The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-22
MAD MISSOURI MOB
Takes Charge Of Joplin and Hangs
an Unknown Black Tramp
WHO KILLED A POLICE OFFICER.
The Mob Raids Negro Quarter
and Drives the Blacks from
Authorities.
the Town Detyin$

A mob took possession Of Joplin,
Mo, Wednesday evening, and took an
unknown negro tramp from the city
jail and hanged him to a telegraph
pole at the corner of Second and Wall
streets, two blocks from the jail. The
negro was charged with having muir
dered Police Officer Leslie, who was
shot dead Tuesday night in the
Kansas City Southern railroad yards
while endeayoIing to arrest several
negroes suspected Of theft.
Officer Leslie had ordered several
negroes who had taken refuge in box
car to surrender and when they failed
to do Sc ne fired several shots at the
car. During the shooting a negro
slipped from the car and coming up
behind the officer, shot him through
the head. The negro then fed and
within short time posses were after
him.
About 3 O'Clock Wednesday after
noon, Lee Fullerton. aged p, located
the fugitive in slaughter house Iinsoo
east Of Joplin. The negro was armed
with rifle and deied arrest. Fuller
ton slipped into the structure unob.
served and crept up behind the negro.
Suddenly ne Sprarg at the unsuspect-
ing fugitive and before resistance
could be made he had the negro on
his back with knife at his throat.
The negro then surrendered his rifle,
and pointing the weapon at him Full
lerton marched him out Of the build
ing. With the assistance Of another
man the negro was brought to Joplin
and placed in jail.
News Of the capture spread rapidly
and the jail was speedily surrounded
by hundreds of people. There were
cries of Lynch him." on all sides and
City Attorney H. II. Decker mounted
the jail steps and made strong plea
ip behalf Of law and order. This
served temporarily to stay the mob
but did not appease it and a short
time after Decker's speech the mob
started to batter in section OF the
jail wall. Every effort was made to
prevent the entrance Of the mob, but
without avail and within Is minutes
the men bad gained entrance to toe
Jail and secured the trembling negro.
AS he was dragged forth City Attor-
uev Decker again lnterfered anc urged
that the negro be given trial. For
half an hour lie talked and the mob
listened to him With the negro in their
custody.
At one time it seemed that the
city attorney would win, as members
of the mob began dispensing, but sud-
denly a rush was made for the spot
where the negro was being held and
he was dragged two blocks from the
jail with a rope fastened around his
neck. and after the rope had been
thrown over the crossbar OF tele-
graph pole score Of men attempted
to pull the negro from the ground.
AS many more seized the negro and
pulled to prevent him being hanged.
For some moments it was verltaole
tug Of war, but reenforcementS on The
free end of the rope proved the
stronger and the negro, despite his
protestatons Of innocence, was finally
swung into the air and strangled to
death, while shouts OF satisfaction
went up from the mob. The name OF
the negro was not known and ne was
a stranger in Joplin.
The lynching of the negro served
Only temporarily to satisfy the lndlg-
nance Of the mob and Letter Wednes-
day night hundreds Of men again as
sembled and rioted through the negro
section Of the city, burning houses,
stoning negroes and finally driving
every negro from the confines OF the
town Of Joplin. The police were pow
erless. The first act Of the mob after
hanging the negro was to demand the
release from jail Of a local character
known as Hickory Bill wuo was
under arrest on the charge Of assault
ing a negro. In the hope that this
would appease the mob the prisoner
was set free.
But the mob did not disperse. In
stead rush was made through Main
street, the principal street OF Joplin,
and every negro was frightened OF the
street and fed to the northern part OF
the city where the negro population
resides. In this way the negroes were
driven from all parts Of the city to the
negro section. Then the mob charged
down on the section. Stones were
thrown, doors and windows Of negro
houses were broken in and finally sew
eral we're fred. The fire department
RESPONDED, but many Of the houses
were burned to the ground. The mob
made endeavors to prevent the ire de-
partment from extinguishing the
flames and were partially successful.
All the officers Of the city, township
and county were called cut, but the
mob swept them aside and proceeded
with the rioting. Mayor Trigg ran
from corner to corner and mounting
boxes made earnest appeals to the
mob to cease, but beyond cheering the
mavor vociferouslv the mob swept on
and the depredations continued. The
saloons were hurriedly closed By the
mayor. After the hundreds OF fren-
zied men composing the mob had
vented their wrath in the north enc
of the city they rushed to the south.
ern end where lived a number Of ne
groes. Their homes were vacant anc
not a negro could be found. Three
more houses were fired and two were
consumed. All -forts to reason WIZ
the rioters were futile, as apparently
a frenzy had seized upon them.
A dispatch from Carthage, NO
which is only few miles from Joplin
saws the negro lynched vas Thos: Oil
ward, a tramp. He had confessed ina