The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-18
LYNcHING FOLLOWS A TRIAL.
A RECOMMENDATION To MERCY
RESENTED BY 4 MOB.

One of the Convicted Murderers i'm
the Mears Case at Hampton. :. c.,
Taken From the Law Officers While
Being Escorted From the Court
House to the JaiI-The Mob Takes
Him Into the Woods and Hangs
Him-The Three other Negroes Inn
pIicated in the Crime Sentenced to
Hang on Dec. q.
Hampton, 5. c., Oct. 17.-The Guardian
tonight, at 10 o'clock. in an extra edi-
tion, gives the following account of the
trial, conviction and lynching of one of
the four negroes who so brutally murder
ed E. r. Mears in this county on Aug. 3,
for the purpose of robbery:
The court convened Thursday morning
at $3.50 o'clock, his honor Judge Buchanan
presiding. The case against William
Blake, Sr., Jason Blake, Prince Graves
and William Fraser. for the murder of
Raymond Mears, was taken up.
The jury in this case was composed
of the following citizens: J. a Ter
ry, foreman; ]. b. TroweIl, Ebert
Bowers, i. II. Freeman, E. G. Hay.
J. H. Hadwin. 7. ]. Rouse, Alfred Cook,
]. p. Gooding, J. b. Padgett, o. A. Ellis,
r. NJ. Youmans.
About fifteen witnesses were examined
and a very strong case was made out
against the defendants. The testimony
of Fraser, JASON Blake and Graves was
sufficient to satisfy all who heard them
that they were cold-blooded set of MUIR
derers, and that they went to Mr.. Mears'
house on the night of Aug. 9 for the
DIlFnnCp nf nd
VIM. Blake, Sr., denied any part in the
crime, but it was very plain that he was
doing considerable lying, and the gold
watch and pocket book of the murdered
man having been found in his possession
was very pointed circumstantial evidence
w. ii. Townsend, the acting solicitor
Was assisted by Maj. w. 5. Tillinghast.
Inc prisoners had no council and the judge
assigned the duty of defending them 10
Messrs. Youmans & Hamilton.
AFTER argument by the counsel and the
charge of Judge Buchanan, the jury re
tired. They We're in their room twenty
two minutes, and on their return, Clerk
Of Court Causey read from the records
the following verdict: Guilty and recon-
mend William Blake, Sr., to the mercy of
the court"
The judge ordered Prince Graves, Jason
Blake ana William Fraser to stand uD
and they Were sentenced to be hanged
within the walls of the county Jail on
Friday, the sixth day of December next.
directed
stand up and he was sentenced to the
penitentiary for the rest of his natural
life. All was quiet in the court room,
but several murmurs of dissatisfaction
were heard, and it was evident that
the recommendation of mercy Of William
Blake, Sr., was, not approved.
The convicted murderers were then
| handcuffed, and the sheriff and his con-
stables proceeded to the jail. Court then
adjourned, the hour being 1880 o'clock p.
Judge Buchanan, the solicitor and sew
eral of the attorneys had reached the
hotel, when Sheriff McTeer was seen to
hurriedly pushed through the crowd and
ask for the solicitor. In a few words lie
told this officer of the court that him
self and his constables had been over
powered and himself picked up bodily by
several men and carried several hundred
yards, and William Blake and William
fraser who were handcuffed together,
were forced from the custody of the con-
stables and taken off in the woods.
The sheriff. after giving this informa-
ton, returned to the Jail, and it was
then ascertained that the handouts had
been loosened in some way and Fraser,
who was linked to old Blake, had been
returned to the custody of the jailer
The crowd, numbering about fifty men,
proceeded to a dense piece of woods
about half a mile from the court house,
having with them William Blake, Sr.,
who screamed loduly for help, but in
a few minutes all was quiet.
When the scene of the lynching was
reached, Blake's hands We're securely tied
around his neck and one end of the rope
thrown over a pine tree. Several willing
hands pulled the struggling body from the
ground. After life was extinct, several
pistol shots were heard, and the partici-
pants quietly left and nothing but the
pine trees and the dead body of Blake re-
mained.
Trial Justice Murdaugh, the acting cor
oner, had the body cut down and brought
to the court house square, where a jury
was empannelled and an inquest held
The jury of inquest was composed of the
following citizens: B. r. Hers. foreman;
William Bennett, w. w. Porcher, Henry
Bass, o. A. Ellis, G. w. Langford, w r.
CHM, S. A. Mason, L. H. Freeman, c c.
Brunson and Ben TroWell. The only evil
dence before the jury was the testimony
of the sheriff and constables as to the
taking of the prisoner from their custody.
The post mortem examination was made
by Mr. j. l.. Folk and it was shown that
the neck was not broken, but pistol ball
had passed through the heart. The verdict
of the jury was as follows: William
Blake, Sr., came to his death from the
effects Of a gun shot wound, the ball pass
ing through the heart, the party or par
ties being unknown to the jury"
A MANAGER FOR TUE CENTRAL.