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Lynch-Law in Maryland.P00L18VIL1.K. MOKTOOMBBV CV, Md., Jan 12— George Washington Feck, a negro mao, aged abonl 21 year* and a rather notorious character in this vicinity, was arrested at Beallsville, two miles distant, on Saturday morning last, for an attempted outrage upou the person of a bright and pretty little girl, named Ada lla\s, the adopted daughter of H.M Keeves, a respectable farmer of the neighborhood, and while in custody of County Constable Hugh Miles was taken by a party of masked lynchers and hanged to a tree until dead. The particulars of the affair are as follows.Saturday morning Ada Hays, who has been living wilh Lemuel Beall, a storekeeper in the village of Beallsville, had gone to the stable yard with a buck- j et to milk the cows, and while engage , in this duty was caught by George Y. , Feck, a colored mao also in the employ | of Beall, and dragged to a hole in a straw rick, evidently previously prepared forthe accomplishment ©f hi* v»le purpose, jThe screams of the little girl fortunately , attracted ihe attention of Hey. Mr. Ai-im-e, pastor of the Baptist Church, who | resided near by, and w ho immediately ran iu the direction from whence the screams proceeded, and discovered the negro in the set of perpetrating his fiendish crime. His first impulse was to : use a pistol lie had with him, but upon i second thought concluded to allow the law to take its course. He informed Mr. Beall, and the two sought the services of Constable Miles. Upon hi* arrival ; Feck, who had remained in the yard, I started to run towards the woods, but after a short chase ho was captured and taken before Justice Donahue. He admitted his guilt, ami stated that he would have accomplished his purpose had he not been interfered with. He was committed by the magistrate and taken to Foolesville by Constable Miles, who intended taking him to Hockville Jail yesterday. Alter being confined for j some time in the Odd Fellows’ Hall, i Feck was taken by Miles over to VV. T. Walter’s store, where he (ihe constable) desired making some purchases. Groups of men had been seen engaged in ex- i cited discussion, and threats of lynching , w ere heard, but as yet no attempt was made. Hardly, however, had the two | entered the store before a horseman j rode up and fired a pistol shot. This , seemed to be a signal, for almost itn- ; mediately about thirty-five masked men ; sprang from different quarters aud en- I tered the building. Officer Miles made I a stubborn resistance, but was quickly overpowered, and in his struggles was considerably injured. A noose was placed around the neck of Peck, and he was dragged out, and who, frantically and piteously beseeching his captors to spare his life, said that he did not want to die, etc. But his entreaties were of no avail with these stern and determined men. He was hastily taken across the road, thrown over a post and rail fence iuto a vacant lot’ and the rope drawn through the fork of a locust tree about seven feet high, and then fastened j to the fence. When it was thougnt he , was dead, the crowd slowly dispersed; I not, however, before filing a volley of shots at the body, some of which took effect.
Newspaper Details
Shepherdstown Register
Shepherdstown, West Virginia, US
Sat, Jan 17, 1880
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Leah D.
USA 21 Apr 2025
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