Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1902-03-28
A NEGRO LYNCHED.
Mob Law in Full Sway at
Junta, Col.
The Negro, n Pullman Car Porter, was
Charged with n Most Brutal As
sault on nm Aged Woman
from CnlItornia-De-
structive Mob.

La Junta, Col, March 26.-W. II.
Wallace, negro sleeping car porter,
was lynched at o'clock last night in
u corner of the court house square,
being hanged to an electric light pole
by bowling 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 pris-
oner made no resistance to the lynch
ing and died protesting his inno-
cence.
Mrs. Henrietta II. Miller. gray
haired woman aged 81, going from
Los Angeles, Cal, to Denver, to visit
relatives, was brutally assaulted in
the Santa Fe railroad yards here
Monday night by negro porter on
Pullman car running between Den
yer and La Junta.
When she regained consciousness,
about an hour later, she crawled back
to the station and gave an account of
the assault and description of her
assailant. Washington H. Wallace, a
Pullman car porter, was arrested in
the car of which he had charge. He
was identified by Mrs. Miller.
Fearing lynching Sheriff Farr de-
cided to take the prisoner to Pueblo.
When his intention became known,
however, the railroad employees de-
clared that he could not travel by
rail, as they would refuse to operate
the train out of La Junta with Wal
lace on board. The sheriff placed his
prisoner in carriage 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 to drive through.
Meantime an armed party had left La
| Junta to overtake the sheriff and
| prisoner. The carriage was finally
overtaken at Patterson. Sheriff Farr
made no resistance and Wallace did
not ask for mercy. The carriage was
| turned back toward La Junta. Pass
ing through Rocky Rord the mob was
| Joined by 500 men of that town. La
Junta was reached about o'clock
and thousands of men, women and
children awaited them. \ peace ele-
ment endeavored to stop the pro-
posed lynching, and committee
consisting of Robert Patterson,
banker; DR.. Fleming, Charles Dear
born, county treasurer, and other
prominent citizens asked the privi-
lege of trying to get confession
from Wallace. 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 that the conn
mittee would try to prevent lynch
ing.
Immediately pandemonium reigned.
Stones were hurled at the building
until every window was broken.
Then, with telegraph pole for bat
tering ram, the crowd broke in the
doors and the negro was taken.
Mayor Fred \. Sabin made speech
to the crowd, counselling them to let
the law take its COURSE He was lis
tened to, but as soon as he had fin
ished the crowd moved down the
street, dragging the negro by rope,
\ boy was sent up telegraph pole
with a rope. 1t was thrown over the
cross-bar and then dropped into the
crowd. 4 hundred hands graSped ii
and in an instant the negro was in
the air. Hardly had the boy climbed
out of danger when hundreds of pis'
tolls We're drawn and before the
negro's body reached the top of the
pole it was riddled with bullets and
the man was dead.