The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-04-16
WOULD NOT HEED
APPEALS. FOR ORDER
Negro Who Had Shot Police Officer.
s Was Strung Is Il telegraph Pole and
a Then Joplin, Missouri, Mob ss
NJ Vented lts Rage on Al II 5358#s
q 5ss. Negroes In the 5ssg
Neighborhood.
By ASS ociated Press

i JOPLIN, I, Nc .. April 15...--.A II mob took
Thomas Gilyard. q negro. \ srom tho city
jail this evening and hanged him to q
telegraph pole at the corner Of Second
and Wall Streets, two blocks from tia \
jail. 4 Tho negro was charged with having
murdered Polioc O11cer Leslie, who ;waait
shot lead last nj ght Il In the Kansas city
and Southern yards while sndeavorins
8to arrest several negroes suspected OF Il
theft. 48s5 II
The lynohing Of tho negro served only
temporarily to satisfy tho rage OF the
mob. and later to might hundreds Of me /, I
again assemblod and rloted through "A the
negro section Of tho city, burning houses.
sstoning negroes md finally driving every
negro from the confines OF Joplin. q he
police were poworleBs, 4 N
4 Officer Leslie had ordered several me-
sgroes.s who had "a ken ret 20 q inss a. OK
CIR. to surrende and yyhon they failed!
to Il do so he8 fred several shots nt tS III:
car During the shooting Sn$ negro 81 ppcl5
from the car, and Il coming UP behind tho
officer shot him through h the head. Tho
negro then fed, Il and within 20 short
time POSSES w ere after him. 8sSs II
S45fs About 3 o'clock this afternoon Lee
Fullerton aged %, located the fugitive
In d Sslaughter-h house just east ]. OF Joplin
The negro was arme ed wi TIL d rifle and
sdefled arrest. Fullerton slipped into tlinS
structure unobserved anu 3crept up behind
the negro. Suddenly he sprang at the
funsuspectlng fugitive. and before resist
nnce could be made he had the negro on
his back with a knife at his throat. 5S
5s With the assistance Of another man
the negro was brought to joplin and
placed In Jail. III .s " VI
JAIL IL#BATTERBD3IN.i9
The jail was speedily surrounded BY
hundreds Of people, There were cries II
OF "lyach him on all sides, and City
Attorney p Fl. Decker mounted the jail
steps ana made a strong plea In behalf
of law md order. This temporarily stayed
the mob, but did not appease IT. and ~
short time after Deoser's ~ speech the I.
mob tba tered In section OF the jail ana !,
secured theStremb bling negro. "a
AZ City Attorney Decker gain interfered.S
and for half an hour he talked and the
mob listened. ). At enc time It seemed that
the city attorney would win. but sudden
" a rush was made for the negro. Flo \
was dragged two blocks from the jail, a 4
zone fastened around his neck and thrown
over tho cross-bnr OF a telegraph pole.
A score OF men attempted to pull the v
negro from the ground. AS many, more Il
seized the negro and pulled to prevent him
I being hanged. For some moments Twas 8i
5aEyeritable tug of war but reinforcements&
on the free end Of the rope proved the \
stronger. and the negro, despite his pros
testations of innocence, was finally swung
into the air and strangled to death. II
Tho mob dispersed and later the body y
was out down and taken in charge by
the coroner. There Is still great ex-st
element In Joplin. 9s}
CHARGED NEGRO SECTION.
X The frst act OF the mob after hanging
the negro was TO demand the releasajs
from jail of local character known sas
Hickory BILL who was under arrest
on tho charge of assnuting q negro, In
the hope that this would appease the
mob tho prisoner was set free
But the mob did not dlsperse; instead, n
rush was made through Main Street.-The
4prlncipnl street OF Joplin. and every ne-
gro was frightened Off the street and
fled to tho northern part OF the city,
where tho colored population resides. In !
this way the negroes were 8urlYen from
ali parts Of tho city to the negro Sec Y
ton Then the mob charged down on
tho section, Stones wore thrown. doors
in and finally houses We're fired. The
Are department responded, hut many
houses were burned to tho ground The
mob endenvored to prevent tho fire de-
pnrtment from extnguishing the llnnles.
Bnnd wore partially successful.
All tho officers az tho city and county
wero called, but tho mob swept them
aside, Mayor 1rlgg ran from corner
10 corner and mounting boxes mada
earnest appeals TO the mob to cease.
nut beyond tho mayor loudly the mob
swept on and tha dapredationa eontn'
ued e
Tho saloons We're huwiedy closed by
the mayor Altar thu hundreds at freilr
yled mon composing tha mob had vented Z
thsIr wrath In tina nortE end OF thu
city they rushed 10 sths southern end,
where lived a numhnr az negrnea Thclr
houses were vacant and not a negro y
could hs found. Thfee more houssa vera
tnpad and two were consumed, All ef- 4
forts "a reasnn with the rioters wera
futile, ia apparently u frenzy had sei2ed
upon them, The streets were throngod.
ana nj Illia a'elaek tha whole olty WAS In /
an ,proar. BHa far ~ knaNn ~ that hour Il
na fatalities had occurred, althnlEh many
~. naI Ina