The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-05-24

TEE CITY OF MODS.
That Is NashYille'S Tn
enViable Distinction.
Law and Order Not in 1t at
Nashville Any More.
HOOdlums, Led by ChattanOOgans, In
wade the jail and Station House,
After Frank Weems-Repulsed by the
POlice-TwO Policemen Hurt.

NASHVILLE, May 21.-[Special. =
Last night the law was Overridden
again in Nashville, and blood
thirsty and savage mob entered the
county jail and would have ran
sacked the police station but for
armed and determined police.
There was talk on the streets all
day yesterday about lynching Frank
| Weems, the negro who was brought
here from Chattanooga and placed in
Jail on the charge of outraging Mrs.
Mavity, in Chattanooga, Wednesday.
This certainly would have been
done last night, but for the fact that
Weems had been removed from the
Davidson County jail and sent away,
presumably to Memphis.
OF this fact the mob which assem-
bled last night was not aware, and
only thorough search of the Jail
and police station and the residences
of county officials convinced them
that their intended victim was out
of their reach.
! About dark an unusually large
number of men were seen passing up
and down Front street, in front of the
| Jail. These groups increased in size,
and about s 20 o'clock some one on
the square fired a pistol, and soon 500
men and boys, yelling and talking,
were gathered on the square.
/ The man who fired the pistol was
/ self constituted leader of the mob, and
suggested that a committee go through
the jail and see if the negro was there.
The committee at once proceeded
to the Jail and called Turnkey Wat
son, demanding that he deliver up
| Weems. Watson said Weems was
not there.
1--WE want to search the jail" they
yelled.
"You can't get in here" said Wat
son, closing the door.
The committee returned to the
! Square and reported. A man with a
SLOUGH hat, and claiming to be from
Chattanooga, mounted a goods DO,
and made a speech, volunteering to
head an attacking party to the Jail.
The mob then proceeded to the jail,
some of them climbing the fence.
About this time Charles Snyder, one
of the Board of Public Works of
Chattanooga, made a speech, sug-
costing that the crowd wait and let
the negro be dealt with when he was
] -, Itno+tonAnCra
The mob was not satisfied to wait.
Mr.. Snyder and three others, as a
committee, went through the jail, but
Weems was not found of course.
JaiIer Willis residence was then
searched, and here some one said
Weems had been removed to the pO-
police station.
"On to the station!' shouted the
mob, and across the Square they
went, yelling.
The riot alarm had been rung and
every policeman in the city was at
headquarters. With guns with fixed
bayonets they formed at the Market
street entrance to the square, where
they halted the mob.
Chef Clack said the man they
wanted was not in the station house
and he would not permit the mob or
any committee from the mob to go
through.
The excitement was very great
here, and several rocks were thrown
at the. police. Chief Clack was hit
in the side, and Officers Terry and
Bardell were seriously hurt. The
police were greatly incensed and
were not easily restrained from firing
into the crowd.
Finally committee of well-known
men were permitted to go through the
station house, and reported that the
negro was not there.
A few more speeches were made
and the mob finally dispersed about
IL O'Clock, most of them going across
the railroad bridge. They searched
the homes OF COnstables Mcclure and
Allen, who were said to be the par
ties who removed the negro, but he
WAS not found OF course.