People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1893 — WAS HE INNOCENT? [ARTICLE]

WAS HE INNOCENT?

Doubt Raised M to the Guilt of Hiller, Who Was Haacod. Shot sad Buned by the Bardwell (My.) Mob. Caibo, HL, July 10.—Much excitement still exists regarding the lynching of Miller at Bardwell, Ky., Friday afternoon, and grave doubts exists as to his guilt. His first examination was held at Wickliffe, Ky., Friday morning. About a half-dozen of the leading citizens of the place and officers of the law conducted the examination in secret session. It had been generally understood up to this time that there was blood on the person and on the clothing of the negro, and that a razor and a large pocketknife which he carried were reeking with blood. In fact, telegrams had been sent to Sikeston, where he was arrested, to this effect The examination proved this to be entirely erroneous.

Mr. Ray, the father of the murdered girls, was the chief examiner and did everything in his power to get proofs as to the prisoner’s guilt, but was as fair as any man couls be under the circumstances. The only positive evidence that could be called good proof against him was the fact of his hand being covered with scratches, which must have been made by thorns, leading aH to infer that he had received them while in the blackberry patch where he is supposed to have murdered the girls. He could not give any account of how he got these scratches. The mob of more than 5,000 who had gathered at Bardwell were thirsting for revenge for the brutal murder o* the innocent girls, and as the accounts of the evidence against the prisoner were exaggerated and distorted as they went from mouth to mouth they had made up their minds that the prisoner was the guilty man beyond all reasonable doubt. It had been determined to burn Miller at the stake and preparations had been made for doing so. As the crowd was hurrying Miller to the stake Mr. Ray, father of the murdered girls, mounted the pile of combustibles and cried: “For God’s sake, gentlemen, do not burn him; we are not positive that he is guilty.” Then the mob having the negro, as has been told, hanged him, and a rifle ball was fired through his body. Shortly after the rifle ball had entered the body all movements or contractions of the muscles ceased. A physician felt the pulse and pronounced the victim dead. Then relic hunters began their work. Knives were opened and pieces of the victim’s undershirt, whi>i had been tied around his loins, were cut off until there was nothing left on his person. Then began a brutal treatment of the body. One man sliced off a finger, another an ear, still another a toe. This whs kept up until the body was badly mutilated. Then some one cut a deep slit on his abdomen.

Some one suggested that they burn the body to save funeral expenses. This was soon decided upon and the body was let down and about twenty men caught hold of the chain and dragged the wreck of a man on the ground through the streets to a point about a quarter of a mile away. Here a great heap of wood was piled up, the body placed on top, more wood was piled on and the huge mass fired. The body burned slowly and it was many hours before it was consumed. It is proper to say now that after the man was dead there was no feeling of jubilation manifest. Upon the contrary, a sort of mental wet blanket seemed to hover over the crowd and two out of every three men cautiously expressed doubts as to the propriety of their action and said they feared his connection with the murder was not fully established. Information from a trustworthy source at Wickliffe is that telegrams have been received’ there confirming Miller’s statements as to where he was July 4 and 5. Miller’s story was that he was at Bismarck, Mo., the morning of July 5. and no one has brought forward any evidence to the contrary. Careful inquiry has failed to disclose a single person who will say positively that he saw Miller in Bardwell, or even Carlisle county, that day.