Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-04-17
SPRINGFIELD THE SCENE OF.
LYNcHiNG AND A NIGHT
OF DISORDER
NEGROES ARE HANGED

SPSH Soun9 woman buC Sn0 70
clares the Men Killed Were Innocent
Militia Takes Charge Of the City
and Governor Folk Demands Arrest
OF the Mob Leaders.
Kansas City, April 16.i-A Stars
Springfield, Mo-, special says:
Notwithstanding the presence Of
armed troops and the fact that
the grand jury has been called to
indict the leaders of Saturday
nights mob, that the county pros
ecutor has promised TO issue war
rants during the day, and that the
best citizens have decried the
triple lynching, the streets today
are full of people who approve
the work of the mob and who
damn all the negroes and advise
that they be run out Of town.
All danger of mob violence is not
past. Hundreds of men boldly
utter the threat that If arrests
are made the people will
arise and rescue the arrested
men and drive the militia, as well
as the negroes, from the city.
Everywhere this threat Is
heard: This town Is too small
for negroes and whites to live in.
One or the other must co."
Jefferson City, Mo-, April 16.-
At noon today Governor Folk is
sued instructions to General Clark
in command OF the state militia at
Springfield to arrest the leaders Of.
the mob, put them in Jail and sur
!. round the Jail with troops for pro-
lection.
Springfield, Mo-, April 16.- Quiet
prevailed here today and the indica
ions are that the race trouble is over
The presence Of the troops has hat
he effect of bringing the people to {
,ull realization of the situation. Si1
companies now patrol the streets.
Jury Will Investigate.
Judge Lincoln in the criminal cour
,oday ordered special grand jury
on Tuesday. The jury will
be instructed to make a thorough in
vestigation Of the lynching and othel
acts Of the mob. and to indiet all the
leaders who are apprehended. The
better class Of citizens we're strong
today in their demands that the riot
srs be punished to the full extent O.
The law and every effort will be made
to secure convictions.
Awful Work Of Mob.
A mob Saturday night tool
three negroes from the count,
Jail and hanged them to the
electric tower in the center o.
The public square and built fire under
them as they hung. The negroes were
Will Allen, Horace Duncan and Jane.
They were in jail charged
with assaulting Mabel Edmundson, &
white girl, Friday night.
< Fully 5000 people went to the coun
ty Jail about 8 o'clock and with tele
phone poles and sledge hammers liter
ally tore the Jail to pieces. FINAL,
the three negro suspects were dragged
Of the public square and hanged. 1t il
fully mile from the jail to the square
and the mob marched down one of tn,
streets of the town shouting
and firing pistols.
Took Girl from Escort.
Mabel Edmondson come here recent
ly from Monett, Mo-, to obtain employ
ment as domestic servant. Frida.
night she was riding in a buggy will
Charles Cooper, a young man o
Springfield. In a secluded part of tn,
city the couple were held up by twt
negroes. The man was knocked uncon
scious and the girl dragged from tn,
buggy and into the woods, by the roat
and assaulted The three negroes
lynched Saturday night were suspect
ed and arrested, but were only partial
ly identified.
Just Moment Too Late.
Circuit Attorney Arthur Sager, o
st. Louis, was witness of the tras
edy. He stepped down into the celia
Of the Jail and cut off the gas, hopin
to thus confuse the mob and defeat it
purpose. He was just second to-
late as the mob had secured the ne
groes.
Sheriff Horner tried to argue wit
the. mob, but it was determined an
booted and insulted him. Jailer Kin
was assaulted when he refused to Civ
up the keys. He finally gave the mo
some keys, which were not for the ne
groes' cells, however, and the mob wa
forced to smash in the iron bars. Shel
lff Wilson Crane, Of Polk county, wa
present and tried to induce the mo
not to hang the negroes.
Wrecked Sheriff's House.
The mob, besides wrecking the jai
the sheriff's house, demo
ished the furniture and rendered tn
sheriff's wife unconscious by threat
and violence.
Two months ago T. NJ. Kinney /