller, n resident n
Los Angeles, Cal, rs years of age, was
I assaulted by a negro in the railroad
yards here early yesterday and is suffer
ing severely from the injuries received
| and the shock TO her nerves. She was
| travelling to Denver TO visit relatives and
! left the Santa Fe-Chicago limited trair
| here 10 change cars.
She asked Pullman car porter To show
| her TO the car which she should take
He started through the railroad yards
with her and struck her on the head, she
saws, with fist, and rendering her insensi
Bile. She was then criminally assaulted
and left unconscious in the yard. Wher
she regained her senses she dragged her
self to the depot and reported the cir
cumstanCes.
The Chicago train had not yet left and
w H. Wallace. a Pullman porter, was i'm
mediately arrested on suspicion. BLOOD
hounds were put on the trail made IN
| the yard by the man who accompanied
Mrs Miller and they followed It TO the ca
| I'm which Wallace was found