The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-16
BLACKS DRIVEN OUT
A Colored Murderer Lynched and
the Negro Section Raided
at Joplin.
Houses Burned, Windows and Doors
Smashed In and the Place
Terrorized.

Joplin, Mo-. April ia mob took an
unknown tramp negro from the city Jail
last night and hanged him to a telegrap phi
pole at the corner of Second and Wall
Streets two blocks from the Jail.
The lynching was followed by an on
by the mob. Houses were burned and
negroes were driven out of the city.
The negro was charged with having
murdered Police Officer c. Leslie, who
was killed in the Kansas City-Southern
railroad yards while he was endeavoring
to arrest several negroes suspected Of
theft. -,-',~
News Of the capture spread rapidly, and
the Jail Was speedily surrounded by hun
dreds Of people. There were cries of
Lynch him. and City Attorney p H.
Decker mounted the Jail steps and made
a strong plea In behalf Of law and order
This served to stay the mob, but it did not
appease 1T, and short time after Decker's S
speech the mob started to batter in Sec
tlon of the jail wall. Within fifteen min
utes the men had gained entrance to the
Jail and secured the trembling negro. AS
he was dragged forth City Attorney
Decker again interfered. and urged that
the negro be given a trial. For half an
hour he talked and the mob listened to
him, with the negro In their custody.
At one time it seemed that the city at
torney would win, as members of the mob
began dispensing. but suddenly a rush
was made for the spot where the negro
was being held and he was dragged two
blocks from the Jail, a rope was fastened
around his neck and after the rope had
been thrown over the cross bar of a tele-
graph pole a score Of men attempted to
pull the negro from the ground. AS many
more seized the negro and pulled to pre-
vent him being hanged. For some mo-
ments it was a veritable tug of war. but
relnforcements on the free end of the rope
proved the stronger and the negro de-
spite his protestations of innocence was
swung into the air and strangled to death.
While shouts Of sa tisfaction went up from
the mob.
....: Negroes Driven Away. =
The 1ynching of the negro served only
to temporarily satisfy the INDIGNATION of
the MOP and later hundreds Of men again
assembled and rioted thru the negro sec
ton OF the city, burning houses and ston-
ing negroes from the confines of Joplin.
The police were powerless.
Ihe trst act Of the mob after hanging
the negro was to demand the release from
Jail of local character known as '.Hick-
ory Bill, who was under arrest on a
charge of assaulting a negro. In the hone
that this would appease the mob the :pris
oner was set free. But the mob did not
dlsperse. Instead, rush was made thru
Main street. the principal street of Jop-
lln' ana every negro was frightened off the
street and fed to the north part of the
clty' Where the colored population re-
sloes. IN This way the negroes were
driven from all parts Of the city to the
negro section.
Ihen the mob charged down on the
section. Stones were thrown, doors and
WINDOWS OF negro houses We're broken in
and finally several houses were fired. The
flre department responded, but many of
the houses were burned to the ground.
frn ne ] mop maoe endeavors to prevent the
tre department from extinguishine the
Hames and it was partially successful. All
the officers of the city. township and
county were called out, but the mob swent
them aside and proceeded with the riot
Ing. Mayor Trigg ran from corner to
corner and mounting boxes made earnest
appeals to the mob to cease, but bevond
cheering the mayor loudly the mob swent
on and the depredations continued. The
saloons were hurriedly closed by the.
mayor
After the hundreds Of frenzied men
composing the mob had vented its wra III
In the north end of the city they rushed
TO TO the south end where lived a number
or negroes. Their houses were vacant and
not negro could be found Three more
houses were fired and two were con-
sumed. a -. wa
All efforts to reason with the rioters
were futile. The streets were thronred
and the whole city was in an uproar
80 lar as known no fatalities occurred.
altho many persons had received minor
injuries. i'" !
All Quiet To-day. ..e-
Joplin, Mo-, April 16-After the coro-
ner's inquest the body of Thomas Gilvard
the young negro lynched last night. was
buried early to-day at the city's expense.
The bullet in Gilyard's leg corresponded
with that missing from Officer Leslie's
revolver, which fact makes the identity
OF the dead man sure. There was no ex-
citement to-day and all fear Of further
trouble In the negro district has been dis
PEELED. -----