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[MES: THURSDAY,SWUNG TO SATAN.Tne Perpetrator cf a Fiendish Rape 1 ' Taken from the Jail in Platte.1.I* *tlcJi - .1(i And Sent to Kingdom Come, by Mean:, 1!| of a Few Strands of a Hemp and a Steady Hand to Tie the ( Fatal Noose.rThe Sheriff Overpowered by a Band of 125 Masked Men Who Meant Business and Carried it Out.1How Raphael Williams Met His Fate.yIt will be remember*! that we published an account, on Sunday m»-roirg, of the r- rape of a white wornao named Mrs. iMvis, I near Camden Point, Missouri, hr a colored r_ t man named Harris, and that the perprtra-l0 ! tor ol the outrage came very nearly being #- lynched by a party of men who captured ** j hiui, before the arrival of the authorities.^ ( who with couriJerable difficulty got himrt out of their clutches and conveyed him toit the jail al PUtte City, Friday night. The real name of the pri*omT wait Rabpael Willi-air-huthehej liatu*, and he was mil generally, so far a* »e have been able to ascertain, c,nrilt;l«n*l a bad character.He wa*, aa elated, taken to the jail and Citihoel ia a cell by luui»elf( and although there war* some talk of taking him out bv for** and hanging him Saturday night, the sheriff, lr. E. McD Coffey, felt no apprv-heuf*u (if violence, vet he, together aith hi* deputy, Mr. Wui. Moran, kept strict guard ior fear of an •'occiJenL” Thing# aeiit on ail quiet enough uutil Sunday night, when it hrgan L» tv whimpered ahout that aI.A kill: FU*LLosolIdWru*jpZerrt-irelieI.•a-it:ederri-lnhetmMilolofVeic-beu-iltoit.ontill nihelieof mi-n were gathering from the country about Camden Point, the scene ol the outrage committed by William*, f«»r the pur-po^* of overpowering the sheriff, and inking the priamer out andHANi.fN*. HIM.Than stories were, of amwe, of startling iuipvrc. but a- there i* usually much vi that kind of talk on aucli occasion*, it was thought possible that the people would barUlv go s-i far as to take justice loto their own hand*, and violently nualch the prie-nef Irom the hand* of the law, in onler to send him to hi* last account before l*eing tried by the courts; but in thi* the cdUcere wereMISTAKENm-*r-in 20 el-at ng i «t liedlIT-enw*»lcIVDpnen.ngirem.uit-itrirBetween the hourw of 1 and 2 oclock, in the morning, a large body of men, numbering, it ia thought, about one hundred and twenty-five—all masked—rode into PUtte City, from the country, on line hor*e* and accompanied by a wagon, loaded with heavy tools, such as sledge-hammer*, picks, crow-bar* and axes, to be u***d in the DEMOLITION OF THE JAIL,in cxv their demands were not acceded to. The |*arly was arringed with the wagon in the center and an advance and arear guard, the first of which cautioned people who happened to be up to remain carefully in* doer*, and see nothing, atul the second to see tiiat their “binla were complied with. One mau, a barber, named Silvers, let hi* curiosity get the belter of his disoviiuo, and followed the party a short distance toward the jail, when one of lb* rearguard Miildrnly wlueieJ on him and forced him ins at the tuuzxle «d a**» NAVY REVOLVER1.11Ve, to be.nl a ha*ly ivtreat, in the direction of ,nl hi-imme. The cavalcade then proceeded to the jail, and in a manner that showed the whole affair to have Urn well plaui.id one j who n|*oke in aiXiMMANWNO Voh E, ordered the command to hall! The sheriff! was then called out, and a formal deuiuid was ui rule for the possession of the prt* Hier. Tin*, I»r. Coffey refused, saying lie ha*I no j authority to turn the prmui.er over. Ti e chief of the gang immediately gave an or* . tier, and some began to unload il»e wagon of it* contents which reemed to have Urn 1 tak'-n Irom the neclion house of the rail-1 road. They bewail ll.en to hammer at the door* of the jail, in a way thu together with the threat that the structure would be demolished, caus'd the slieriti to endeavor to u*e force to stop their progress, when he and hi* deputy were xrixrd, and overjaiWer* ed and the aey* taken from them. The prisoner w« soon foui.d, and after being bound and gagged, was thrown into the wagon, into which the tools Were returned, and the whole party moved away in the direction of a place called Tracy, aliotii three-quarters n! a mile from the jail. Arriving in the vicinity of a large tree, the cavalcade halted, and the p**»r, quivering victim of I heir vengeance was given to understand that hi*I.AKT Hot.'it Wl* «NME!er-ti-er-11tatholtdu-*1-.dfor•11i»ntilheheimThe gag* were removed from his mouth, srd amid hi* loud and unheeded cries for mercy, the fatal noose was placed about his neck and the wagon in which lie waa kept was driven beneaih the branches o the tire; one end of the nq»* was swung over a limb and made last, lesri* g the criminal standing on hi* tip toes, in which podtion he -h-ad, while he was informed why the SENTENCE OF D-ATIIntVwirs’!headthurinoratfi-«t iIhad been thus passed on him. One of the party recounted in a thrilling voice the horrors of the deed lie bad committed. At a signal, the wagon was driven rapidly from beneaih the fret o! the victim awl in a second longer lie waa swinging in the air A few abort struggles, and all that was left, wa* the mo*ion!ese form, swaying to and fro between tlie earth and sky. The grim crowd of executioners, after waiting silently and atatae-lika on tt eir borers, until the last spark o life had g »ne, departed in the gloom of the -tireminding lorest, -atofird, doubtless, that they had done a righteous act.THE BODYwas left until in the morning, about 7 o'clock, when a pany, consisting of about a dozen white men and one cJored m *11, visited the scene of the horror and cut I lie remain# down and prepared them for interment, the corooer having, with aJury, viewed the body, and returned a verdict ol death by hanging, in accordance wiih the above facta. Attached to ti e body was found the following note written in a bold clear hand :Pl*tie City, Mo., July .11,1876iKnow all men by there presents, that.ih whereas, one Raphael Williams did commit rape upon the person of Mr*.--,bite woman, in the neighborhood ofilt;a white woman, in the neighborhood ol € * Buena Vista, Platte county, Missouri, July , f* , 27th, 1#76, and that we regard this cr»me ,n, j the chief «.! crimes, and the law dtficient - in iu punishment for like crime; we deem rj it necessary to take the law into our own i | * | bands, hoping that when our (teneral Aa-'1; j aembly mreta this winter they will ioe.c—* r ; I the penalty for this crime to capitalpenalty for this crime to capital pun-j ! ishmenL Take heed, that henceforth all persons, black or white, regardlere of color, guilty of like criare will suAer in like manner.We hope it will be the last time that we will be called uuon to record such a crime, j We are of those who wore the blue and the 7 gray, and there who remained at home as i S i- private*cituena, but have united to protect I k I lt;wr families against such treatment a# one jitof our citiaene received on July 27,1X76. I b The greatest excitement prevails over ! ^* . the com mission of the deed. Some think t| a the party of lynchers was composed of citi- j |* ^ * am ol Plane City, aided by a few from :e ! Camden Point, bat m yet no one of them , a , | has been recognised, nor is it likely that {tc• I they ever will be, although the grar'd jury “ill take the mailer in hand and endeavor0 I to discover theirbiaEThe woman, Mrs. Itovis, who waa out-1 rsged, is reported to have been a lady high-It respected in the neighborhood where sne y ^ j lives, sod the commimioa of the crime ^ asuc^ed the whole district in proximity | thereto. 6he is said to be now lying io a tj, critical condition and not likely to recover.. t Later :—It was reported late last night, j to r that the woman was dead. lb
Newspaper Details
The Leavenworth Weekly Times
Leavenworth, Kansas, US
Thu, Aug 03, 1876
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 30 Sep 2022
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