Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--MOB KILLS NEGRO AT MOBERLY--From the Moberly Democrat--Not trusting to the slow course of the law for dealing out justice to the assailants of Elmer Thomas, the farmer who was slugged and robbed last Thursday night, a masked mob early yesterday morning stormed the jail at Macon, where the prisoners had been taken, got the four negroes and brought them to Forest Park for a quick dispatch into the place where their kind belong. On Friday night there were afloat rumors of a mob going after the negroes, and even before that there was a feeling of uneasiness among officials because of the rage of neighbors of Mr. Thomas, a rage which struck a sympathetic chord among many town men, who felt that the safety of the whole community was at stake if it were not demonstrated that lawlessness of this type were not nipped in the bud. This feeling grew into action Saturday night and gathered supporters until it grew to mob size and demand. With the addition of numbers the scheme was boldly advocated it is claimed and well known Moberly men were invited to attend. It is also claimed that within a comparatively few minutes there were thirteen cars that were filled at one filling station for the trip to Macon. On account of developments here, Sheriff Owens took the men from Huntsville jail to Macon. This move was learned and a posse of men said to number somewhere between seventy-five and eighty, went to the jail in Macon and demanded of Sheriff Jesse Stamper that he give up the men. Stamper protested, but as he was held by both arms and covered with revolvers he had not much choice in the matter. It is said, however, that he held to his protest until the men threatened to dynamite the building. To prevent this he told his deputy, Bob Epperson, to give up the keys. When the mob leaders went for the negroes, they felt that the crack of doom had come for them and with one accord set up a howl for mercy. The mob leaders told them to shut up, if they did not want to raise the neighborhood. They were then hurried out and into a waiting auto without being given time to put on any outer clothing or shoes. The mob came straight to Forest Park, where other men were in waiting. A big bon fire had been built, whether for a funeral pyre for the blacks or merely to keep them warm while waiting, is not known. No definite knowledge is obtainable as to what happened after that. The spot selected was west of the lake. According to one rumor, the negroes each had a rope tied around his neck and swung over a limb of a tree. The limb broke and all the negroes but one made a break and ran, the other was told to lay his head on a rock and accurate gun shots ended his I. W. W. career. Another rumor says that the limb broke with the first man and he came to earth showing fight and then he became the target for the guns and while attention was thus centered on him the others made their dash for freedom. What is definitely known is that one is dead and the other three have been recaptured and taken to some point unknown. The dead man is James Anderson whose address is 2938 Federal street, Chicago. The body was taken charge of my Martin & Martin. One of the negroes was caught early yesterday morning at he attempted to board a train at Huntsville. A second one was caught about four miles west of town, after he had applied at the Ike Walker home for some clothing, and about five o'clock yesterday evening the third was located between Clifton Hill and Salisbury. On account of their seminude condition they were marked targets that had no chance to get by. The names of the blacks who got away and their addresses as given are Halley Richardson, 18 years old, 101 West Thirty-First street, Chicago; Sanford Taylor, 20, 113 Baker street, East St. Louis, Ill.; George Adams, 18 Federal street, Chicago. The man who was killed is said to be the one who handled the ether at the time of the hold-up. They profess to belong to the I. W. W. and to prove their statement had literature advocating its policies in their possession. Their cowardly attack on Mr. Thomas aroused a widespread wave of indignation in the community where he was known. it also has created a panicky feeling among the women of the neighborhood, who feel that perhaps some of them had a narrow escape and even now have a timidity about staying alone. The mob's action was virtually the sole topic of conversation yesterday and today in Moberly. The fire department had to keep a man at the phone practically all day yesterday answering inquiries from in and out of town. All today there was a vein of excitement as an undercurrent, but on the surface, everything moved on as serenely as usual. To many of the older residents this summary execution of the law against offenders recalled April 18, 1880, when another mob hanged two negroes on the trestle of the M. K. &. T. railroad, just east of town. The criminals at that time were a negro named Andrews and Dick Yancy. A month prior to the lynching these negroes had killed Henry Mathews, colored, and had buried his body in Elk's Fork. When after a month's time the body was found indignation was so strong the blacks were strung up for this outrage on one of their own kind. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--HOWARD COUNTY'S OLDEST CITIZEN DEAD--Lorenza D. Kivett, Howard county's oldest citizen, died at his home nine miles west of Fayette on the 8th. He was 95 years, two months and sixteen days old. He was born in Howard county on August 23, 1824, on the farm on which he died and where he had spent his entire life. He had always led a very active life, and despite his great age, worked about the farm as usual. He had been splitting wood on the day of his death, and fell dead while on his way to the house. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Mrs. W. H. Jenner was called here from St. Louis Thursday by the serious illness of her father, W. H. Welch. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Will Burke was called to St. Louis Thursday of last week by the death of his nephew, Harold Bardot. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--ONLY CHILD DEAD--The many Higbee friends and acquaintances of Mr. and Mrs. F. C. Bardot of St. Louis will be pained to learn of the death of their son and only child, James Harold, who died at the family home in that city on Thursday, Nov 18, 1919, following an illness of three or four days from militias. Funeral services were held from the church of the Blessed Sacrament at 10 a.m., on the 15th, conducted by the pastor, the Rev. Father Spear, and interment made in Calvary cemetery, St. Louis. Harold was a very bright and manly boy and had many warm friends here among the boys of his own age, he having frequently visited at the home of his grandmother, Mrs. Mary Burke. The latter, who left on the first train on receipt of a message announcing his illness, was greatly shocked to learn of his death on her arrival. The profoundest sympathy of all of Mr. and Mrs. Bardot's friends go out to them in their great sorrow. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--W. H. WELCH NEAR DEATH--W. H. Welch, who was taken to his bed seven weeks ago last Wednesday, and who is suffering from severe kidney trouble and the infirmities of age, became alarmingly worse Tuesday night, and has since been growing gradually weaker, although appearing for short intervals to be better. He has been unconscious since Tuesday and his death is a matter of only a few days at least, and perhaps hours or minutes. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--GEO. MCGILL, SR, SERIOUSLY ILL--Geo. McGill, Sr., one of Higbee's best known citizens, who has been critically ill for the past week, was little, if any, better at the hour of going to press. As Mr. McGill, who is suffering from asthma, with which he has been afflicted since twelve years of age, has recovered from previous illnesses after all hope of his recovery had been abandoned, his legion of friends join the NEWS in the prayer that he will again be spared. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--W. A. Fowler, who came in a week or so ago from Cheyenne, Wyo., where he had been farming for several years, and who intended leaving in a week or two for southwest Missouri with a view of locating, has changed his mind, we are pleased to state, and is to again become a citizen of this community, having this week purchased the Joe H. Andrews farm of 80 acres south of town. We did not learn the price paid. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--W. G. Woods, the timer, while on his way home on horseback late Monday evening, was held up and robbed by two men in the road leading to town just to the east of the residence of Mrs. D. L. Barron. We could learn nothing of the particulars other than that the robbers secured about $3. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Mrs. Mary Button, best remembered by Higbee folks as Mrs. Dibble, and daughter, Miss Georgia, of Des Moines, Ia., are the guests of Higbee relatives and friends. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Dr. H. L. Turner, who had been visiting in St. Charles, was here yesterday for a short visit with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Turner, before leaving for Oklahoma, where he has decided to locate. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Mrs. Louella M. Brown, who went to Houston, Texas, two weeks ago to defend her title to certain land holdings, part of which others claimed through a faulty survey, returned last night. Her many friends will be delighted to know that she won the case. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--Clarence Walton, who has been in Uncle Sam's service for almost two years, and who has been stationed at Camp Sheridan, Ill., for several months, came home Saturday for a short visit with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. C. Walton. He is looking the finest ever, but still has more or less trouble from his knee, which he injured shortly after entering the service. He will likely have the knee operated on before his discharge. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--GROCERY CHANGES HANDS--(Condensed)--Dennis & Gooch, who recently purchased the G. W. Lessly & Co. grocery stock, sold out last Saturday to Edmund Burke and Otho Robb, who will continue the business in the old stand. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--MAY YET SEE THE COLOR OF THEIR MONEY--T. H. Walton, Ernest Bryant, J. F. Leonard, Dr. C. F. Burkhalter, F. C. Bottoms, A. B. Guerin, and perhaps others whose names we could not secure, are about to have it demonstrated to them (we hope) that bread case upon the waters shall return after many days. Some sixteen years ago they purchased, through Theo. Osborne of Glasgow, some town lots in a boom town in Oklahoma. A few weeks later, it turned out that the promoters of the proposed city were as consummate a set of swindlers as ever drew breath, and had fleeced people in several states for a total of about $40,000, the victims here, as well as Mr. Osborne, who was stung for five lots, proceeded to forget all about it as soon as possible. A few days ago a representative of a big oil company blew into town looking for lot purchasers, and brought the glad tidings that the old town site was directly over a big oil pool, and that they had until December 3 to redeem their lots, which were sold for taxes several years ago. The representative said the company thought so much of the prospect that it would pay al back taxes and restore title to former owners and bear all expenses of putting down wells if the lot owners would agree to accept as their share of the riches one-eighth of all the oil struck. Most all accepted the proposition, we understand, except F. C. Bottoms, who sold his lot to J. T. Randolph for something like the original price. Here's hoping that every lot brings forth a gusher of the first magnitude. Friday, 21 Nov 1919, Vol 33. No 31--FIRE BUGS AT SLATER--Slater, which has suffered more from fire bugs than any other town in this section, is now without a high school building, the big fine brick erected in 1905 at a cost of $16,000, and which can not be replaced for less than four times that amount, was totally destroyed, with all of its excellent equipment, Thursday morning of last week. The fire was discovered about 3 a.m. The entire second floor was a mass of flames and the roof was falling in when the fire was discovered. The time of the fire and several other things lead Slater folks to believe the fire was of incendiary origin. If so, a hanging bee would be in order. An insurance of $20,500 was carried. Kathy Bowlin Additions, corrections, comments welcome.