Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 17, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 December 1896 — SOUTHERN. [ARTICLE]

SOUTHERN.

The Illinois Central Railroad freight depot and contents at Jackson, Miss., Were burned Sunday. 'the origin of the fire is, unknown, but it is supposed to have been coused by a lamp explosion. The loss is estimated at from $50,000 to SBO,OOO. TJie books and records were saved. * • Reports from Letcher County, Ky., state that a bloody battle was fought at a dance given at the Ijome of David Williams. One hundred shots were fired and

Charley. Hogg,; a prominent mouatMu teacher, wits mortally wohnded. Hogg’s friends swear veßgeancl atid a feud may follOW. A * f . At Littleton, W. Va., a wirhfsuspenston bridge- over a creek broke down while cro\vdtsJ with people-returning home from a church entertainment and -about thirty or forty persons were precipitated into the bed*-of'the stream-. One young man killed, two persons' were fatally hurt arid eight or ten others injured. A "passenger i ral n o u the Boutherh .Railway. due at Birmingham, Ala., early Wednesday morning, had jf narrow escape ffom destruction at \.a point ..pear Iromlale, about twelve miles east of (Birmingham. The train was running at the/ usual rate.of speed,'When, on approaeh--ing a short trestle, the engineer discovered that a rail hail 'been removed from the structure, .presumably by wduhl-be robbers. The air brakes \yere applied arid the train stopped in time to avoid a terrible disaster. The engine, however, went partly over tlie’ bfeak in the rails, hut rent Ihetl on the’trestle. Southern Railway/officials, claim that no one on the train was injured.' Jim Stone; a lfegrS, was fhkon from jail by a Mayfield, Ky., mob Sunday night and lynched.' At lOMti o'clock about 500 masked men assembled a few tnimlreil yards from the conrthouse and marched to the county jail, and after breaking the doors of the prison entered and secured the negro. He was carried • to the courtyard ami swung s up to a limb at -2 o’clock. Several of the mob tired shots through his body. The jailer attempted to defend the' negro, but the moboverawed him and he vita a forced to sup-^ ■ render him. The prisoner made-a statement to;the effect that-andther negro committed the crime, but the tnob paid no attention to his words. The negro offered prayer while knives weye being plunged into his- body., A placaixl pinned on the body contained the nanita of several other negroes residing-in—the city, who were notified to take fair warning. •Stone was charged,with assault N0v,e24., He was arrested by Sheriff Cook the day after the crime was committed. Stcfno denied his guilt, hut the' evidence was overwhelmingly against him. Three attempts had previously been made to lyuch him.