Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1903-10-07
IN THE NICK OF TIME.
officials Prompt Work Prevented
a Lynching at Oxford, q.
The Rope Was Cut and the Victim
Rescued From the Mob-Previous-
Iy Five Men Were Shot and
Dangerously Wounded.

Oxford. o., Oct Five persons
were shot and dangerously wounded
Thursday night in Il fight between Off
GERS and several strangers from Ken
lucky who Were shooting their revol-
vers on the streets during the fair.
Two of the kentuckians were named
Joseph and John Spivey. Marshal
John Woodruff and his deputy. Jacob
and were shot. Marshal Woodruff in
the right breast and Deputy Manrod
in the left wrist. crowd started in
pursuit of the .Spivey brothers and
overlook them. Joseph Spivey was
shot IN the right side with "a lond OF
buckshUt and his brother was knocked
unconscious with stone thrown by
some one in the crowd of pursuers.
During the fight a stranger who re-
fuses TO give his name was shot in the
abdomen and is in a dangerous con-
Iftion. The Spiveys were arrested.
A large crowd followed and soon
surrounded the jail. They had secured
a rope and endeavored to take both
Louis Spivey and Joseph Spivey out
of the officers hands. but they were
frustrated by the officers. The mob
also had no recognized leader, and
were Intellectual in their desires. FL
nally Everett Woodruff. the father of
the wounded marshal. appeared on the
scene and expected the mob to avenge
the murder or his son. himself direct
ing the mob. the door of the Jail was
battered down and a long rope was
fastened around the neck Of Joseph
Spivey and he was led forth Fully
one hundred men had hold of the rope
and they dragged him through tle
street in the direction of the public
park. Spivey begged and cried for
mercy and implored the mob to allow
him to see his wife and children be-
fore they hung him. Epithets and
curses were heaped upon him. and he
was dragged by the Infatuated mob to
the public park. When they came to
| the tree where II years ago a mob
had ynched Henry Corbin the Negro
| who killed Mrs. Horner. and murder.
ously assaulted her daughter. a voice
cried out to halt and to hang him.
This tree was also the scene 25 years
ago or a lynching of a Negro who had
also assaulted a lady The rope was
swung around a limb and Spivey was
jerked into midair In their hurry the
| mob neglected to tie Spivey's hands
and he grabbed the rope above his
head and saved himself He cried pit
eoussy and begged TO be allowed to
write a letter to his wife and children.
A voice IN the mob cried out TO leave
him down and the mob released the
rope, and Spivey was given a pencil
and paper. He vainly endeavored to
write but II was utterly unintelligible
a voice cried out. hang him. and the
rope frightened and Spivey was again
suspended in miGair. He again grab
bed the rope above his head and be-
| tween strangulations begged and plead
| ed for an opportunity to write a letter
| to his wife and children. He was
again let down but only repeated his
former miserable efforts. There were
In the mob a number of Negroes and
they were greatly excited. A colored
| man raised his voice and said that IL
Spivey were a colored man. he would
have been swung into eternity long
ago. The rope again frightened and
Spivey was suspended for a third time
in midair. There was a sudden lost
ling. and Deputy Sheriff Brannan and
| few assistants rushed forward. cut
the rope and dashed down the street
with the prisoner.
He was rushed to the Jail and has
been spirited out of town.
John Spivey is dying with a bullet
through his head The stranger lives
al Monroe. o.. and will die The mar
shall and deputy will recover.
hIITnMnoIt r rptn