The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-08
SUPPRESSED MOB SPIRIT.
Knox County Has Record for
Breaking Up the Evil.

There is one county in Tennessee which
boasts of having suppressed the mob
spirit 1t is Knox county and the way
from Judge S. T. Logan, who was on the
criminal and Circuit Court bench at the
time. 1t seems that since the better ele-
ment of citizens asserted their disapproyal
with the same determined spirit as the
mobs had shown in their actions, the cur
tain fell on the evil and the county has
since been been free from lynchings.
Carmichael, a very bold and desperate
negro" writes Judge Logan, mad COM
mitted robbery. The sheriff finally To-
Gated him, and when about TO make the
arrest was shot and killed by the negro
from ambush. The country was fearfully
wrought up over this double outrage, and
when again arrested the officers had to
smuggle the prisoner into Jail at mid
night. AS soon as the public learned of
the arrest, the mob that formed became
so fierce that many of tho business men
begged me, as criminal judge at the time,
to remove the prisoner privately before
it could reach the jail This was success
fully accomplished but not minute TOO
soon-the negro being taken. to Chatta-
nooga. When the mob of nearly thou
sand men reached the jail and found 1
had removed the criminal, it became flu
rlous, rushed to my home, surrounded it
and with maddening yells of hang him, -
prepared to break open doors and wreak
its vengeance on me. Fortunately. | was
absent and the disappointed mob started
for the home of Attorney General Mel
son, but also failing to find him, it was
compelled to dispense for want of a vic
tim.
Amid this excited and desperate state
of the public mind, a brave and deter
mined man requested that | direct the
sheriff TO summons him and some twenty
five other business men whom he would
name-that | order the prisoner back to
Knoxville, allow his posse to conduct him
through the main business street In the
day time to the jail, and guard him until
he could be legally and regularly tried bv
a jury. Approaching the Importance of
suppressing the mob spirit l readily as
scented to this. The prisoner was brought
to and through the city on the next day.
guarded safely promptly and fairly tried.
convicted and hung within sixty DAYS
from the commission of the crime.
This brave and determined band of
patriotic and order-loving citizens most
So4hp4SiSiy COWHu ana stamped ont the
mob spirit, and though this has been some
nine years since, We have never had an
other mob, even under the most provoking
circumstances.
1T was year or two after the trial
and execution of Carmichael that a stout
black fellow committed a horrible rape
upon a white woman of one of our hest
county families Judge Logan writes.
He was arrested. brought publicly to
prison. kept safely without guard and had
counsel appointed to defend him in open
court. Upon sufficient and legal cause, I
continued his case for one term. He was
tried at the next, found guilty, sentenced.
appealed to the Supreme Court, where the
judgment was affirmed, and was then
promptly and legally put to death This
was not only plain. but outrageous case
of rape. The public was not only salts
fed, but gratified that the law had pre-
vailed.
I'VE have never even heard of a mob.
or one even threatened since. There is no
excuse for mob violence in the most des-
perate case, for the more desperate the
case the more swift and sure will be legal
trial and punishment. There has not been
another case of rape by a negro since in
this county,"