The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-04-18

| the negro was brought to Joplin and
placed in Jail News of the capture spread
rapidly and the Jail was speedily sJN-
| rounded by hundreds of people. There
were cries of Lynch him. and City At
| torney Decker mounted the jail steps and
| made strong plea in behalf of law and
| order.
Jail Door Battered Down.
This served to temporarily stay the
mob, but did not appease it. and a short
| started in to batter in the side of the jail
| Every effort was made to prevent the
entrance of the mob, but, without avau,
and within fifteen minutes the inturlated
men had gained entrance to the jail and
secured the trembling negro. AS he was
dragged forth City Attorney Decker
| again intertered and urged that the negro
be given a trial For half an hour he
spoke and the mob listened TO him with
the negro in thsir custody.
At one time it seemed that the city at
torney would win, as members OF the Iiop
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. rope fasteneq
around his neck and after the rope hau
been thrown over the croSS-arm OF q
telegraph pole score of men attempted
to pull the negro from the ground.
Victim Swung Up.
As many more seized the negro and
pulled to prevent his being hanged. For
some moments it was Il Veritable tug OF
war. but reinforcements on the free end
of the rope proved the stronger, and the
negro. despite his protestations of limo
ceuce was finally swung into the air ana
strangled to death while shouts of salts
faction went up from the mob.
The name of the negro was not known
and he was Il stranger in Joplin.
AS soon as the negro was dead the body
was cut down and taken in charge by the
coroner.
The lynching of the negro served to
only temporarily satisfy the Indignation
of the mob, and later tonight hundreds
of men again assembled and rloted
through the negro section of the city:
burning houses and stoning negroes, and
finally drove every negro from the con-
fines of Joplin. The police were power
less.
Mob Did Not Dispense
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" who was under arrest ON
the charge of assaulting Il negro. In the
hope that this would appease the mob the
prisoner vas set free. But the mob did
not dispense Instead, rush was made
through Main street and every negro Wa
frightened off the street and fled to the
north part of the city, where the colored
population restless. In this way the ne
groeS were driven from all parts of the
city to the negro section. Then the mob
charged down on the section. Stones
gro houses were broken in and finally
several houses were fired The depart
ment responded. but many of the houses
were burned to the ground. The mob
made endeavors TO prevent the fire de-
partmeut from eXtinguishing the flames
and were partially successful.
Officers Were Powerless.
All the officers of the city, township
and county were called out, but the mob
swept them aside and proceeded with
the rioting. Mayor Trigg ran from cor
ner to corner and. mounting boxes, made
earnest appeals to the mob to cease,
but beyond cheering the mayor vocifer-
ously the mob swept on and the depre-
dations continued The saloons were hur-
riedly closed by the mayor.
After the hundreds of frenzed men
composing the mob had vented their
wrath in the north end of the city they
rushed to the southern end. where lived
a number of negroes. Their houses were
vacant and not negro could be found.
Three more houses were fired and two
were consumed
All efforts to reason with the rioters
We're futile as apparently frenzy had
seized upon them. The streets were
and at HIS o'clock the whole |
city was in an uproar. So far as known !
at that hour no fatalities had occurred. |
many persons had received |
minor injuries.