Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 97, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1903 — Usual Crime to Porter Co. [ARTICLE]

Usual Crime to Porter Co.

ill Ike Dual IjKkhg KfeH Easily Have Happeaed. The adjoining oounty of Porter fM the latest soene of a negro outrage on a white woman, and oame near being the soene of the usual lynching, in suoh oases. Saturday afternoon abont 4 o’olook, a negro tramp stopped at the farm house of U. S- Biggs, in Washington Tp., Porter county, about 5 miles southeast of Valparaiso, and 12 or 15 miles north of the J asper oounty line. The negro asked Mrs. Biggs, who was alone in tfato -house* exoept her two little ohildreti, for matches, saying that he wanted to make a fire to roast some green oorn. She gave him ftht matches and he went away, bnt he oame baok in a few minutes, under pretense of wanting salt and pepper, and then seized snd overpowered the defenseless woman. The alarm was soon given, and in a short time all the farmers of the neighborhood were out in pursuit of the ravisher. He snooeeded however in getting on an east bound freight train, half a mile south of the Biggs house. Telephone messages were sent in all directions, and when the train reached Wanatah, on the Miohigan City branoh of the Monon line, the negro was seen by a deputy sheriff named MatheWs and Billy Wilson, a noted athlete, who proceeded to oapture him. He drew e big knife and was rushing at Matthews when he was knpoked down by Wilson, with a stone. He was taken to Valparaiso and placed in jail, where be confessed to attaoking Mrs. Biggs, and gave his name as John Wilson. Many people from the Biggs neighborhood gathered in Valparaiso Saturday night, and talk of storming the jail and lynohing Wilson was freely indulged in, but Sheriff LaOount had the jail strongly guarded, and no attempt was made. Had the enraged neighbors oaught Wilson instead of the officials, he would have been rirramarily executed, without doubt. Mrs. Biggs was very badly injured and her reoovery is considered very doubtful.