Murder of John Bare and Ed Long

In February of 1894, there was to be a wedding in Alleghany County, North Carolina. At the end of the ceremony, a Virginian named Daniel Slaughter would talk to an old man. The old man would slap him in good fun and ask Daniel "if he was much a man". This would anger Daniel and he would curse at the old man. 

He would be told to leave and he did, but he returned a few minutes later. His return was not a peaceful welcoming. The old man and several of his friends were angry with Daniel and argued. There was an attempt to calm the crown, but it would not happen.

He would lunge at John Bare stabbing him in the heart killing him. When John initially fell to the ground Daniel went to stab him again, but the bride would prevent him by grabbing his hand. Her arms and hand were cut from the knife. Daniel would flee and Ed Long would try to stop him but would be stabbed also (possibly disemboweled). He would be caught 2 miles away. He claimed that people in the crowd were hitting his face.

He would be sent to a Sparta jail. There were talks of him being lynched. On the night of Feb. 23rd Daniel was taken from the jail and lynched on Laural Branch Spring Rd near Sparta. In the process of the lynch mob taking Daniel from the jail two were shot one of which was Alexander Rose. There were around 20 lynchers 15 of which were from Ashe County.

The day of the murder is unknown many of the articles stated that it was on the 18-20, but the earliest article I found was on the 17th. It's never mentioned whose wedding it was even though the bride was also injured at the wedding. It doesn't state Daniel's or his victim's relations to the wedding. I didn't exactly understand why Daniel got mad or why he was asked: "if he was much a man." It's likely that further information on the crime wasn't done in newspapers was due to Daniel being lynched soon after the murder. 

SOURCES:

Richmond Dispatch Feb 17, 1894

The Spokesman-Review Feb 22, 1894

People's Voice Feb 23 1894

The Staunton Spector Feb 28, 1894

The Union Republic March 1, 1894

The Western Senteniel Marhc 1, 1894

The Yadkin Valley News March 8, 1894

Murder of Mary Rose Matthews

In late 1883 couple, Micheal and Maggie Cuddigan took in Mary Matthews. They adopted her from Denvers Catholic Orphan's Home. Mary's mother had died and her father put her in the home so she could be taken care of. The couple would take Mary from Denver, Colorado to their home in Ouray, Colorado. It was known by neighbors they did not treat the girl well.

On January 12, 1884, 10-year-old Mary was found crouched beside a haystack near the Cuddigan's home. She was underdressed for the cold and snowy weather. The Cuddigan's were notified and they brought the girl home. She would die a few hours later and with some secrecy the buried in a distant part of the ranch. They told people that she had accidentally fallen down the cellar steps and had died. 

Neighbors of the family were suspicious of them. They knew that the family treated the girl cruelly and combined with her sudden death and hurried burial suspicions grew. Neighbors would notify the coroner that they suspected that the foster parent's murdered Mary and her body was dug back up.

The autopsy showed that  Mary's body was covered in wounds. It was obvious the little girl was abused and overworked. She had cut marks all over her body from a knife, her leg was broken, her skull was fractured, her limbs seemed to have been frozen, she also had evidence of sexual abuse. It was believed the couple forced the girl to stay out in the snow as punishment.

When the Cuddigan's and Maggie's brother John Caroll was arrested. At the time of their arrest, the couple was preparing to leave the country. They were arrested along with the wife's brother John Caroll. The three of them would be kept temporarily at the Delmonico Hotel between 4th and 5th Ave.

 On Jan. 18th a lynch mob come for the trio. Michael outside city limits. Even though Maggie was pregnant she and her husband were lynched. He was hung from a tree and she from a ridgepole. They were going to hang John also but he told them he wasn't even there when the girl died and they released him. 

 People from the town were not angry about the lynching and thought the couple was deserving of it. Though Michael's brothers were said to be at the hotel and refused to stop the lynching and watched as the crowd of people took the couple away.

Their bodies were displayed in public view of the town. The bed that Mary used was also on public display which was four gunnysacks stitched together. The Cuddigan's were refused to be allowed to buried at Cedar Hill Cemetery and the local Catholic priest also refused to officiate the funerals even though he was against the lynching. No one wanted anything to do with the funeral and the coroner buried the couple on their ranch with the $240 Michael had in his pocket when he died. not one attended. Their money was left to their infant son who was taken care of by relatives.

Not only did the Cuddigan's bodies get displayed, but Mary's was also displayed in Denver. She was presented before the public to show how the young girl suffered before her death. thousands of people viewed her before her burial at the Denver cemetery.

The death date for Mary is wrong on Find a Grave. There were articles from Friday, Jan. 18th, 1884 stating the girl was dug back up and an autopsy was done on her body. It stated that she had died the Saturday before which would make it the 12th. 

Maggie was the first known woman to be lynched in Colorado. 

SOURCES

Find a Grave

Colorado  Encyclopedia

Bismarck Tribune Jan. 18, 1884

The Tennessean Jan. 22, 1884

The Linwood Leader Jan 24, 1884

Valley Falls Register Feb 1, 1884

Delta Chief Feb 6, 1884

The Alton Empire Feb. 7, 1884

Murder of Jeff Curry

African American man Jeff Curry had a verbal argument with Frank Powell and Frank's son about a job he's done with them. During the argument, it was said he swore to kill Frank. Near the Blue Creek, Alabama mines he concealed himself and waited by a road that he knew Frank would pass. He was caught and arrested before he could try to kill Frank.

On the night of March 19, 1888,  Constables David Rainey and Sam Redden were going to bring him to Birmingham jail. They claimed that 12 disguised white men overtook the guards and took Jeff from them. The mob of men then tied Jeff to a large tree. They then shot him to death. It was said that his body was riddled with bullets. The men then disappeared into the woods.

SOURCES:
News and Observer- March 21, 1888
The Tuskaloosa Gazette- March 22, 1888
The Times and News- March 22, 1888
The Troy Messenger- March 29, 1888
The Columbia Recorder- March 29, 1888
Birmingham Watch- Feb. 29, 2019

End of Watch: Murder of Officer August Baker and the Lynching of William Burns

On October 3, 1907, 22-year-old William Burns and Gus Little who were both African Americans were drinking at a Hussey's Saloon near canal wharf in Cumberland, Maryland. They were making threats to other patrons and being disorderly. They were ordered to leave and the duo did not do so. Officer August Baker came to arrest the two for disorderly conduct.

William was not having any of it and was supposedly resisting arrest. Officer Baker tried to subdue him with pepper spray, but during the scuffle, William shot Officer Baker.  He was able to handcuff William, but Gus Little escaped during the fight. The shot was proven fatal and Officer August Baker died due to his injuries on October 6.

 William had admitted he was drunk but did not remember that night. He sat in jail for several days and was fearful that the townspeople were going to go after him.

Which when the townspeople heard that an officer had died anger consumed the town. Sheriff H.R. Hamilton did not place extra guards on duty at the jailhouse because he didn't believe that people would harm his prisoner. Deputy Sheriff Noah Hendley was on guard at midnight on October 6.

Several small groups of men were in the streets making their way to the jailhouse. Many of them wore their jackets inside out and handkerchiefs over their faces. By 1 a.m. a group of around 50 men approached the jail and 100 were gathered by the time they reached the jail.

There were conflicting stories of how many were there. Deputy Hendley reported over 2,000 while others said no more than 25. Spectators claimed that Deputy Hendley did, in fact, give over the keys easily even though he claimed that they tore at his clothes for them.

The men stormed the jail doors and demanded the keys from Deputy Hendley. Hendly refused which enraged the group. They tore down a telegraph pole and forced the doors open. They dragged William out of his cell with a smashed nose, a torn ear, and numerous cuts and bruises.

There were two motives of the people who attended the mob. One was that they wanted William to confess to the murder. The other was to lynch William because they were convinced he was already guilty. It was said that several prominent men in the city were a part of the mob.

A rope could not be found, so the men decided to shoot William. After he was shot and his body fell to the ground they checked to see if he was still alive and when confirmed he was, in fact, dead the mod dispersed quickly.

On October 12, 1907, Allegany County was able to raise $500 for the conviction of those who were a part of the mob. Judge Boyd directed a grand jury to investigate the lynching. No one could be identified for the prosecution of the crime. The Afro-Ledger protested the lynching in an article that summed up the situation well.

"The men who lynched Burns are greater murderers than he was, for while he shot his man while under the influence of liquor, and without premeditation, these men deliberately planned and carried their plans in execution. Without a doubt, every one of them is guilty of murder in the first degree and justice will not be done until everyone implicated in it is brought before the bar and receives the penalty of his crime."

No one was arrested or caught for the lynching though. 

SOURCES:

Maryland 

Wikipedia

Murder of Ada Clark

26-year-old Nicholas Foley was in love with Effie Riggs, the sister of Ada Clark. One day Effie had quarreled and rejected Nick and he was not happy about it. He had been living at the Clarks home in Elgin, Nebraska on and off for the last two years. Mr. Clark had to kick him off the property and told him to never return. Before leaving Nicholas stated he was going to kill Henry Riggs (Effie and Ada's father) before the week was through. He had for the last He borrowed a revolver intending to kill himself with it. Instead, he realized that it would not bother Effie and her family.

Around 11 p.m. on June 19, 1889, Mr. Clark gave one of his children some medicine and went back to bed. Around midnight He woke up with a sharp pain in his side. He had been shot. He woke up asking, "Who is striking me?" Ada exclaimed with "Someone shot you!"

Mr. Clark then rose out of his bed and heard someone downstairs. He then put his bed against the door to prevent the shooter from getting inside. Ada heard someone climbing up to the window. She moved the curtain to look out and met eye to eye with a pistol held by Nicholas. He shot her in the face and killed her. He then tried to shoot Effie. He shot 4 times and missed every shot. He then left on one of the horses on the property.

It wasn't until the next morning when the family got help. Neighbors had heard screaming at the time of the murder, but didn't come. It wasn't until Henry Duvall heard the cries and found them.  A search for him ensued.  On June 22,  after Ada's funeral organized themselves and dispersed to look for him. He was arrested in Petersburg by Sherrif Beckwith.

When they were four miles east of Elgin they stayed with A.H. Palmer who was friends with Sherrif Beckwith. A lynch mob surrounded the home and took Nicholas. They refused to let Sherrif Beckwith leave and stop the lynching.

Nicholas knew that he would be killed, but when it came closer to the end he began to breakdown. The mob brought him to a bridge 300 yards away. He was then hung from the bridge and his neck was broken and it killed him. He was left hanging there till 5 when the corner came.

SOURCES:
Fremont Tribune- June 20, 1889
Omaha Daily Bee- June 23, 1889
The Herndon Courant- June 28, 1889
Democratic Advocate - June 29, 1889
The Semi-Weekly New Era- June 29, 1889
Nebraska State Journal- Feb 11, 1891

The Lynching of Amy Spain

The Hanging of Amy Spain - contemporary engraving from Harper's Bazaar

17-year-old Amy Spain became a martyr for freedom in 1865. She was biracial of a white and a black parent. She was a slave and owned by Major Albertus C. Spain, a Mexican-American War veteran who owned a large property in Darlington, South Carolina.

In early 1865 a detachment of the Union Army arrived in Darlington as a part of the Carolinas Campaign. She expressed her excitement for her future freedom by exclaiming "Bless the Lord, the Yankees have come!". This was what sealed her fate.

At that time the town, many of the white residents (mostly men) deserted the town. It had turned out that her and others took what they wanted from empty homes and warehouses. Amy took things from her master. The Union was only there for a short time and the Confederate army re-occupied the town.

Amy was called a "ringleader" of the looting and accused her of guiding Union troops to places where valuables were hidden. She was arrested for treason and conduct unbecoming a slave by the Confederate Military. She would go to trial and Major Albertus C. Spain defended her.

Behind bars, Amy heroically heard her sentence to death and she declared she was prepared to die. On March 10, 1865 She defied her persecutors, and as she walked the scaffold towards her death she declared she was "going to a place where she would receive a crown of glory". She was interrupted by an oath by one of her executioners.

She was then hung from the sycamore tree in the Darlington town square.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Capital Punishment UK
Black History
Executed Today