The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-06-23

er weaD ons, the mob soon reached the
\ jail. A battery of railroad ties carried
away the great outer door of the work
! house. What was going on inside the
! lookup was not known to the mob nor
/ did it seem to care. The second. third
and fourth doors were battered down
by tho forward leaders of the attacking
party. amid the yells and cheers OF
those who were pressing forward from
the rear Then the would-be lynchers
We're momentarily halted by hail of
bullets from the defenders, but they
{ were pressed forward by those in the
rear More shooting was heard. and
there was a scramble to get out, but
/ the Drawer ones in the attacking party
stood their ground In the fuslllade that
! followed four persons fell, all members
Of the mob. They were quickly car
ried to the rear and attended by those
I who were not brave enough to be at the
front Three of the wounded were men
and the other was boy None OF them
in the confusion could be identified ex-
cept the boy who is said to be Peter
Smith, aged y years.
The warden did not wish to slaughter
! the mob in the prison corridor and he
directed that the fire hose be turned on
| the crowd. This held the mob for a
while. Then a general rush was made
and the guards were brushed aside
There were many negroes confined in
the prison, but with the aid of man
who knew White he was quickly found.
{ HIS cell door was battered open ana
the covering and accused man begging
for mercy was dragged from the cell
and the prison
When the crowd outside heard that
success had crowned the efforts of the
lynchers a great cheer was sent up.
Attempts We're made to shoot White on
the spot but the leaders of the crowd
would have nothing but his life at the
stake. Resistance on the part of the
negro was useless. for his hands were
Il hob n he To,
the place of execution, just as though
it was a march to the gallows in
prison was taken up.
1t then became evident that a plan
of execution had been previously ar
ranged, but who the planners were is
not known at this writing. With torch
es to lead the way and with 1000 per-
sons following the negro he was led to
the road and to almost the very spot
where the assault took place White
was given a last chance to speak and
he confessed the murder of the girl A
stake had been arranged by an advance
guard. White was quickly chained to
the post. and the dry underbrush soak
ed with oil was ignited and the horri-
BILE execution was on. White, suffering
intense agony tainted, and his body
hung limp Shots were fired into his
body. and the victim of the mob was
soon dead. Satisfied with their nights
work. the greater number of the lynch
ers left the neighborhood, many of them
fearing arrest However. a large num-
Der of persons lOitered at the scene
awaiting developments. The failure of
the county court to give White a speedy
trial is in a great measure reason for
last nights tragedy. The citizens of
Wilmington and those in the vicinity of
the crime wanted an immediate trial
and Attorney General Ward laid the
matter before the court on Thursday
with that end in view. The court how
ever. did not consider haste expedient.
and the trial was set for the September
term of court. With this decision Of
court the murmuTings of mob violence
became louder and the indignation of
the people grew hourly. Sunday night
two small crowds gathered in the vi
cinity of the jail but they were soon
dispersed.
The coroner's inquest was held Mon
/ day, but the authorities feared that
harm would befall the negro, and he
was not taken from the WOrkhouse and
the inquest proceeded without his pres
ence. The verdict of the coroner's jury
was that Miss Bishop came to her death
from the effect of an assault committed
upon her by one George White. a negro.
The victim. Miss Helen s. Bishop,
daughter of Rev DR. T. A Bishop, SUI
perintendent of the Ferris Industrial
school would have been IS years old
next October She was student of the
Wilmington high school, and was on
her way home from the school last Mon
day afternoon when she was attacked.
The industrial school, four miles from
here where her parents made their home
is about three-quarterrS of a mile from
Prices Corner, where the girl usually
left the trolley car when she came from
school. Late Monday afternoon a farm
er working in the field saw a young
woman stagger and fall in the road.
She got up and fell again, and then she
tried to crawl. The farmer and his sons
went to her assistance, but when they
reached the girl she was lying uncOn-
scious in the road. They found her to
! be Miss Bishop She had three ugly
gashes in her throat, her body was bad
/ ly scratched and her clothing was torn
in many places In one hand she
clutched a small penknife which she
had used at school in sharpening pens
ellis There was every evidence that
Miss Bishop had made a desperate re-
sistance in defense Of her honor and her
life. The wounded girl was taken home
and died the next afternoon without re-
gaining consciousness.
The entire neBhborhood was almost
instantly aroused, and a man hunt was
/ Immediately instituted. Suspicion was
! soon fastened on George @. White. a
negro who was just out of the work
house and who was engaged as labor
er on the farm of Edward Woodward,
near the scene of the assault. White
was found in bed and when taken into
custody denied all knowledge of the
/ crime. He was identified by several
persons who say they saw him in the
/ vicinity of the scene of the crime A
knife. which Mrs. Woodward said be-
longed to him, was found where the girl
! was assaulted. White was brought to
! Wilmington. but later was transferred
to the county WOrkhOuse, where the Of
ficials thought he would be safer from
mob violence.
SANCTION ED FROM PULPIT.