Los Angeles herald., 1909-02-22
.IOWANS ATTEMPT
TO LYNCH NEGRO
MOB IN 0TTUMWA SEEKS TO
AVENGE ASSAULT
INJURED WOMAN is RRUTALLY
BEATEN BY AFRICAN
One Thousand Men Surround Jail and
CIamor for Life of Prisoner.
Yell Hatred at Sus=
poets
[By Associated Press.1

! OTTUMWA, Iowa, Feb. 21.-Angered
| by the brutal attack by a negro upon
Mrs. Charles NJ. Johnston, the invalid
wife of a travelling salesman, a mob Of
1000 men and boys surrounded the jail
tonight thirsty for vengeance on the
culprit
| Six negroes were locked up as sus-
| poets, and John Junkin, a negro sus-
pected of the murder of Clara Rosen
two weeks ago, was hustled out of town
| to avoid the mOb's fury.
! Company G of the National guard
| was held in the barracks in readiness
| for action.
| Late tonight the danger of lynching
| is believed to have passed.
| Mrs. Johnston was in bed with her 4
year-old child at o'clock this morning,
when she awoke to find a negro bend
| ing over her. Before she could scream
| for help the negro seized her by the
! throat and began to choke her.
| Despite her weakness as the result OF
| a recent operation, Mrs. Johnston
| fought desperately. She tore herself
| loose and cried out.
| At the same time the child screamed
| The negro became alarmed. There was
curtain pole an inch in diameter
which was used as a window prop
within reach. The negro grabbed this
| and beat the. woman until she became
unconscious.
| How long the negro remained is not
known. The cries of the child finally
aroused the neighbors. They found
Mrs. Johnston lying on the floor un-
| conscious. By her side was the cur
tain pole stained with blood.
! The news spread rapidly. Armed
! posses were soon on the trail. Of the
| fleeing negro. Members of the Citizens
| guard were posted in places where riots
were feared. The homes of the negroes
were placed under guard.
Crowd Surrounds Jail
The city Jail became the point Of at
| traction for the excited men who
| formed the necleus of the mob.
| The trail of Mrs. Johnston's assail-
ant was followed by bloodhounds to a
deep ravine near Rutledge camp
| three miles from Ottumwa, but lost
| there.
The mines were searched with the
! help of miners, but the man had dis
appeared.
Other posses of armed men searched
! other parts Of the county all day
While this was going on, the crowd
around the Jail continued to grow.
| Threats were made freely against
the negro, Junl1in, and the police be-
came alarmed for his safety.
Toward night the officers took him
out Of the Jail by a rear door, He
was placed in an automobile and takeI
to Chillicothe, ten miles west of the
| city, put on board a Burlington pas
senger train and taken to Abba, where
he was locked up.
| The mob contented itself with yell
ing its hate as the suspects were
brought into the jail. The police had
| been provided with good description
of the guilty negro by Mrs. Johnston
! and after each man was brought ir
they announced to the crowd that the
man captured had no part in the
| crime.
The men of sober minds in the crow1
argued with the more violent to give
the police a chance first. 1t was fell
as the night wore on that the danger
point of concerted action on the part
of the thousands had passed.
Still there were evidences of unrest
in the more isolated parts of the city
| There have been a number Of as
saults on white women by negroes ir
| the last two years, which contributed
/ toward arOusing the people.
The physicians attending Mrs. John
/ Ston say she will recover unless the
! shock to her heart proves too great
! An examination also showed the at
| tack with the curtain pole did not in
| jure her internally, though there is
! danger of blood poisoning from the
wounds.
Commercial travellers of the CITY
! raised a purse of $1,000 as a reward for
the arrest and conviction Of the as
sailant.