New-York tribune., 1922-05-27
Negro Killed forAttacking
Woman and Numbering
Man and Body Burned;
10th in Texas in 2ODavs
Shot in Victims
Room by Her Father
Told Her Blacks Planned
Campaign of Terrorism
in Revenge, She Asserts
Special Dispatch to The Tribune


WACO. Tex~ May 2s.- Shot 81,
times by the father of his young
woman victim. dragged feet RS,
through the dusty streets Of Waco
jeered by mob Of 5000 persons
and burned on funeral pyre or
the public sQuare-su such was tht
price Jesse Thomas. twenty-three
sault on Mrs. Margaret Hayes, las,
night
Fear that the situation might get be.
yond control of the Waco officials
caused Governor NefT to send n de
tachment Of State Rangers here to-
night. They are guarding the Jail
where other negroes are confined. and
which the mob has threatened to storm
The fears Of The authorities were
aroused by statement that the
negroes had organized to attack the
whites because Of recent lynchings ir
Texas. The negro killed to-day was
the tenth victim of mobs in this state
since May 6, most Of the lynchines fol
lowing assaults upon white women.
Thomas was arrested on the public
square by L. L. Mcclure and taken te
the home of Mrs. Hayes. and when he
was recognized by her the girls father
opened fire with an automatic pistol
The negro bolted from the room Just
as Mrs. Hayes jumped up in her bed
and screamed That's him. That's him!' ,
Father Seizes Gun and Shoots
The father seized pistol and
opened FIRE, shooting the negro once
while he was still in Ghc sick room and
three times in the hail, and emptied his
gun into the body when the negro
fell dead in the back yard. The head
was beaten with a club and the mob
which quickly gathered. followed the
body to local undertaking establish
ment and obtained possession of it,
The body was dragged to the public
square, where a fire had been started
to remain in the flames. Finally rope
was again put on the charred body
and the mob dragged it through the
principal streets of the town amid wild
Tried TO Kill Her
Mrs. Hayes, victim Of the assault
told newspaper men here tonight the
negro assailant told her the blacks
were organized and intended to make
a systematic campaign against white
women in retaliation for the recent
burnings of negroes in Texas without
trial.
Mrs. Hayes was brought into Waco at
! o'clock Friday morning after the ne
gro had shot her companion. dragged
her into the woods, and attacked her
The negro attempted to shoot her, she
said, but his pistol failed to explode.
at is either your life or mine" he
told her, explaining if she went free she
would identify him and a mob would
get him. Just then freight train
came in sight and the negro pushed her
down the embankment and jumped
aboard the train.
The whole country around Waco is
inflamed over the affair and race feel
ing is running high. Tonight mob
of 800 men is surrounding the McLen-
nan County jail with the avowed pur-
pose of lynching five negroes con-
victed of murders in this county with
in the last year.
Rangers Hold Mob at Bay
Storming of the Jail is only pre-
vented by the six shooters of the
rangers Despite assurances that the
murderers had been moved to Dallas
for safe keeping, the mob fingered
around the courthouse long past mid
night