The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-10-02
.CONv|CTS LYNCH
NEGRO IN JAIL
overpowered the Guards and Threw
Their Victim over Railing With
Rope About His
Neck.
THEN MARCH TO CELLS
Prisoner Had Been Taken TO Penlten-
tlary for Safe Keeping to
Escape Citizens
Mob.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. Oct. Prank
Wigfall, the negro who assaulted
Mrs. Julia Higgins, aged seventy-one,
at Rawlins Monday night, was lynch
ed early today by convicts In the state
penitentiary where he had been trans
ferred for safe-keeping from the
county jail at Rawlins.
The penitentiary lynching, one of
the most remarkable in the history
Of the west, followed the failure of a
mob Of several hundred persons TO
get possession Of him before daylight
today.
Wigfall who fled into the hills near
Cherokee after assaulting Mrs. Hig-
gins, was captured by posses last
night near Fort Steele and taken back
/ to Rawlins.
! A mob Of angry citizens carrying
ropes and shotguns, Immediately
gathered about the jail. They became
SO threatening that early today the
! prisoner was taken to the state peni-
tentiary, also at Raw1ins.
/ AT daylight the 800 convicts in the
penitentiary learned OF Wigfall's pres
ence. At $3.50 a. NJ, while being
marched to the broom factory, the
i prisoners suddenly leaped upon the
guards and the turnkey, overpowered
!. them and secured the keys to Wig
falls cell Securing rope from the
turkeys Office they rushed to the ne
4 gro's cell. They looped one end OF th'
rope about Wigfall's neck and fasten
ed the other end about railing fift,
, feet above the main floor OF the pris
) on rotunda.
! Cursing loudly, their yells minglins
I with the pleadings OF the negro fol
: mercy, the convicts seized Wigfal
i and hurled him over the railing in
} to the rotunda. The victim fell 2!
feet and his neck was broken in
stantly.
A remarkable scene followed. Salts
fed that their victim was dead, thu
prisoners made no effort to escap'
from the prison Instead, without
word they reformed their lines AM
waited ready to march to the broom
factory.
4 AT this time additional guard
= rushed to the cell floor and ordere'
I the convicts to their cells instead 0
/ sending them to the factory.
Wigfalls crime was most bruta
He appeared at the Higgins home an
finding only the aged Mrs. Higgin
4 there, demanded admittance. Th
: woman refused to open the door. Sc
curing an axe, the negro chopped tn
door down and rushed into the house
Despite her age, Mrs. Higgins tough
= him desperately before she was ovel
/. powered.
!, The crime was discovered b
neighbors who found Mrs. Higgins |.
ing unconscious She was taken to
q hospital, and, after recovering col
3 sciousness. gave a good description
u her assailant. She is stlll In crit
cal condition.
g Wigfall escaped into the hills, b,
y was closely pursued by posses. Wor
q out by chase lasting thirty-six houl
u he was easily captured. He we
% lodged in the county Jail and befoi
d nine o'clock last nignt the mops D
u gan to appear. They were headed
some of the most prominent citizer
: of Rawlins, most of them being arme
with guns or pieces Of railroad iro
After the mob threatened to .batt'
down the jail doors the sheriff tran
ferred Wigfall to the penitentiary.
Wigfall had served two penitential
terms. The last one, recently finisht
( was for criminal assault.