A WOULD-BE RAVISHER HUNG BY CITIZENS

Title: A WOULD-BE RAVISHER HUNG BY CITIZENS
Source: Savannah Morning News (GA)
Date: 1883-11-26
page: 1
Identifier: https://www.loc.gov/item/sn82015137/1883-11-26/ed-1/.
Crime: Rape
Subject: Attempted Rape; Widow lady; Mob Hanging
Race of alleged offender: Black alleged offender
Gender of alleged offender: Male alleged offender
Gender of alleged victim: Female alleged victim
Law enforcement involved: Police,Mob
Stage of the Legal System: Extralegal
Location: Out of State, Birmingham AL
Length of story: 158
Description: Birmingham, Ala., Nov. 25. —A negro
named Lewis Houston, charged with the
attempted rape, on Thursday night, of a
respectable widow lady of this city, was
arrested Friday night.' He was found at
work in the round house of the Louisville
and Nashville Railroad shops and taken
by the officers to the residence of his in
tended victim, who identified him. He
was then placed in the county jail.
At 10 o’clock last evening a mob
of 150 masked men overpowered the jailer
and took Houston to the negro settlement
in the suburbs of the city and hanged him
to a pine tree. He was allowed 5 minutes to pray and make a statement. He
protested his innocence to the last. The
whole affair was conducted quietly and
in less than half an hour the mob had dis
appeared.
It is reported that a second mob had
been formed to do the hanging at 3 o’clock
this morning.