Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-03-08
Negro Taken From Spring
field, Ohio, Jail and Shot
to Death
HANG pIxoN's DEAD BODY
Mob Takes Fiendish Delight In Rid
ding II With BulIets-Jal Entered
by Force and Authorities Forced to
Give Up Their Prisoner to Avoid
Killing innocent Persons.


| o'clock last night Richard Dixon, col.
ored was taken from the Jail and sho
to death in the jail yard and the bod,
| was taken from there ITO the corner al
Main and Fountain streets and hanged
| to a telegraph pole where the mob rid
died the body with bullets from hun
duends of revolvers.
The mob forced an entrance to the
jail by battling in the east door with a
railroad iron. AT 1890 the mob melted
rapidly and 1t was the general opinion
that no more attempts would be made
to force an entrance. Small groups of
men, however. could be seen in the
shadows of the court house and adja-
cent buildings. At 1916 the police
We're satisfied that there was nothing
more TO fear and they with other off :
Gals and newspaper men passed freely
In and out of the jail. Shortly before
IL O'clock a diversion was made by a
small crowd moving from the east
doors around to the south entrance
was made to push them off the steps
leading up to the south entrance. The
crowd at this point kept growing
while yells of Hold the police"
Smash the DOORS Lynch the mig
gers" were made with revolvers shots
as seconds.
All this time the party with the
heavy railway iron was beating at the
east door which shortly yielded to the
battering ram as did the inner iron
door. The mob went thru the east
door overpowered the sheriff, and a
handful of of deputies and began the
assault on the iron tuqnstile leading to
the cells Police from the south door
We're called inside to help keep the
mob from the cells and in five minutes
the south door had shared the fate of
the east one. In an incredibly short
time the Jail was filed by mob of $50
men with all the entrances blocked by
fully 1,500 men, thus making 1t impos-
sihfe for 'the militia to have prevented
access to the negro had it been on the
scene. The heavy iron partition lead
ing ito the cells resisted the mob eff
feotually until cod chiisal and sledge
hammers arrived. which were only two
or three minutes later in arriving, The
paddock TO the tumalstile was broken
and the mob soon filled the corridors
leading TO the cells.
Gave Up Prisoner.
Seeing that further resistance was
useless and to avoid the killing of in
nocent persons, the authorities con-
scented to the demand of the mob for
the right man. He was dragged from
his cell to the jail door and thence
down the stone steps to a paved court
in the Jail yard Fearing an attempt
on the part of the police NO rescue him
Some one Knocked the negro to the
ground and those near to him fell back
four or five feet. Nine shots We're fired
into the PROSTATE body and satisfied
that he was dead, dozen men grabbed
the hfeless body and with trump
ant cheer the mob surged into Column
bia street and marched TO Fountain
avenue, one of the principal thorough
fares of the town From here they
marched south to the intersection of
Afadn street and a rope was tied around
Dixon's neck. Two men climbed the
pole and threw the rope over the top
most crosstie and drew the body about |
eighteen feet above the street. They |
hen descended and their. work was
greeted with a cheer. The fusilade then |
began and for thirty minutes the body /
vas kept swaying back and forth from
he rain of bullets which was poured |
n Oh 1t. Frequently the arms would I
1y up conpulsively when muscle was |
struck and the mob went fairly wild |
With delight.