The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1903-07-28
Daily Lynching Story Comes
from the Southern States
This Time
MOB HUNG A NEGRESS
She Was Suspected Of Poisoning a White
Girl for Thirty Dollars, but Crime Was
Not Proven

NEW ORLEANS, July 27.-News
has lust reached Shreveport that Jen-
ME Steer. who gave poison in glass
OF lemonade to beautiful sixteen-year-
OLE Elizabeth Dolan, causing a fright
full death. was lynched by an infur-
lated mob about sundown Sunday
night. The lynching occurred on the
Beard plantation, near the spot where
the wcman's crime was committed.
Jennie Steer vas stubborn to the
last, denying her crime. But the proof
aga inst her was direct and conclusive,
and precluded the possibility of her
irrtoence.
rhe negress fed from the Dola7
that her crime was known. She was
pL-sued by a posse, who found her
orouching in hay loft. She refused
to come OFT ard lad to be dragged
from TIE place.
She was taken tn the Dolan home
stead and fully identified. as 1he
woman who had placed the poison in
II lemonade.
The mob then took her to a nearby
Tree, D aced rope around her u eek,
art again asked her to confess. she
reused While the body was dangl-
in,g in the air So eral bullets v1'e
fired into it by enraged citizens.
The poisoning CT Miss Do!an crea,-
ed intense excitement in the neigh
lUrhuC d. TIE victim was a beautiful
young girl, who was not knowI 10
have an enemy in the world. Sic
dled in horrible agony. a fact which
accentuated tie rage of the mob.
The funeral of Mss Dolan occur
red this morning. and it was atten 1"l
By people for miles around. The
Res DR. Alsord conducted the funera!
services.
There Is a growing suspicion that
tLiT negress was connected with The
nj! der of MS. F. ank Matthews,
whose horrible death startled the peo-
Pile of this section several months
ago She was a negress of foribdding
aspect, but a good servant. and Mrs.
Matthews kept her against the pro-
tests of her son and daughter On
the morning of the murder she was
the first one to notify the inmates
o. the house of the commission OF
the crime.
However, suspicion was not direct
ed toward her. as it was believed at
the time that Mrs. Matthews had been
assaulted, acd TIE crime was placed
at the door ot a man. Porter Mat
thews, sen of Mrs Matthews, said to-
day that subsequent developments
caused both him and sister to believe
that his mother was murdered Dy
woman, and that robbery was the mo-
tive FOR the crime.
Thirty dollars. the sum that Mrs.
Matthews had in the house at tnat
tiAiAC, was ihiooihS dlbCi bhO iiioA W. .
and the condition OF Mrs. Matthews
body indicated that she had been
struck by a woman, as the gashes
were not as deep as a man would
have made. Neither Mrs. Matthews
nor her daughter was assaulted.
The arrest of Jennie Steer for delib-
erately poisoning a young girl leads
the Matthews to the belief that If
she did not commit the Shreveport
crime. she knew something about it..
1t Is source of some regret that the
woman was not interrogated on this
matter before her death. The chances
are, however, that she would have re-
fused to talk.
Everything is quiet in the vicinity
of Bayou La Chute today There is
nc apparent sympathy for the ne
gress, Jennie Steer. among the law
abiding blacks of that section. AS
far as is known. this was the first
negress ever lynehed in this state.