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Stormed an Almost I ble Jail. Got PrisonerA/as Hoisted on a Telegraph Fired Revolver Balls Into it 1 Hour, Yelling. Meantime, h Delight—Revolvers Passed Around.the corner of Main street and Fountainavenue, one of the most prominent corners in the city. There a rope was tied around the neck of the corpse and it was drawn up a telephone pole until It was about 18 feet from the ground. Then the crowd shot at the body for half an hour fair'y ridllag it with bullets. As the body swayed about from the force of the bullets the mob hooted and yelled with delight Aside from the shooting and yelling there was no disorder and the mobdispersed early in the morning.The crime for which Dickerson was lynched was one of the most brutal ever committed in this city. He had been living with a colored woman known variously as Anna and Mamie Corbin. They had quarreled and Dickerson had left her. leaving some clothing behind. He went back for this and a man named Jones, the landlord refused to let him enter the house. Dickerson went to the police station Sunday evening and told his story and at his request Sergeant Collis accompanied him to the house.While ho was gathering up his clothing, Dickerson and the woman quarreled again and the former pulled a revolver and shot the woman in the left breast. She died later from thewound. v--' •Collls tried to place Dickerson under arrest, but the latter fired at him four times, one shot taking effect in the abdomen. Dickerson then escaped from the room. Collis, despite his wound, followed, firing at the negro and calling upon others to stop him,- ;J~r vj .* . \ *When he got to the street, he fell, but even then fired two shots at the fleeing man. Dickerson was pursued by a number of people but outran them to the police station where he gavehimself up.Feeling ran high against the murderer all day yesterday and when itwas announced in the afternoon that Collis was dead the excitement became intense. There was scattered talk of lynching, but no one believed that anything serious would come of It- In fact, when the mob first formed around the jail, it was so lacking in leadership that the sheriff was not greatly alarmed. But leaders appear-ed later in the evening and the result was the lynching.One cause for the lynching was that a number of murders have been committed in this city in the past few years and none of the murderers have been convicted. There has been a feeling for a long time that Justice has been miscarrying and people have been dissatisfied. This city has a large colored population, also, and there Is considerable race prejudice in consequence.* Springfield, O., March 8.—-Judge* Mower of the common pleas court* said this morning that the* lynching of Dickerson was a deep* disgrace to the county amd the mat* ter would be at once laid before* the grand jury.Springfield. ()., March 8.—The bodyof Richard Dickerson remained suspended about four hours. It was finally cut down and taken to an undertaking establishment. The remainswill be shipped to Cynthlana, Ky.. Dickerson’s former home, for burial. There were about 25 revolvers in the crowd that lynched Dickerson and some of these were passed around. When one man had taken a shot at the swinging body, he would coolly pass his weapon on to his neighbor and thus one revolver would accommodate four or five people. Everything is quiet this morning.Springfield, 0., March 8.—-Mayor Bowlus, Chief of Police O’Brien and former Mayor Burnet, now a member of the board of public service, held a long consultation Tuesday and at its conclusion made a statement to the effect that the sentiment among the white people being practically unanimous In endorsing the action of the mob, no attempt at prosecut'.cn wouldv ” . 4teV'1 V ,be made from their standpoint, although the affair might be taken before the grand jury by County Prosecutor McGrew.Springfield, O., March 8.—Richard Dickerson, the negro who shot Police Sergeant Charles Collis Sunday night was lynched here last night by mob of more than 1,000 men. The lynching was one of the most horrible in the history of the country and Springfield stands aghast today at the work of her citizens.The mob gathered about the jail early in the evening but at that time it was mostly composed of boys and it was not believed that anything serious •would happen. A litxie later, a number of men joined the crowd and about 8 o’clock a demand was made of Sheriff Routzahn that he deliver the murderer to them. The sheriff declined to do so and at the same time told the crowd that the jail was Impregnable and it would be useless to make an attack. He also told the crowd that he Intended to defend the prisoner to the utmost of his duty Hind that while he would not like to harm any good citizen of Springfield, he would do his duty at whatever cost. He advised the mob to disperse at once.Apparently, this advice was taken. A crowd that had been battering at the east door of the jail desisted and the mob dispersed. At 10:45 tae sheriff and the squad of police he had in the jail believed all danger was over In a few minutes, however, the mobreappeared with reinforcements, taking the officials off their guard. The south door of the jail was stormed and gn entrance affected. Sheriff Routzahn and his deputies were overpowered tnepolice inside the jail were shoved back into the corners and disarmed, before they fairly knew what was happening. The cell was attacked, the east door forced open and in a very few minutes fully 600 men were inside the Jail. They were equipped with railroad Iron, cold chisels and sledge hammers and threatened to tear down the cells and take every prisoner in the place out and lynch him. if the sheriff did not deliver Dickerson overto them.Finally, in order to protect the innocent prisoners from the mob. Sheriff Routzahn told where Dickerson was and the mob got him in a trice. The Jail was so crowded, after an entrance was affected, that the militia could not have protected the prisoner had it been on hand.Dickerson was taken out into the large yard that surrounds the building. There a hollowsquare was formed and the negro placed in its center. The leader kept the crowd back while twenty or more men drew their revolvers and shot Dickerson dtad. When it was apparent that the negro had expired, the mob pickad up the body and carried it toHABITUALcriminals toust Stay In Pan far LifeUnless Pardoned.BIXTII YEAR
Newspaper Details
Sandusky Evening Star
Sandusky, Ohio, US
Tue, Mar 08, 1904
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
WI, USA 11 Jan 2022
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