Daily Public Ledger

SHOTS FIRED.
Howling Mob Surrounds the Jail at Urbana, O.

The Soldiers on Guard Let Loose on the Excited Men.

At least Twenty Shots Were Fired—Two Men Were Killed and Ten Severely Wounded—The Sheriff Has Wired to Gov. Bushnell for Assistance.

URBANA, O., June 4.—"Click" Mitchell, by his own confession, stands convicted of one of the most heinous and revolting crimes a human being can be charged with.

Immediately after dinner Thursday Judge Heiserman instructed Sheriff McLain to impanel a grand jury at once to consider the case against Mitchell. In the absence of the Prosecuting Attorney, S. S. Deaton, who is away on legal business, the court appointed Attorney George Waite assistant prosecuting attorney to conduct the proceedings before the special grand jury.

The sheriff was just 12 minutes in impaneling the jury. At 2:30 the jury was sworn in by Judge Heiserman, whose charge was brief, but to the point, and related entirely to the Mitchell case.

The jury, after examining Dr. Robert Henderson (Mrs. Gaumer's physician), Bruce and Charles E. Gaumer, adjourned at 4 o'clock until 7:30 Thursday evening. At 8:30 the grand jury returned an indictment for criminal assault against Charles Mitchell.

The grand jury had scarcely left the courthouse until arrangements were completed for the arraignment and trial of young Mitchell. All the principal doors in the house were locked and bolted, and members of the guard were stationed in the halls at the same on the inside. All the other members of Company D were lined up on the outside ready to repulse any attack.

Mitchell was brought from the jail to the courthouse in the custody of Sheriff McLaine and Deputy Kirby, surrounded by a square of the guards. He was hustled upstairs into the courtroom without the knowledge of the thousands of men who stood outside. Death-like silence prevailed during the proceedings, which did not last five minutes. Mitchell remained standing, and was evidently quite scared.

The court then appointed Mr. Flaugher to defend him. In response to the question of the court as to whether the defendant would waive the reading of the indictment, Mitchell's attorney answered in the affirmative.

Mitchell pleaded guilty. The court then at once sentenced him to 20 years confinement in the Ohio penitentiary, the limit of the law.

Mitchell was hurried back to jail and the immense crowd on the outside was none the wiser of what had taken place. It was part of the plan of Sheriff McLain and his deputy, Harry Kirby, to spirit Mitchell into a carriage and drive him to Hagenbaugh station or Woodstock, and there board the eastbound Pan-handle, which arrives in Columbus at about midnight.

The exciting incidents of the last two days had an unfortunate and deplorable culmination at 2:30 Friday morning. The disorganized mob of 1,500 stood on the streets all night yelling and perfectly willing to lynch a brute in human form guilty of a fiendish crime.

The mob had been slowly advancing all night nearer and nearer to the jail. The guards were crowded closer to the building as the night advanced. Finally a dozen men or more got onto some steps leading to the back entrance in the jail.

A fellow with a big sledge hammer, he had been carrying all night under his coat, blazed away at the door, knocking it in. At that instant the guards, who were stationed inside the building, opened fire, and at least 20 shots were poured promiscuously into the crowd.

The man who carried the sledge hammer escaped without injury, but a young man named Higgins or Hagans dropped dead, shot through the body.

The crowd scattered instantly. During the few seconds in which the firing took place some deplorable work was done. Harry Bell, son of Smith Bell, of this city, and the man Higgins, whose identity can not be established, died almost instantly.

The following were wounded: Zach Wank, of Urbana, shot in the hip, his wound considered fatal; Dr. Charles Thompson, of North Lewisburg, shot in the forehead; Dennis Graney, of Urbana, shot in the right foot; Sherman S. Deaton, the prosecuting attorney, shot in the hip; Wesley Bowen, of Cable, shot in the hip; Gus Weiser, Urbana, face wound; Geo. Ellicott, superintendent electric light plant, face wound; Ray Dickerson, living east of town, shot in the shoulder; Ray McClure, Urbana, shot in the right arm; Ralph McComb, shot in the arm.

Most of those injured were standing in the street and were spectators. The crowd was several times ordered to leave the jail yard by the sheriff and Capt. Leonard, of the guard.

Gov. Bushnell has just ordered one of the Springfield companies here.

Quiet prevails here now.