Will Prosecute The Lynchers
Item
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Title
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Will Prosecute The Lynchers
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Source Type
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Newspapers
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Publisher
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The Age-Herald
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Publication Place
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Birmingham, Alabama
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Publication Date
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06/19/1898
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Transcript
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WILL PROSECUTE THE LYNCHERS Solicitor of Judicial Circuit Will Try to Learn Their Names. THE CITIZENS OF WETUMPKA Have Promised to Raise a Purse to Assist in Bringing the Murderers to Justice- Jail Storming Was Done in Day Time. 3. Special Dispatch to The Age-Herald. Montgomery, June 18.-Serious consequences may grow out of the lynching in Elmore county yesterday. Governor Johnston has already caused the solicitor of the judicial circuit in which Elmore is located to proceed to Wetumpka and, if possible, ascertain the name of every per- son who participated in the assault on the jail and hanging of the prisoners. The solicitor is directed to bring indictments against each of them and they will be vigorously prosecuted for murder. It should not be a difficult undertaking to ascertain who the jail-stormers were, for the assault was made in broad daylight and in the presence of hundreds of citizens of Wetumpka, most of whom implored the mob to desist and promised to raise a considerable purse to assist in their prosecution. Governor Johnston has no patience with those who take the law in their own hands, and it is likely that he will insist on the vigorous prosecution of the members of the necktie party. Some of the Montgomery troops con- sider that the sheriff of Elmore was over- conservative in dealing with the lynchers. They believe that they could have rescued the prisoners if the sheriff had not re- strained them. It may be, however, that the sheriff's caution was well timed. It is probable, however, that the governor will cause to be investigated his conduct as well as that of the other officials who had charge of the jail when the prisoners were taken away. The Montgomery troops who were sent to Elmore county on Wednesday evening returned yesterday afternoon, worn out by their all-night tramp. As related in The Journal of yesterday, they followed the mob all night and when the lynchers were finally overtaken it developed that the prisoners had been spirited away by a detachment 'of the mobbers. This detachment was afterwards increased to a large body by stragglers from the main band and there were ample hands to make a clever job of the hanging. How It Was Done It develops that the original programme of the lynchers was to chain the negroes to trees and burn them to death, but fear of 'the approach of the military caused the plans to be changed and the old reliable method of hanging was adopted. Not having prepared for this emergency, however, the lynchers had only sufficient rope to hang two of the prisoners. Necessity proved the mother of invention. A farmer agreed to lend a plow-line on the condition that it would not be cut. To accomplish this one end of the line was tied around one victim's neck, the other end thrown over the limb and he was swung into the air, while the other end was tied about the neck of the fourth prisoner. In this way the four were hanged at the same time to the same tree, and the farmer's plow-lines were not injured.
