The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-03-09
Shot D cad on the Ground,
Then Hanged From
Telegraph Pole.
YELLS OF LAUGHTER
For Half an Hour the Swinging Corpse
Serves as a Target for the Mob
Which Pours Lead into 1t,
Shrieking With De-
light.
(By the Associated Press.)

Springfield, Ohio, March 7-Richard
Dixon, a negro, was shot to death here
tonight by mob for the killing of Police
man Charles Coils. who died today from
wounds received at the hands of Dixon
on Sunday.
- Coils had gone to Dixon's room on the
Negroes request Dixon said his mistress
had his clothes in her possession. Coils
accompanied Dixon to the room, and in a
short time the man and woman engaged
in a quarrel, which resulted in Dixon
shooting the woman, who is yariously
known as Anna or Mamie Corbin, in the
left breast just over the heart. She fell
unconscious at the first shot and Coils
jumped towards the negro to prevent his
escape from the room Dixon then fired
four balls into Coils. the last of which
penetrated his abdomen Dixon went i'm
mediately to police headquarters and gave
himself up. He was taken to Jail.
AS soon as Coils death became known
talk of lynching the negro was heard and
tonight a crowd began to gatehr about
the iail
The mob forced an entrance to the Jail
by breaking in the east doors with rail
road iron
At 1890 the mob melted rapidly and it
was the general opinion that no more at
tempts would be made to force an en-
trance Small groups of men, however,
could be seen in the shadows of the court
house, two adjacent livery stables and
several dwelling houses. AT 10:45 o'clock
police were satisfied that there was
ing more to fear and they with other
ais and newspaper men passed freely
ld out of the JAIL
ortly before IL o'clock a diversion
made by a small crowd moving
the east doors around to the south
ance. The police followed and bluff
made at jostling them off the steps
ng up to the south entrance.
crowd at this point kept growing,
C yells of "hod the police smash
loors," lynch the Niger" were made,
'spersed with revolver shots.
this time the party with the heavy
ro..-oad iron was beating at the east door,
which shortly yielded to the battering
ram, as did the inner lattice iron doors
The mob then surged through the east
door, overpowercd the sheriff. turnkey
and handful of deputies and began the as
s;sult on the iron trustiie leading to the
cells. The police from the south door
were called inside to 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
flled with a mob of $50 men with I'll the
entrances and yard gates blocked by
fully $500 men, thus making it impossible
for the militia to have prevented access
TO the negro had it been on the scene.
The heavy iron partition leading to the |
cells resisted the mob effectually until |
cold chisels and slcdge hammers arrived |
which were only two or three minutes |
later in arriving. The paddock to the |
turnstiie was broken and the mob soon /
filled the corridors leadingNto the cells.
Seeing that further resistance was use
less and to avoid the killing of innocent |
prisoners the authorities consented 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 court in the Jail yard.
Fearing an attempt on the part of the |
police to rescue him. the leaders formed
hollow square. Some one knocked the
negro to the ground and those near to
him fell back four or five feet. Nine shots