The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1906-04-19
Missouri MOB
HANGS NEGROES
THREE MEN ARE TAKEN FROM
JAIL AT SPRINGFIELD.
ADJUST MOOSE SECOND TIME
Rope Breaks When Third Victim Is
Compelled to Jump and he Is
Taken from Pyre, His Body
Being Target for Bullets.


Springfield, Mo-, April 16.-Three
men were lynched here Saturday night
by mob of 5000 men The jail was
practically demolished by the assaults
of the mob, and there was little to
hinder it from carrying out its second
purpose.
The victims were strung to the God
dess of Liberty statue on the electric
light tower in the public square at
the courthouse, and fires were built
under them. They were negroes,
Horace Duncan and James Copeland
both under 81 years of age, were in
Jail charged with attacking Mabel Ed
mondson. a white girl Fully 5000
people went to the county Jail about
nine o'clock, and with telephone poles
and sledge hammers literally tore the
Jail to pieces.
Drag Victims Half lille.
Finally the two negroes were
dragged out and hanged. 1t is fully
half mile from the jail to the square
and the mob marched down one of the
principal streets of the town, shouting
and firing pistols.
Mabel Edmenson was riding IN =
buggy with Charles Cooper when they
were held up by two negroes. The
man was knocked unconscious and the
girl was dragged into the woods. The
two negroes lynched were only partial
ly Identified.
Will Allen, negro charged with
the murder of man named Rouark
last January. was taken from Jail by
the mob that lynched Duncan and
Copeland and hanged in the public
square.
Hanged Again When Rope Breaks.
Aliens captors took him to the top of
the tower and compelled him to jump
off with the rope around his neck.
The rope broke, and he fell upon the
charred bodies of Duncan and Cope
land. In the second attempt he was
swung off and as he dangled he was
killed by shooting: When Allen was
first taken up on the tower, with the
rope about his neck and protesting
his innocence, the leader of the lynch
ers called upon the mob to vote
whether Allen was guilty or innocent.
The mob howled hang him"
Prisoners Make Their Escape.
In the excitement following Aliens
removal from the jail all but six pris-
oners out of the more than so who
were locked in their cells made their
escape, among them being Bus Cane
(colored), charged with the murder
of o. M. Rouark, the same crime for
which Allen was lynched. The inside
of the Jail was completely wrecked,
the mob not stopping after they had
secured their men, but continuing
their work of destruction until prac-
tically all the prison bars were down.
About $4,000 damage was done in the
prison alone, while in the sheriff's
residence the damage is fully as
much.
There was no further trouble Satur-
day. Two companies of state militia
were ordered to Springfield by Gov.
Folk.
Events Leading to Tragedy.
Two months ago T. NJ. Kinney, a
prominent tailor, was assassinated and
two negro suspects are in Jail. Later
an old peddler was killed and negroes
were accused of that crime. 1t now
seems probable that these four pris-
oners will be lynched. A delegation Of
negroes tried to prevent an anti-negro
play from being given Saturday night.
The play was given and its dreaded ef-
feet followed