Omaha daily bee., 1902-03-26
NEGRO is LYNCHEO BY MOB
Pullman Car Porter, Accused of Grim
inRI Assault, Hanged while
Protesting Innocence.

PUEBLO, Colo. March 25--A special to
the Chieftain from LaJunta, Colo, says:
W. II. Wallace, a negro sleeping car
porter, was lynched at o'clock in a corner
OF the courthouse square, being hung to an
electric light pole by a 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 prisoner made no re-
sistance to the lynching and died protesting
his innocence.
A peace element endeavored to stop pro-
posed lynching and a committee consisting
of Robert Patterson, banker; DR.. Fleming,
Charles Dearborne, county treasurer, and
other prominent citizens asked the privilege
of trying to get from Wallace a confess
sion. This was granted and the negro was
taken into the courthouse. After half an
hour or so the word went out that the
courthouse doors were locked and that the
committee would try to prevent a lynching.
Stones were hurled at the building till
every window was broken; then with a tele-
graph pole as a battering ram the crowd
broke in the doors and Wallace was taken
out.
Mayor Fred A. Sabin made speech to the
crowd counselling them to let the law
take its own course. He was listened to,
but as soon as he finished the crowd moved
down the street dragging the negro by
a rope. A boy was sent up telegraph pole
with a rope. 1t was thrown over the cross
bar and the end dropped into the crowd. A
hundred hands grasped it and in an in
slant the negro was in the air.
LA JUNTA, Colo, March 25.-Mrs. Henri
eta H. Miller, a 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 last night
by a negro porter on Pullman car running
between Denver and LaJunta.
After leaving the Chicago limited train
here, Mrs. Miller asked a porter whom she
met on the station platform where the
Denver sleeper was. The man offered to
conduct her to the car. After going with
him a considerable distance, Mrs. Miller
became suspicious, and started to return tc
the station. She was then knocked down
by blow on the head, and, after a strug-
gle with her assailant, was choked into
inscnsibility.
When she regained consciousness. about
an hour later, she crawled back to the sta
tion and gave an account Of the assault and
description of her assalant
Washington H. Wallace, a Pullman car
porter. who runs between Denver and this
city, stopping here on each run from 9:45
at night until noon the following day, was
arrested in the car of which he had charge
He was identified by Mrs. Miller. Blood
hounds were brought from Canyon City
and they trailed the man who accompanied
Mrs. Miller through the yards to the car
in which Wallace was found.
Eight assaults have occurred here in
the last few months, and it is believed
that all were committed by one man. Mrs
Millers condition is critical.
Sheriff Farr said tonight that Wallace
steadfastly maintained his innocence, but
the police declare that when they ARRESTED
him in his car there were abundant evil
dences that he was the guilty man.
Wallace lived with his wife in Denver
and has no children. He came here from
Sedalia, Mo. and had been employed by
the railroad company for several years
The Denver police declare that he has nc
police record so far as they know.