The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-06-21
Citizens of Chattanooga Keep Prisoner
From s;cinc Iynched

From Bcin. Lynched
Chattanooga, Tenn, June ia negro
who confessed to an attempt to assault q
white woman was protected from q mob
who wanted to lynch him and he was tried
i'll open court, convicted and sentenced to
the pcnitcntiary for tWenty-one years and
was Immediately safely transported to pris-
on All this is the result of Il public meet
ing of citizens protesting against the spirit
of mob law and pledgins the sheriff their
support i'll protecting prisoners and afford
ing them a fair trial. The facts are these:
Frank Veins, a negro, on May 10Th
attempted at 10 o'clock in the morning III
Il suburb of Chattanooga 10 assault a white
woman. He was fought and frightened
off and one hour afterwards was arrested
and locked III the county Jail. a mob was
at once talked about and Sheriff Sklllern
as q precaution against the laWlessness sent
the prisoner to Nashville for safe keeping.
In Nashville n mob was organized and the
iaii visited The prisoner was demanded,
but he was removed before the lynching
party reached the Jail and he was again Sc
cretly removed by the officers. BY this
time the whole state was aroused and 10
sheriff inmiddc or west Tennessee would
receive the prisoner and be responsible for
his safety. 1t became necessary to bring
him back through Chattanooga and place
him in Jail i'll upper East Tennessee, the
sheriff of Hamilton county, MorrlStOWn,
Tenn, agreeing to accept him. y deter
mined party of men from this city had con-
gregatcd five miles out of the city to stop
the train and lynch the negro. Accompa-
MED by two officers the prisoner was taken
off the train within q few miles of the mob
and was taken on foot over the mountains
and passed around this city, and about day
light was put ON board an East Tennessee
train and safely lodged in MorristoWn Jail
by noon.
A few days after these exciting incidents
q public meeting was held In the Chatta-
nooga courthouse. Il thousand or more
prominent citizens attending, and resolu-
tons were adopted protesting against mob
law and all kinds of laWlessncss, and plcdg-
ingHlie sheriff aid in protecting prisoners aud
according them fair trial. Today the
criminal court convened and Judge Moon
said the first case he would hear would
be Frank Weims's rape case. The sheriff
took the people who participated in the
public meeting at their word, and sum
moned 100 of the leading citizens as a
posse comitatus, and the novel sight was
afforded this morning of these ordinarily
peaceful men, for all promptly responded,
with pistols aud guns, accompanying a
platoon of policemen conducting the pris-
oner out of the central depot down the
principal street to the courthouse, followed
by several thousand people. The court
house and courtyard were kept cleared.
The prisoner was brought before the bar,
pleaded guilty and was given the full pen
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
pistols were taken from his person. The
prisoner. after sentence was pronounced,
was taken to Jail and kept three hours,
and then put aboard a Nashville train and
accompanied by thirty armed men to the
penitentary, where he is tonight. Thus
was the law indicated in Chattanooga.