A Lynching Raid.

Manawatu Herald, 22 July 1897, Page 2

A Lynching Raid.

An English paper dated the beginning of Jane contains the following account of a lynching raid which shows America has*not yet got rid of that disgrace to civilisation. At Urbana, Ohio, early in the morning a mob of citizens stormed the city prison and seized and lynobed a negro named Mitchell,

wno 2 years ago fiendishly aas&ulted Mrs E. Gaumer, the owner of a local newspaper. A militia regiment, hastily summoned to defend the gaol, opened fire as the mob ap* proached, killing two men and seriously wounding seven others. To prevent further bloodshed the mayor then ordered the soldiers to ceaße firing and permitted the lynch ing to proceed. Mitchell was hanged on a tree near the prison. While being hurried to execution, the mob B«t upon him, beat him, tore his clothes off, and nearly pulled him to pieces. A hundred women attended the lynching, and several were foremost in this horrible work. Mitchell was only a bleeding mass of flesh, and practically dead, when his lacerated body was finally hoisted, amid great cheering. After the banging the town grew more peaceful, but a bitter feeling exisst against the militiamen who fired the fatal shots, all of whom are neighbours of the men killed. The Governor of Ohio has ordered several regiments of State troops to Urbana to restore order. Later reports from the town state that Mitohell after committing the crime was arrested, taken to Mrs Gaumer's bedside, and identified by the frenzied woman, who shrieked, "That's the brute t Hang him!" Mitchell was tried in the local court next day and sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment instead of the death penalty, which the people thought he deserved. The whole town was aroused, and the lynching speedily followed.