Two Lives Lynched For One Taken By A Mob

Case(s)
Source Type: Newspaper
Publisher: The Times-Picayune
Place of publication: Selma, AL
Date of publication: 2/17/1894
Transcript:

Two Lives For One Taken By A Mob

Details of the Horrible Murder of Mrs. Jessie Rucker,

The Girl – Wife, Whose Body Was Found in a Ravine.

Waylaid by Two Negro Fiends, Who Cover Their Crime

In a Clumsy Manner-Citizens of Stanton, Ala., Make Short Work of Them.

Your correspondent wired you yesterday an account of a horrible crime near Stanton, in Chilton county, the murder of Mrs. Jesse Rucker, with such particulars as could be gathered at the time. Today the full details of this horrible outrage have come to light, telling a tale of brutility unsurpassed in the criminal annals of the state. From a reliable and prominent citizen who resides a little over one mile from the Rucker residence, and who arrived in the city this morning, I gathered the complete details of the crime.
On Wednesday morning last Mr. Jesse Rucker, who lives about two miles from Stanton, said to his wife that he would have to be absent securing hands to work the public roads, and as he could not tell where he would return, she had better go to his Aunt Martha’s, about a mile distant, and spend the night. There was a negro boy about 19 years old hired on Mr. Rucker’s place who overhead this conversation, and into the heart of this fiend entered the vile scheme of which ended in the terrible outrage on the young wife. Not far off was the residence of Mr. Sexton. Here a strange negro had been hired a few days before. With this man the young hired a few days before. With this man the young hired man of the Ruckers arranged a hellish plot to waylay Mrs. Rucker while she was on the way to her aunt. The house of the Ruckers was situated about a quarter of a mile from a road known as the Clanton road.
At 4 p.m. Wednesday Mrs. Rucker started to go to the residence of her aunt. It was just as she reached the main Clanton road that the assault was made on her. From the confession of the young fiend who was hired on the Rucker place,e one of her assailants, it seems that Mrs. Rucker had a pistol and with this attempted to defend herself, firing one shot, but the two brutes overpowered her, and in wrenching the pistol from her hand broke one of her fingers, as was indicated when the body was found. They then accomplished their designs, and after crushing her head with a lightwood knot shot her three times through the head and tumbled the body down a ravine near the road.
Mrs. Rucker, coming home, and the finding that his wife did not return, went to his Aunt Martha’s to see if she was there, but could learn nothing about her. He then went to anoter relative’s residence, but could learn nothing of her there. It was then that he became alarmed and a searching party was organized. About 3 o’clock the next day (Thursday) the mangled and bloody remains were found in the ravine and the full force of the horrible crime broke on the community and overpowering excitement and furious indignation broke forth and the neighbors organized.
The hired negro at Rucker’s house was the first one arested. The appearance of his clothes covered with blood fixed his guilt plainly and he made a clean confession, giving the details narrated above. It was short work with him. He was hung on the spot where his hellish crime was committed as quick as hebe hoisted with a rope, and his body riddled with bullets.
His companion in crime left the section immediately after the murder and made his way toward Stanton. He was soon captured, and he, too, was quickly made to pay the penalty due him, and this ended one of the most horrible chapters of crime in the history of this tate.
The murdered wife was only 18 years old, being married to Mr. Rucker last October. Before her marriage she was a Miss Foshee. Mr. Rucker is an industrious farmer and has relatives in this county, being a cousin of Mr. Willis Rucker, who formerly lived in Old Lexington precinct, in the lower portion of this county.

Citation:

“Two Lives Lynched For One Taken By A Mob.” The Times-Picayune (Selma, AL), February 17, 1894.