Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1872-03-28
MOB LAW IN NASHVILLE.
A Negro Hung in the Public Square of
the City.

Our Nashville exchanges bring us the
details of shocking outrage of a mob in
that city, last Monday night, (25th inst
1t seems that on Sunday morning a col
ored man named David Jones robbed an
old citizen named Henry Murray and fa-
tally shot him in the abdomen while eX-
ecuting the crime.
Early Sunday morning Jones was ar
rested and lodged i'll the county Jail.
On Monday evening about dusk a mob
of Murray's friends cOngregated i'll front of
the Maxwell House preparing to lynch
Jones. The Nashville papers report the
affair as follows
After fifteen minutes the crowd seemed
to decrease and it was thought the assem-
blage was merely one expressive of the
high esteem in which Mr.. Murray was
held by the large number of his friends
A close observer might have noticed that
the crowd was going i'll small numbers
down Cherry and round towards the
Square, and down Church towards College
and Market. From these movements it
became evident that the crowd had some
object in view, for the police began to fear
some violence, was intended. and were
dreading an attack on the jail. Various
measures were devised to prevent any UNI
lawful demonstration, and the Mayor was
notified there was something wrong. The
JallOr, John Shelton, fearing all attack
upon the Jail, sent one of his assistants for
the Sheriff. BY this time the crowd had
become somewhat more demonstrative,
and were collected several hundred strong.
IN FRONT OF THE JAIL.
Before the Mayor could arrive, and ere
the assistant jailOr had time to summon
floo1 70
the mob had made a sly movement upon
the Jail. They broke in over the .jailor and
rushed for the prisoner who was in cell
with several others.
THE CELL DOOR WAS OPENED,
and several entered the dark cell where it
was almost impossible to tell Jones from
the other prisoners. A candle was light
ed, and through fear of being killed, one of
the prisoners pointed out the guilty wretch
trying to hide himself in the far end of the
gloomy cell. He was seized by the men,
who endeavOred to drag him out. Jones
made desperate resistance, and when the
mob found they could not drag him out he
was showed up against the corner wall
and
SHOT TWICE.
When the pistol shots were heard their
sound seemed to be only the harbinger of
the dreadful madness pervading the crowd,
for Immediately a terrific yell was uttered
by the crowd both in and out side the
prison. Jones was dragged out and halter
being placed around his neck was taken up
Front street to the Square. Here large
number were cOngregating from every di-
rectiOn, and the excitement was intense
Amid yells the victim was dragged to the
gas post in front of the police station and
hung from it to die. AS soon as he was
IL Il,
to proclaim the work was done. The DO
lice were powerless and could offer no re-
sistance The crowd seemed to grow more
rapid and a general rush of those who had
been attracted there by curiosity was made
and Deaderick street, and the whole Square
in front of the station house, from College
to front were filled with people.
The hanging had been done so quietly
that few were aware that even the prisoner
had been removed from the Jail until they
approached the scene, which it is most fear
full to think of. Under the bright light of
the gas the CHASTITY face of Jones was view
ed by near two thousand persons from
every quarter of the city. At last the pO
lice in a body went to the gas post and Of
ficer Mckinney cut the body of Jones
down, laying him OH the street near the
pavement. 1t was with great difficulty
the mob could be kept at a distance, the
police having to present their pistols to pre-
vent them from rushing on the half dead
form: Sergeant Tignor presented his pis--
tol, threatening to fire unless themOb stood
back. The body was taken by the police
and carried up into the station house, and
Drs. Currey and Plunkett summoned.
LACKING JUDGMENT AND DETERMINA-
TION. !
From the following report, taken from
the Banner, it seems to us Mayor Morris
and his police lost the opportunity to sup
press the mob. The Banner SAYS:
How many men have you off duty,
captain inquired the Mayor.
ABOUT twenty, sir; the rest are all off
on their respective beats.'n
" Have you any definite information
about this threatened movement to the
Jail ,"
have Just been appraised of it, sir"
replied the Chief, land my information is /
that mob of three or four hundred men I
are expected any moment to move down
there"
After a brief parley, it was suggested