Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-03-27
NEGRO Is LYNCHED

NLUhU lO LII NOIlLD
COLORADO MOB AvENGEs AT.
TAcE ON WHITE WOMAN.
| Thousands Batter Down Court House
Doors at La Junta, Take Man to
Square and String Him UP to Elec.
trio Light Pole.
La Junta, Colo, March 26.-W. H.
Wallace, a negro sleeping car porter,
was lynched at 8 o'clock last night
in a corner of the court house square,
being hanged to an electric light
pole by bowling mob of 1000 people,
who had been wildly 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 innocence.
Mrs. Henrietta H. Miller, gray
! haired woman, aged 81, going from
Los Angeles to Denver, after leaving
the Chicago limited train here, asked
a negro porter whom she met on the
station platform where the Denver
sleeper was. The man offered to con-
duct her to the car. After going with
him considerable distance, Mrs. Mil
Ter became suspicious and started
to return to the station. She was then
knocked down by blow on the head,
and after a struggle with her assail-
ant was choked into insensibility.
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, who runs between
Denver and this city, was arrested in
the car of which he had charge. He
was identified by Mrs. Miller. Eight
assaults have occurred here in the
past few months, and it is believed
that all were committed by one man.
Mrs. Millers condition is critical.
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 Wallace on
board. The sheriff placed his prisoner
in a 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
carriage was finally overtaken at Pat
terson Hollow, midway between Rocky
Ford and Manzanola. Sheriff Farr
made no resistance and Wallace did
not ask for mercy. The carriage was
turned back, toward La Junta. Pass
ing through Rocky Ford the mob was:
Joined by 500 men of that town. La.
Junta was reached about Z o'clock,
where thousands OF men, women and
children, many from the surrounding
country, awaited them. A peace ele-
ment endeavored to stop the proposed
4 lynching and committee of promi-
/ nent citizens asked the privilege Of
trying to get from Wallace confes-
sion. This was granted and the ne,
| gro 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 committee would
try to prevent lynching. Stones
were hurled at the building till every
window was broken, then with tele-
graph pole as battering ram, the
crowd broke in the doors and Wallace
was taken out Mayor Sabin made a
speech to the crowd, counseling them
to let the law take its own course He
was listened to, but as soon as he fin
ished the crowd moved down the street
dragging the negro by rope. A boy
was sent up telegraph pole with a
rope. 1t was thrown over the crossbar
and the end dropped into the crowd.
A hundred hands grasped it and in an
instant the negro was in the air.
Hardly had the boy climbed down out
of range when scores of pistols were
! drawn and before the negro's body
reached the top of the pole it was
riddled with bullets and the man was
dead