New-York tribune., 1903-07-26
MOB LOOSE IN DANVILLE.
ONE NEGRO LYNCHED.
Rioters after 4nother to Hang Him
Three Badly Beaten.

Danville Ill. July 25.-This city is in the
throes of a race riot. One negro. an unknown
man from Evansville Ind. who tonight shot
and killed Henry Gatterman. white, has already
been lynched by mob of six hundred men. who
were later fired upon by the sheriff. three men
being wounded. The mob was cIamoring for the
life Of another negro James Wilson. who has
confessed to brutal assault on Mrs Thomas
Burgess. wife of farmer at Alvon, ILL.,, just
north of here
The unknown negro met his fate while the
mob was on the way to lynch Wilson. The
angry throng was passing down East Ma;n-st.,
when the negro became invove1 in an altelca-
ton with some of it's members. They terted
after him and he pulled a sun, firing into the
crowd. Henry Gatterman butcher. who
Gently returned from Fortress Monroe, fell NOR
tally wounded, and expired IN a few seconds.
The negro fed, but was caught by the of1cers
within a block of the scene of the tragedy and
hurried to the police station, with ghe mob in
hot pursuit, temporarily diverted from their
march to the county Jail The officers, with
their prisoner, took refuge in the City ou"diag,
barricading themselves behind the dcor of one
of the offices. They could not check the mob.
however. for it secured long pole and started
to batter down section of the wall apd tie
door, both of which We're very thin
On account of the overwhelming numbers OF
the mob. it was useless for the officers to resist
The negro was seized and rushed to the spot
where he had shot Gatterman. It the work
of an instant TO throw rope around his neck
and swing him up to the nearest telephone pole.
He was left hanging, while the mob proceeded
on to the county Jail The officers hope to save
the second negro by some ruse.
Wilson. it is charged. went to the Burgess
farmhouse while Mrs. Burgess was alone and
told her that he was hungry. While she was
getting him something to eat he entered the
kitchen door and seized her He fed, leaving
her half dead. She managed TO crawl to the
nearest farmhouse. where she told the story.
A posse of officers captured the negro and
hurried him to the county jail 10 prevent lynch
ing There the negro confessed.
Three other negroes have been attacked by
members of the mob and severely beaten Two
are said to be refugees from Evansville, Ind.
Some negroes are arming themselves and Others
are preparing for flight
The Evansville victim of the mob later
identified as J. D. Mayfeld. The mob changed
it's mind before attacking the jail and went back
and cut down Mayfed's body. They rushed it
to the public square and burned it in a bonfire.
hacking il TO pieces as it burned. Then they
charged the jail, and the Sheriff and deputies
fired. wounding several members of the mob.
some fatally.
The mob threatened to lynch the Sheriff, his
deputies and the negro turnkey
Ater securing battering rams. it took the
moo about half an hour to wreck the city
prison. the negro being found hid in a safe. He
w. pulled from the safe. struck with sledges,
knocked down, jumped upon and stamped 10
de h. rope was placed around his neck and
his HfeIezs body was dragged three blocks
through the streets to the scene of the shooting
An effort was made to hang the body TO q tele-
graph pole but the rope broke. The mob.
which by this time numbered fve thousand.
then dragged the body 20 the jail and burned =;