The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1906-07-23
LYNCHERS AT
SPRINGFIELD
ALLEGED MEMBERS OF The MOB
PUT ON TRIAL TODAY.
After Weeks in Hearing Evidence the
Special Grand Jury Returned
twenty-five lnsie;nnents-oniy
Three Cases 10 te Called.

sp.i-eheil. SIC. July Specially
The Green county criminal court.
which convened here today. will Dee
/ the most important session OF that
Tribunal held il many years. owing
10 the trial of the alleged members
OF a mob which hanged and burned
three negroes go tLis city last April
The special grand Jars died to iuyes.
ugate the affair returned TO iuves-
two indictments. ail bat two OF which
are for FIRST degree murder. Only three
Of the cases are dOcketei for this
term OF court "Doss' Gaibraith and j.
Hill GoOch. who are charged with first
degree murder for alleged completely
in the lynching. and Harry Haecker.
charged with perjury before the spe.
cial grand jury. being the defendants.
GOOch and Galbraith are blacksmiths
and are nov free on bonds OF s. 900
each. II Is believed that test case
will be made against Gooch and in
the event OF conviction being Sc.
cured the prosecution OF the other
men indicted will continue.
Prosecuting Attorney Roscoe Pat.
terson has issued subpoenas for over
500 witnesse 10 appear az this term
1f court and testify against the three
men iucidted 30 connection with the
| lyuching
II i8 not believed that any judicial
clcmency will Doe showa The accused
men iI case Of q conviction. as judge
a. ". Lincoln who is presiding over
The criminal court. has more than
once expressed his official detes,ation
OF the crime with which they are
charged. ln addressing the special
grand Jury called to investigate the
llyuchirg Judge Lincoln said:
An persons and their aidors and
abettors who were engaged IN this
shameful outrage are. In the eyes ci
the law. guilty OF first degree muir
der. You are expected TO do your
dnty without fear or favor. lct The
lash fall where II will. The patti OF
safety lies in the most rigorous .n
yestigation and the most vigorous
prosecution. The deeds enqcted by
the mob have turned back the aands
Of the dial of progress"
The lynching OF the three negroes
Coker. Duncan and Allen, who were
alleged 10 have been implicated In
an assault, occurred on the night OF
April Il, Of this year. A mob OF
several hundred men overpowered the
officers at the county jail. carried the
screaming negroes to the publ,
square and hung them 10 statute
Of the goddess of liberty. Later the
Odies were taked down and burned
In great bonfire which lighted up
the business section Of the town
The Sunday following was a day OF
wild excitement and race war was
oycrted only by the arrival of state
troops. The negroes thirsted for re.
,enge and on the Monday night tot.
lowing the lynching, two blacks made
an attack upon Leslie Peters. a l6.
year-old white boy who was accom-
panying his sweetheart home. One OF
the negroes was shot and killed by
Peters, who was presented with a
purse of several hundred dollars by
the business men OF the city as a re.
ward for his bravery.
The lynching and subsequent riots
were the cause of much comment
throughout the country and the excite.
ment here did not wholly subsido for
weeks after the tragedy.
The state aud county officials. led
| by Attorney General Hadley. have
made determined efforts 20 discover
and punish the guilty parties and the
outcome IS awaited with widespread
/ interest