Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-06-14

Determined Citizens Of Chattanooga See the
Law Carried Out.

Determined Citizens Of Chattanooga See the
Law Carried Out.
A negro Of chattanooga who confessed 10 a
attempt to assault . white woman was protected
from Q mob who wanted to lynch him, and he
was tried in open court, convicted and sentenced
to the penitentiary for twenty-ons years, and
was Immediately, and safely, transported. All
this Is the result of public meeting Of citizens
protesting against the spirit Of mob law, and
pledging the sheriff their support In projecting
prisoners and affording them fair trial
The facts are these: Frank weems, . negro,
on May 10 attempted, at ten O'Clock in the
morning, in . suburb Of Chattanooga, to assault
white woman. The woman bit his thumb in
her fight. He was fought and frightened on,
and an hour afterward was arrested and locked
In the county jail.
A mob was at once talked about, and Sheriff
6killern, as . precaution against hwlessness,
sent the prisoner to Nashville for safe keeping.
In Nashville mob was organized and the Jail
visited, the prisoner demanded. but be was re-
moved before the lynchng party arrived. The
prisoner was then taken to GAINESVILLE, Tenn.
where another lynching party visited the Jail
and he was again secretly removed by the Off
GERS.
BY this time the whole state was aroused, and
no sheriff in middle or west Tennessee would
safety. 1t became necessary to bring him back
through Chattanooga to place him In Q jail in
upper east Tennessee, the sheriff Of Hamblen
county, at Morristown, Tenn, agreeing TO &C.
cept him.
A determined party of men from Chatta-
nooga had congregated five miles out Of the
city to stop the train and lynch the negro.
Accompanied by two officers the prisoner was
taken off the train within q few miles Of tho
mob, and was taken on foot over the noun
tains and passed around the city. About day
light. after an all-night tramp, he was put
aboard the East Tennessee train and safely
lodged in Morristown jail by noon. A few days
after these exciting incidents public meeting
was held in the Chattanooga court house, q
thousand or more prominent citizens attending,
and resolutions were adopted protesting against
mob law and all kinds of lawlessness, and
pledging the sheriff in protecting prisoners
and according them fair trial, the support Of
all law-abiding citizens
Yesterday the criminal court convened and
Judge Moon said the first case he would hear
would be the Frank Weems case. The sheriff
took the people who participated in the public
meeting at their word and summoned 100 Of
the leading citizens Q posse committatus,
and the novel sight was afforded Of these ordi-
narily peaceful men (for they all promptly re-
sponded) with pistols and guns accompanying q
platoon of policemen conducting the prisoner
out Of the central depot down the principal
sree' W Tue court mouse, Iohowed Dy seVorai
thousand people. -,..t
TheScourt house and court yard were kept
cleared. The prisoner was brought before the
bar, pleaded guilty and was given the full penalty
OF the law, twenty-one years at hard labor in the
penitentiary. Before the trial the husband OF
the woman whom the negro attempted to as
sault was arrested by the sheriff and three pis-
tolls were taken from his person. The prisoner,
after sentence YVES pronounced was taken to
the Jail and kept three hours and then put
aboard the Nashville train and, accompanied
by thirty armed men, was taken to the peniten-
tiary. where he is now
Thus was the law indicated in Chattanooga