The Topeka state journal., 1903-04-16
KILL And BURN.
Mob of Infuriated Citizens of
Joplin, No.,
Hang Negro for Killing Po-
lice Officer.
RAID BLACK QUARTER.
Drive Out All the Residents and
Fire Houses.
Peace Officers and Firemen Are
Swept Aside.
RAID BLACK QUARTER.
Mayor Issues a Call for 500
Men.

UCua
Joplin. Mo. April 16.-Despite the ef-
forts of the police and against the
pleas and personal resistance of law
abiding citizens, an infuriated mob Of
several hundred men battered down the
wall of the city jail last evening at 6
o'clock and dragged out Thomas Gilyard
a 20-year-old negro, charged with mur-
dering a policeman, and in broad day
I light hanged him to a telephone pole
two blocks from the Jail in the heart
Of Joplin.
The mob then threatened to drive ev-
cry negro from the city and charged
through their section of the town.
shooting and setting FIRE to houses, five
of which We're burned.
The negro was charged with having
murdered Police Officer c. Leslie, who
was shot dead in the Kansas City
Southern railroad yards while endeav-
oring to arrest several negroes sus-
pected Of theft.
Officer Leslie had ordered several
negroes who had taken refuge in a
boxcar to surrender and when they
failed to do SO he fred 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
Bloodhounds were brought from
Webb City and placed on the trail, but
the negro eluded the posse and re
NAMED in the thicket through the
night on Turkey creek, two miles north
Of the city. In the morning the man
hunt was resumed. Several hundred
armed men and boys took to the
woods after him.
A 2 In. he ef the
came from his hiding place and went
into a slaughter house near Midway
park, where he told a story of having
fallen from a train and being badly
injured Instead he was suffering from
the wound he received at the hands OF
I the officer he killed. Lee Fullerton
and N r. Bullock, two employees of the
place suspected him as the guilty
negro and prepared to capture him.
Fullerton pulled six-shooter and
/ Bullock drew a long butcher knife and
commanded him to surrender. The
negro had a rifle and def1ed arrest, put
was finally captured and taken to Jop-
lin.
News of the capture spread rapidly,
and soon the Jail where the negro had
4 been taken was surrounded by howl
ing mob Cries of lynch him arose
on all sides, and City Attorney Decker
and other prominent citizens mounted
the steps of the Jail and made strong
pleas for law and order, which temper
arily stayed. but did not appease the
mob.
At first it was thought the wrong
man had been captured. and several
other prominent citizens climbed upon
boxes to warn the crowd. The mob
would not listen and Kissed them down.
Securing a battering ram, they pro
ceeded to break down the east wall "f
the jail. Every effort was made TO pre-
vent the entrance of the mob, but with
1 1focs q
furiated men had gained entrance to
the iaiI and secured the trembling no
gro. who was carried out, begging plte-
ouslv for his life. He claimed to be
innocent. and said he did not shoot Inc
officer, but admitted that he was pres
ent at the time Ihe mop peat Tn MN
fllriously. and the negro fought like q
tiger He was partially dragged anc
carried two blocks away to the corner
of Second and Wan streets.
Here several fights took place, and
guns were flashed officers and citizens
were on one side and the men who
wanted the negros life on the other
During this time the negro lay upor
the ground, begging for mercy Three
ropes were thrown to the leaders of the
gang but each time they were cut
Finally Sam Mitchell, one of the lead
ers. climbed i telephone pole and strung
a rope over it a score of men at
tempted to pull the negro from tbs
ground AS many more seized the ne
gro and pulled to prevent his being
hanged. For some moments It was
veritable tug-of-war, Dut reinforce
nents on the free end of the rope prov
ed the stronger and the negro despite
his protestations of innocence, was I'm
alIy swung into the air and strangiec
to death. while shouts of satisfaction
went up from the mob
Several men in the crowd carried
ellrs but only one shot was taken a
the body. The negro was apparent.
dead when strung uD, and made bu
three or four struggles
The crowd quickly quieted and n
bo0y was cut down and taken to tn
undertaking rooms by the coroner. Tn
rope that did the hanging was cut int
fragments by the curious as souvenirs
some claim the mob hanged the wron'
man but the evidence is 50 strong tha
there is little doubt Of his guilt
The lynching of the negro only tenn
Dorarily satisfied the mob, and late
hundreds of men again assembled an
rioted through the negro section of tn
city. burning houses. stoning negroes
and finally drove every negro from til
confines of Joplin. The police wer
powerless
the negro was to demand the releas
2 from iail of a local character known a
, Hickory Bill who was under arres
on the charge of assaulting a negro. I
the no9e 1laA 1iiiS Wou1d ap9SdSS III
; mob the =risoner was set free
4 But the mob did not disperse. In
I bstead, a rush was made through Mai
street. the principal street of Joplin
? and every negro was frightened off tn
street and fed to the north part of tn
: city where the colored population re
sides In this way the negroes wer
;. driven from all parts of the city to tn
r negro section. Then the mob charge
2 down on the section. Stones weT
: thrown. shots fired, doors and window
lof negro houses were broken in an