Evening star., 1903-07-27
MOB LYNCHES NEGRO
TWO OF IT'S NUMBER KILLED By
OFFICERS.
Bad Conditions at Danville, H.
Troops Called Out to Prevent
Further Trouble.

A dispatch from Danville. ILL.,. yesterday
says: Two killed and twenty-five wounded.
the police station wrecked, the county jail
with few of Its windows left unshattered,
the city in the hands Of the state troops.
and feeling Of uneasiness and dread pre-
vailing everywhere, is the situation left by
the race riots of last night and early this
morning The revised list of dead and in
jured from last nights catastrophe is as
follows:
The dead-John D. Metcalf, negro lynch
ed and burned.
Henry Gatterman, killed by the negro
Metcalf.
The wounded-John Devore, thigh man.
gled by load of buckshot.
Adam Murray, shot in forehead: will re-
cover.
Bicknell, buckshot in leg.
Clement Mobaker, buckshot in leg and
arm.
Edward Hart, shot in hand.
A. Swafford, injured internally.
Fred. LorenZ, buckShot in legs.
w. Lattern, buckshot in both arms.
Harry Rennick Of Taplin ILL.,, buckshot In
foot and leg.
Two unknown men, wounded in the arms
and hands with buckshot; refused to give
their names when wounds were dressed
Henry Slade of Pavilion Heights, buck
shot in left side.
Four unknown negroes. beaten into in
sensbility by the mob.
Unknown woman, carried away in a bug
gy after she was seen to fall.
H. Hines, shot in the neck.
Otto Heinke, shot in arm.
The mob that gathered here last night
numbered at least 5000 persons. The mob
was first formed to lynch James Wilson.
colored, who confessed to a brutal assault
on Mrs Thomas Burgess, wife of farmer
at Alvon, ILL.,, just north Of Danville. While
the angry throng was passing down East
Main street j. D. Metcalf. an Evansville
Qnd) negro, became involved in an alter
cation with some of the men in the mob.
They started after him and he pulled gun,
firing into the crowd
Henry Gatterman, young butcher who
recently returned from the artillery service
at Fort Monroe, fell mortally wounded and
expired in a few seconds. The negro turn
ed and fled. but was caught by the officers
within block of the scene Of the tragedy
and hurried to the police station. The mob
rushed in hot pursuit, temporarily diverted
from its march to the county Jail to lynch
Wilson.
With their prisoner the police took ref
uge in the city building, barricadng them
selves. The mob, however secured long
pole and battered down a section of the
wall and the door, both of which were very
thin.
The negro was seized and rushed to the
spot where he had shot down Gatterman.
1t was the work of an instant to throw a
rope around his neck and swing him up to
the nearest telephone pole. The mob did
not delay long, but waited to see that their
victim was dead. His life was slowly
strangled out and he was left hanging,
while the mob proceeded toward the coun-
ty Jail.
Before attacking the Jail the mob went
back and cut down Metcalfs body They
rushed it to the public square and burned
1t In a bonfire, hacking it to pieces with
hull late
hred into the flames, the ears were chop
ped off and the feet, which protruded from
the fire, were hacked to pieces.
When the mob had done everything its
fury could suggest to Metcalfs body it
turned again to the JAIL in front of which
was still smoldering the human bonfire
A fence rail was procured as a battering
ram and the mob charged the Jail door In
side, guarding the prisoners. were Sheriff
r. d. Whitlock, several deputies and
negro turnkey. All were armed. Sheriff
Whitlock shouted to the mob to stand back
or he and his men would fire The warn
ing was unheeded. AS the mob was almost
upon the jail door voley rang out from
inside Several of the crowd fell, wounded
and dying. A bullet pierced the head of
Alexander Murray. Physicians saw his
death is a matter Of a short time H Hines
received bullets in the shoulder and neck
and his wounds are SO desperate that his
death ls expected. Otto Heinke was wound
ed In the arm. Others received lesser in
juries.
The mob was especially wild in It's anger
against the negro turnkey. After the fuSil
laoe ~ recolled for few minutes. but im
mediate preparations were made for an
other attack. A message was sent to the
mining camp at Westville. H. to bring
over dynamite to blow up the Jail, and the
mob leaders were notified that two miners
had started for the explosive.
Whl!e waiting for the expected dynamite
from Westville the mob marched up and
down In front Of the jail. stoning it and
rorEn
after the message for the dynamite was
sent telephone message came from Him
rod, little town half way between West
vile and Danville. saying that a miner had
hiedly set out from Danville to intercept
him They took from him large quantity
of dynamite which he was carrying
The entire reserve police force, number
with twelve deputy sheriffs and Sheriff
Whitlock. formed the garrison at the jail.
Wilson, IT Is charged, went to the Bur-
CESS farm house while Mrs. Burgess was
alone and told her he was hungry. While
she was getting him something to eat he
entered the kitchen and seized her. He
fed, leaving her half dead Afterward
house. where she told the story A posse
of officers started in pursuit of the negro
and when Wilson was captured he was
hurried to the county Jail to prevent lynch
Ing. There the negro confessed.
Three other negroS were attacked by
members of the mob and severely beaten
One of them is named Benjamin Rich and
the other two are said to be refugees from
Evansville Ind.
Some negros armed themselves and
others prepared for fight. About half the
members of Company X, a colored military
organization here, assembled at the armory
and were barricaded there in fear Of az
attack from the mob
When four companies of the 7th ReRi-
ment encamping at Springfield, arrived
all danger Of further outbreak had
passed. 1t Is due to the presence of the
soldiers and not to any penitence on the
part Of the Danville mob that the situation
is quiet tonight, and there Is no promise Of
additional Outlawry.
NORFOLK NEWS NOTES.