The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-08-12
WAS NEAR ASHEVILlE
GEORGE DAVIS NOT THE MAN
WANTED AT EDENTON.
WAS RELEASED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON
The Guilty Man Had Lived at Edenton For
Six Years George Brodie to be Taken
to Henderson For Trial Next
Monday.

Monday.
For the first time in several years
there has been a lynching in North Caro-
lima.
1t occurred yesterday about 3 o'clock
near Asheville. The victim was Bob
Bracket, the negro rapist who last Sun
day outraged Miss Kitty Henderson, of
Weaverville, Buncombe county.
The hanging was not unexpected here.
The call for troops to suppress the mob
came at 11:30 and ten minutes later
the train from the West brought the
news that the negro had been taken
from the officers by mob at Biltmore.
Then the wires were kept hot ordering
out troops to prevent violence and APP
pealing TO the people to let the law take
its course. But it was all of no avail.
The mob had their man. They knew
he was the right man. His crime was
a most horrible one. This was enough,
they reasoned, why wait for a court to
do what they could accomplish so easily
and at so little expense to the State.
Yesterday morning at IL o'clock Sheriff
w. NJ. Worley telegraphed to the Gov
ernor as follows:
Call out militia at once. Reported that
lynching will take place near Asheville
this afternoon. Two hundred in mob"
Captain Bo0khart, commanding Com
pany +, also sent the following:
Have been called on by sheriff to
quiet disturbance and have ordered men
in armory. Reply at once, giving orders"
In response to these dispatches the Ad-
jutant- General sent he following to Capt
Bookhart:
Respond to call Of sheriff or other civil
authorities with your company to pre-
vent lynching. Wire receipt at once and
state true situation for further action.
BY order OF the Governor and command
er-in-chief"
The reply came from Maj. w. G.
Smith, commanding the post at Ashe-
vile:
Telegram to Capt. Bookhart re-
ceived. Company + assembled in armory
awaiting sheriff's order. Cause of dis
turbance, negro committed rape and now
in hands Of mob. Will comply with reg
ulations strictly"
simultaneously with the ordering out
of the militia by the Adjutant- General
the Governor telegraphed to Sheriff
Worley:
Call on Capt. Bookhart for force to
prevent murder. The negro can be hung
in two weeks by jury of your own coun-
ty, if they will convict. If they should not
convict there would be more excuse for
lynching the jury"
In addition to these the Governor, in
his effort to prevent lynching, sent the
following to Messrs. Locke Craig and
Virgil s. Lusk, prominent attorneys and
citizens of Asheville:
II urge you to appeal to all good men
to aid sheriff and the military in pre-
venting mob murder. The negro can be
hung in two weeks if jury will convict.
If he is guilty and jury refuse to convict
there would be more excuse for lynching
the jury. Read this to the people"
And to Maj. w. G.. Smith he 3tele
graphed:
Capt. Bookhart's company is ordered
out to suppress mob. If you think neces-
Waynesville company and take COM
mand. Reason with the people and pub
lish my telegram to Locke Craig and
Virgil S. Lusk."
At 5 o'clock the Governor received
telegram announcing that the rapist had
been lynched.
The matter was much discussed here
yesterday afternoon and last night. Ev-
body deplored the necessity for resort
ing to lynch law, but nobody denounced
the men who engaged in it. Many of
the colored people expressed their graft
fication that such fiend had been put
out of the way.
"There is but one way to prevent
Iynchings in the South" said one very
sensible colored man, that is, stop
rape"
GEORGE DAVIS RELEASED.
George Davis. the negro who was
arrested here last Monday night, on the
charge of raping and numbering an IL
year old colOred girl near Edenton,
Chowan county, ON July Sth, has been
released.
He was set free by Chief of Police
Norwood yesterday afternoon on receipt
Of a telegram from the authorities at
Edenton saying that they failed to rec
ognize their man sd. Davis, alias Daniel
Webb" from the pictures sent them; and
that Davis had lived at Edenton for six
years previous to committing the crime.
Under these conditions, of course
George Davis could not be held, though
the description given Of I'D. Davis" fits
him exactly and he has been in that Sec
ton of the State for the past year. An
other thing that led the officers to be-
lieve that he was the right man is that
he can give very good account of him
self up to July /, and after that his
memory fails him.
Previous to being released Davis took
out habeas corpus papers. They were
made returnable before Judge Montgom-
cry, of the Supreme court, to-day. OF
course. Davis having been released the
case will be dismissed.
There is reward of 5000 for D. Davis,
theman who committed the crime. He