Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-04-16
MOB LYNCHES NEGRO
Supposed Murderer of Police
Officer Foreibly Taken
From Jail.
HANGED TO A TELEGRAPH POLE.
....9 s.ie -,.ealis Mob Makes an
Assault on Negro Quarters, Setting
Fire TO Houses and Driving inhab.
itants Out of the City.

city Jail and hanged him to tele-
graph pole. The negro was charged
with having murdered Police Officer
G Leslie, who was shot dead in the
Kansas City Southern railroad yards
while endeavoring to arrest several
negroes suspected of theft.
Officer Leslie had ordered several
negroes who had taken refuge in a
box car to surrender and when they
failed to do SO he fired several shots
at the car During the shooting
negro slipped from the car and, COM
ing up behind the officer, shot him
through the head. The negro then
fed and within a short time posses
we're after him.
The fugitive was located in a slaugh-
ter house just east of Joplin. The
negro was armed with rife and de-
fled arrest. Lee Fullerton slipped
into the structure unobserved and
crept up behind the negro Suddenly
he sprang at the unsuspecting fugf-
tive and before resistance could be
made he had the negro on his back
then surrendered his rife, and point
ing the weapon at him Fullerton
marched him out of the building
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 speed
lily surrounded by hundreds of people.
There were cries of lynch him" on
all sides, and City Attorney P. Fl.
Decker mounted the Jail steps and
made a strong plea in behalf of law
and order This served temporarily
to stay the mob, but did not appease
it, and a short time after Deeker'e
speech the mob started to batter in
section of the jail wall
Tug of War Over Victim.
Every effort was made to prevent
the entrance of the mob, but without
avail, and within 15 minutes the men
had gained entrance to the Jail and
secured the trembling negro. AS he
was dragged forth the city attorney
again interfered and urged that the
negro be given a trial For half an
hour he talked and the mob listened
to him, with the negro in their GUS
tody. 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, AMI
he was dragged two blocks from the
Jail. rope fastened around his mech,
and after The rope had been thrown
over the cross bar of a telegraph pole
a 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 a veritable tug of
war, but reinforcements on the free
end Of the rope proved the stronger
and the negro, despite his protesta.
lions 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 he was a stranger in Jop-
lin. AS soon as the negro was dead
the mob dispersed and later the body
was cut down and taken in charge by
the coroner. There is still great ex-
element in Joplin, and it is feare1
that more trouble will follow in case
the associates of the dead negro are
apprehended.
The lynching of the negro served
only temporarily to satisfy the indig.
nation of the mob and later hundreds
of men again assembled and rioted
through the negro section of the citv,
burning houses, stoning negroes and
finally driving every negro from the
confines of Joplin. The police were
powerless.
The first act of the mob after hang
Ing the negro was to demand the re-
lease from Jail of local characte"
known as Hickory Bill" who was
under arrest on the charge of assault
ing negro. In the hope that this
would appease the mob the prisoner
was set free.
Set Fire to Negro Section.
Instead, a rush was made through
Main street, the principal street of
Joplin, and every negro was frighten
ed off the street and fled to the north
part Of the city, where the colorei
population resides. In this way the
negroes were driven from all paris
of the city to the negro section. Then
the mob charged down on the section.
Stones were thrown, doors and win
dows of negro houses were broken in
and finally several were fired. The
fire department responded, but many
Of the houses were burned to the
ground. The mob made endeavors to
prevent the fire department from ex.
tinguishing the flames and were par
TALLY successful All the officers of
the city, township and county were
called out, but the mob swept them
aside and proceeded with the rioting.
Mayors Appeals FruitIess.
Mayor Trigg ran from corner to
corner and mounting boxes made
earnest appeals to the mob to cease,
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