Lot 124
Edward Webb, an African American farmer and a veteran of the Civil War, was convicted of the murder of William S. Finney, an elderly white farmer, in 1878. Although he maintained his innocence until his death, Webb was hanged for the crime. The hanging drew crowds in Mansfield that were estimated at between 10,000 and 15,000. Afterwards, public outcry against the gruesome show led to the end of public hangings in Mansfield. Throughout the entire proceedings Edward Webb himself seemed detached and often amused. In his mid-30s, Webb was born in Tennessee and spent most of his life in Alabama as a slave. When disruptions of the Civil War made it possible to escape, he made it to Cincinnati and joined the 5th U.S. Colored Regiment for the end of the war. From that time on there was trouble on his trail all the way to Mansfield, where he made his living as a blacksmith. He denied all of the crimes attributed to him. Webb confessed only that he knew who committed the murder, but wouldnt say until the right time. Preparations for the execution of Webbs sentence were followed in the papers with excruciating diligence as reporters tracked the approach of the scaffolding; researched the rope and where it came from, what it was made of; and enumerated all the strict dictates of Ohio law surrounding a proper hanging. It was supposed to be conducted as a private, solemn affair. The sheriff had a pine fence 18 feet tall of pointed pickets put up around the jail yard. Then he sent out a limited number of invitations that look something like a carnival ticket tastefully edged in black. Scalpers were selling them for $50 apiece. Sheriff Ritchie recruited the Mansfield Police force and a few volunteers 22 in all to patrol the grounds, but a couple days before the event, when he saw the citys hotels filling up with sightseers, he wired the Governor to send 60 more guards from the military. The day Edward Webb was to die, every train that rolled in Mansfield brought hundreds more spectators. Special excursion rates were advertised in the Ashland Press so groups could get to the spectacle without having to pay full price. Ho! For Mansfield! it said in bold print. At 8:30 a.m. there were 100 people milling around the huge wooden fence at the jail yard. By 10:30 a.m. there were 2,000, and at 10:40 a.m. the walls were flattened, the guards had their rifles snatched from them, and 10,000 people cheered. A different reporter counted 15,000. Men were drunk, women were trampled. The ugly crowd was stuffed in so tightly that there was no way Webb could even get from the jail to the noose. At 11 a.m. the mob made noises of breaking down the door and lynching the prisoner. The papers said it was remarkable that no shots were fired, but no one really knew just where the guns were at that point. The sheriff was, to say the least, alarmed. He wired the Governor asking what to do hoping that when the privacy wall came down it had breached the law enough to give him a legal technicality by which to call it all off and send the boisterous multitudes home. Outside there was chanting, jokes, cries of derision, cries of exuberance. It sounded like those minutes between touchdowns when the hubbub churns in excited choppy waves, as the crowd smells blood and senses victory At noon the governors response to the sheriff arrived over the telegraph: Hang him in public. The place where Edward Webb met his maker is today a parking lot on Third Street just west of the Mansfield Playhouse. When the time actually arrived for him to go on stage, the crazy rabble went suddenly quiet, and the place was oddly still. There wasnt a lot of dignity in the public manslaughter of Edward Webb, but in the end the howling mob found enough humanity within to recognize the gravity of death with silence. Please ask specific questions on details, condition, and shipping prior to bidding, ALL ITEMS ARE SOLD AS IS, and the bidder will be responsible for payment. We box and ship what we can to keep costs low, and use USPS and UPS. Large items, extremely fragile, and high value items will be packed by UPS. Quotes available on request
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Dimensions:
- 2.5" x 3.5" Condition:
- Excellent Condition
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