The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-05-10
Burn Three Blocks
Of Negro Quarters
i At Sherman, Texas
Continued from page o0e)
citizens bent upon revenge upon the
negro who confessed assaulting a
young farm wife near here,

~FSse SAAS
negro who confessed assaulting a
young farm wife near here.
Round up Negroes
With the dawning Of day the
guardsmen and rangers rounded up
several HUNDRED negroes who had
taken refuge In brush thickets on the
outskirts of Sherman. The fright
ened men, women and children we're
herded back to their homes.
Stores in the city opened for bust
ness and a few negroes reported for
work.
The mob, one Of the maddest in the
history Of the southwest, continued its
orgy Of destruction after taking the
life Of Hughes. Not satisfied with
the negro's death, the mob burned
his body, set fire to q prominent
building In the negro section and
threatened to destroy every negro
building in this city Of 10000 popula-
tion.. The torch va abandoned, how-
ever, in favor of physical destruction.
National guardsmen and law en-
forcement officers were helpless in
the face of lynch rule.
Soldiers Fortify Selves
The first contingent; of soldiers,
nearly a hundred strong, was forced
to fortify itself In the county jail
after several persons were injured.
The mob formed yesterday demanded
Hughes from guarding officers, and
when refused, set fire to the court
house in which the negro was in the
custody of officers.
The negro was held prisoner in a
vault on the second floor Of the
courthouse.
Unable to reach him, mob leaders
decided to burn him. -
The mob refused to believe the
sheriff; who pledged that the negro
had been left in the vault, after being
given the choice of staying there or
running for his life.
Missiles were thrown at soldiers.
One private was hit over the head
with a two by four timber and dan
gerously hurt. Then the soldiers, in
self defense, fired.
Nine were injured In this clash.
Dynamite Vault
The mob determined definitely to
ascertain whether the negro wa In
the vault Blast after blast was set
off. An acetylene torch was used.
Finally, just before midnight, a hole
was cut through the two outer cas-
ings. and the door Of the inner casing
blown off wit q heavy charge Of
dynamite.
r0~r oh-o..o. - AT. &~o,i>~k ohio
afterwards examined the vault-Joe
Leonard, managing editor Of the
Gainesville, Tex, Regtster-expressed
belief Hughes had lived through the
excruciating heat Of the fire and
was still alive when the final blast
was shot. Little pools Of water were
found inside the vault, and inprints
Of the negro's feet. An empty bucket
was in the vault. The negro's head
was battered In, he apparently having
been struck by the falling door.
A great cry went up when the first
men in the vault dumped the body,
still limp as II recently dead. down
the ladder from the second story hole
in the wall. Women, babies In their
arms, shrieked' and cried out with
what observers termed ghoulish glee.
Men seized upon the lifeless negro,
tied q chain about the body, fastened
it to the rear Of an automobile and
started down to niger town."
Through the streets of the negro
section they dragged their bloody
load and the Journey ended at q
large negro store.
Light Funeral Pyre
The body was strung up to q tree
and boxes piled beneath. A fire was
lighted. Then the drug store was set
fire.
After virtually destroying the drug
store the mob surged down q three
block section Of the negro district, q
stampede Of humanity ran amuck.
Clubs, bricks. bottles and fists were
welded against windows and doors.
Virtually every store was entered and
it's interior wrecked.
Near 2 q. M, most Of the mob dis
persed and harassed officials be-
lieved most Of their grief was over.
At that time, however. . fresh fire
broke out. About TOO persons, in
knots Of 20 to so each, were on the
streets at that hour. Every negro had
disappeared and It was reported that
scores Of them left the city early Ia
the evening.