Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 January 1893 — SIXTY MEN ARE KILLED [ARTICLE]

SIXTY MEN ARE KILLED

BLOODY FICHT BETWEEN A MOB AND A POSSE. Result or a Sheriff's Effort to Save HU Prisoner from a Lynching— Officials Overpbwered, the Jail Entered, and the Prisoner Brutally Murdered. Terrible Seene of Carnage. A mob of 500 masked men entered the Jail at Bakersville, N. 0., and took Calvin Snipes, who had murdered leaac Osborne, a prominent citizen of Mitchell county, to a dense forest about half a mile distant and lynched him. Eleven of the sheriff’s posse were killed in their efforts to defend the prisoner. About twenty-five of the mob were killed, and among the dead and wounded were some of the must prominent men in the county. The jail Is a frame building and little calculated to jvithstand an assault. But Sheriff Moomaw had it garrisoned with about seventy-live determined men, who declared they would see the law upheld or die. The attack was expected. A formal demand was made upon Sheriff Moomaw for Swipes by a messenger from the mob, who approached tho jail under a flag of truce. To this the garrison responded: “We will die first." Then they knew there would be a fight. Winchesters were loaded and the wait for the final struggle began. At least five hundred armed men marched up the road and then with a howl broke on a run for the jail. The garrison was ready for them. “Halt, or I’ll give the order to fire,” rang out Sheriff Moomaw’s voice. No attention was paid to the warning.

Fought Like Demons. “Fire!” rang out the order, and seven-ty-five rifles poured a direct and flanking hail of bullets into the determined lynchers. They wavered a moment as a score of them went down, but with the steadiness of veterans closed up their ranks and rushed forward again under the leadership of a gigantic mountaineer who urged them forward. Again the rifles of the besieged rang out, and this time they were answered by a concentrated lire from the mob. The aim was deadly and a dozen deputies fell wounded and killed. Their bodies hampered those who were unharmed, and only a few could close up to the windows and return the volley before the mob was upon them. There was a short struggle. What were sev-enty-five men against 60U? A few revolver shots, 100 elubbod rifles and all was over. The deputies, with their leader. Sheriff Moomaw, mortally wounded, were in the hands of the mob. There was no hope in further resistance, and the fate of the murderer was sealed. Without lvaiting to pick up the dead or care for the wounded, the mob made a rush at the door of the jail, and it went down before the shoulders of a score of stalwart men. The prisoner, half dead with fear, was dragged out into the open air, where a rope was plaoed around his neck. Lynched at Awful Cost. He was dragged over the ice-covered rocks to a piece of woo Hand half a mile away. Behind followed the remainder of the mob, firing at the prostrate |form at every step. The victim was undoubtedly dead before he had been dragged twenty yards, and it was the mere semblance of human form that was strung up when the woods were reached. Then the mob returned to look for the dead and wounded. In the little inclosure and on the roadbed in front of the jail twenty-five bodies were found and in the three buildings eight more were rigid in death. About thirty others were wounded, some of them fatally, among these being gallant Sheriff Moomaw, who was shot twice through the chest and three times through the abdomen. Bakersville is miles away from a telegraph office and all news must go to Johnson City, in Tennessee, by carrier. Since the first news was received four more of the Sheriff’s posse are reported dead and five more of the mob.

Twenty-five More Killed. Later advices from Bakersville say that the mob, instead of dispersing, as was expected, remained upon the ground, and the scattered handful of the Sheriff's posse also remained under arms, and they are being rapidly re-en-forced. All through the following day they continued to receive accessions to their ranks, which increased to 600. Feeling ran high, and after a few speeches ihe posse resolved to avenge Sheriff Moofnaw’s death. Another battle took place shortly after noon, in which at least twenty-five more were killed, and the firing is still going on. What will be the result no one can tell. Troops are expected. Story of the Murder. The facts which led up to the terrible affray were as follows; Aaron Wiseman and Calvin Snipes were partners in an Illicit distillery in Mitchell County, North Carolina, and had told William Osborne and Isaac Osborne, brothers, where the distillery was situated. William Osborne reported the distillery to the officials at Bakersville, N. C., and helped them to destioy it. Wiseman and Snipes suspected Isaac Osborne of being the informer. On the night of Aug. 27, 1892, Snipes and Wiseman, armed with Winchester rifles, went to the house of Isaae Osborne and called him up. Mr. Osborne came to the door, and the moonshiners opened fire, almost riddling him with bullets. Wiseman and Snipes were arrested, but sufficient evidence could not be obtained against Wiseman and he was released. Snipes was bound to the Superior Court on purely circumstantial evidence. He was placed in jail, and after being confined about t%o weeks confessed to the killing in the manner above related.