Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-10-03

dozen policemen on the first HOOP
of the structure" he continued 1--WE
were unarmed and rushed the Of
Ulcers, commanding them to throw
up their hands and turn over their
revolvers. They did not hesitate,
but shot their hands into the air
and held them there while we took
their guns. Unsolicited, they gave
us their badges, too.
Zone of the policemen was more
frightened than the others. He told
us how to reach the negro. He said
the prisoners had been smoked out
above and were on the third floor.
Brown, he told us, had been left on
the roof. | made my way up the
stairs winding around the freight
elevator shaft to the top floor of the
building. AS per directions, | found
the skylight over the laundry i'll the
women's ward. There was no one
on tn. jail floor at this time. The
place was filled with smoke and the
heat was so intense l could hardly
stand it. found my way back to
the stairs and climbed up to the
roof. The man was following close
at my heels. We walked across the
roof to a point near the skylight and
there found the negro crouching.
Please don't do this, boys"
that was all he said. We grabbed
him and tried to force him down
the steps. We were unable to do
it. We struggled perhaps 10 min
utes.t My wound, which | received
in fight OH the fourth floor, was
paining me and l could not use all
of my strength. / told my COM
panion to stay with the negro and
| would go down and get more help.
| met about 80 members of the
mob coming up the steps. | told
them we had the man and asked
that two of the gang go with me
to the roof to get him. Two men
joined me Immediately and again
we went to the roof. We crowded
the negro down and the mob seized
him. They began to beat him, when
some one called out to wait until
we got to the street. He was not
struck again until we reached the
sidewalk in front of the Harvey
street entrance.
We lifted him tosa hook and lad
der truck and then the real rough
work began. He was slashed with
knives, beaten with clubs and shot.
We carried him to the post in front
of Boyle's college and hung him UP.
| helped fill the dead body with bull
lets and l helped drag the body to
Seventeenth and Dodge streets and
burn it,"
The boy declared that the whole
thing had been carefully planned
in detail. He said the assault had
been the topic of conversation for
days in his neighborhood. 81 do
not know who was behind the
move" he continued, "but I know
some one was spending a lot of
money. In the early afternoon
quantities of liquor were sent to al
most every section Of the city.
Crowds were invited to drink until
men and boys were drunk. Then
taxicabs were sent after those who
were willing to take part in the
1ynching. About 20 of US went
from my immediate neighborhood.
There were unlimited quantities
of whisky in the crowd downtown
all night long. 1t was free. One
did not have to ask for it. 1t was
thrust upon you. Taxlcabs re-
NAMED on the outskirts Of the
crowd to hasten away the wounded.
There is no way of telling how many
received bullet wounds. know OF
Is mem in my vicinity who were
seriously hurt. They are confined
to their beds and under the care OF
physicians.
Zone boy who went up in the
court house with us was shot seven
times in the legs. The shots were
fired at him as he went up the stair
case. He did not stop until he
helped hang the negro. Then he
was taken home in taxicab.
81 know another man, who is
neighbor of mine, suffering from |
4 gun shot wound in the shoulder.
There is considerable doubt as to !
or not he will recover. |
There is still another man living |
lear me who was shot in the chest. |
The physician declared he could not !
recover. There were half dozen |
others shot in the legs as they |
forced their way up the court house
steps. All of these injured persons |
we're taken home in taxicabs, and |
The police have never learned their |
names"
The boy declared he knew the |
name of the l5-year-old youth who |
was badly burned about the face and |
body when a can of gasoline explod-
I'd while he was setting fire to the
county treasurer's Office. He said
the lad was in a serious condition.
Mayor Smith appeared at the east
entrance of the court house with a