Boston, The Frankfort Roundabout, August 18, 1894

 Lynch Law

A Negro Rapist Pays The Penalty Of His Crime– Hung Upon The Bridge At Midnight– By a Mob of Five Hundred Men

The people of this city and county took the law into their own hands Tuesday night and executed swift justice upon the perpetrator of the most revolting of crimes– rape. The victim of the crime was a white woman and the criminal a brutal negro ex-convict. The circumstances connected with the terrible deed are as follows:

Mrs. Martin Nolan, who lives in Choateville, about two miles from the city on the Devil’s Hollow Pike, walked down to the city Tuesday morning to do some marketing and on her way home was met on the road where a ravine comes down from Mrs. Williams’ place into Devil’s Hollow, by a negro man who first demanded money of her and when told that she had none, seized and dragged her into the ravine, where he choked her until able to accomplish his purpose and then left her, coming toward this city. The poor woman, with her clothing nearly all torn off her, went on home, and on the way told a neighbor what had happened. A messenger was sent into this city and immediately an armed posse started out in search of the negro. She described him as being a tall yellow man who had on a well worn black derby hat grey blue pants and striped shirt. She described him as being a tall yellow man who had on a well worn black derby hat, grey-blue pants and striped shirt.

While the searching party were still out Judge B.G. Williams was returning from dinner on a street car and saw Marshall Boston, a negro, standing at the corner of Shelby and Campbell streets, who had scratches upon his hands and answered the description given by Mrs. Nolan. Getting off of the car Judge Williams went back and talked to the man, who did not tell a very straight story of his whereabouts during the forenoon, and calling Mr. Sam. A. Parrent to his assistance, took the negro in charge and brought him over to his office. After questioning him further the Judge concluded to send Boston out for Mrs. Nolan to say whether he was the man who had assaulted her or not. Accordingly he was placed in a vehicle under guard and driven out to her home. Judge Williams got in his buggy, drove on in advance and prepared Mrs. Nolan for the coming of the negro, cautioning her to be very careful in what she said when she saw him, as the man’s life depended upon her words. As soon as she laid eyes upon Boston her identification was complete, even to making him open his mouth and expose a long eye tooth, upon which she had struck him, causing the gum to bleed. Those who were present would have taken the negro and hung him then and there, but Judge Williams argued them into desisting, stating that the man was in the hands of the law and it should be allowed to deal with him. Mr. Nolan was absent with a party searching for the negro along the railroad or Boston doubtless would have never left the place alive, but as it was he was brought back to the city and lodged in jail.

Further search was made for evidence against the negro, when the pants he had worn that morning were found at his home covered with green burs, similar to those found upon the clothing of Mrs. Nolan, and an examination of the spot where the outrage was committed revealed the fact that the burs grew plentifully there. This evidence substantiating the statement of Mrs. Nolan, excitement ran at fever heat. Large crowds gathered on the streets in the early evening, and it being evident that a mob would undertake to hang the negro, Sheriff Armstong summoned a posse to guard the jail and the Mayor ordered the police to disperse the crowds, in which they were only partially successful, for just as the town clock was striking 11 a crowd numbering several hundred rushed out of Catfish Alley into Main Street and down St. Clair to the Court House. In a few seconds they had overpowered the sheriff and his guards, gotten possession of the keys to the inner doors of the jail, but those to the heavy doors were in possession of Jailer Williams, who would not surrender them, and with sledges and crowbars the doors were broken from their fastenings, eight men went in and brought Boston from his cell, when with a shout he was hurried to the St. Clair street bridge and strung up to one of the heavy overhead cross beams. After he was dead about one hundred shots were fired into his body and the mob dispersed.

About 2 o’clock Wednesday Chief of Police Tobin had the body cut down and taken to the Court House where an inquest was held by Coroner Dehoney later in the day, the jury returning a verdict that Boston came to his death by hanging at the hands of parties unknown to the jury.