The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1894-06-06
Lynched In YorkYIlle.

YoRKv1LLE, June Jeff Crawford,
colored, was last night taken from the
county Jail and hanged by mob of from
100 to $50 men, for the murder of David
P. Black burn last December.
Crawford was tried and convicted Of
murder at the last term of court and was
sentenced to be hung yesterday, but his
counsel appealed to the Supreme Court,
the appeal being based on the incompe-
tency of little 6-year-old negro boy.
Your correspondent is informed that
twice before has mob gathered in the
Black Jack section Of the county, Black
burns home, to lynch the negro, but 1t
was only last night that they came into
town. The mob arrived about 1:30 a. N.
and going to the Jail, informed the sheriff
that they had negro they wanted to put
in jail for stealing. The sheriff, seeing
the number OF men said, "This won't 90,
gentlemen you can't work this game on
me-" and pleaded with the mob not to
lynch the negro. Sheriff Crawford re-
fused to give up his keys. Then the
mob. which was well armed with crow
bars and axes, proceeded to spring the
bars and break the locks of the several
doors until they arrived at the prisoner.
They took the negro to large oak tree
near the Chester and Lenoir depot,
where, it is said by party who was
aroused by the noise and followed the
mob, that the negro confessed, saying
that as he was going, to die he didn't want
to die with lie on his lips. That he did
murder Blackburn and gave the money
which he got from him--$47-to his sister.
He was given ten minutes to pray and
then put IN a buggy which was driven
from under him. His neck was broken
by the fall. Only one bullet was fired
into his body, entering the right side
below the heart.
Some noise was made by the mob, but
on the whole it was very quiet.
The affair was surprise to the town.
Last December Pink Blackburn, q
well-to. do white farmer of the Black Jack
section, was found murdered near the
public road about three miles from his
home. His body was terribly mangled.
He had been shot twice and then beat
over the head with club until his brains
had oozed out over the road. Ills body
was then dragged short distance from
the road into the woods, where 1t was
found. Blackburn was soon to have
been married, and was supposed TO nave
had considerable sum of money on MS
person, none of which could be found.
w Q6Q laSC SG6u d1lN0 u0 Wno A1Oid6 No"A
the road about dusk with the negro
Crawford. The pistol found near the
body was Crawford's. There were only
two bullet holes in Blaokburn's body,
and it was proved that Crawford's pistol
had only two bullets in 1t and of the
same calibre as those found in the dead
man. The footprints, which were made
by rundown shoe, oorresponded ex-
actly with those of Crawford's, and 80 on
to the end, the chain of circumstantial
evidence being complete.
A stay of sentence having been secured,
it was determined by the mob that Judge
Watts decision should be carried out as
nearly as possible, so the negro was
hanged at l:30 a. N. on June the End.
instead of "hetween the hours of IL and 2
on Friday, June the lst."
The verdict of the corcner's jury was
that the negro came to death by hanging,
at the hands of parties unknown.-Dis-
patch to State.