Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1900-07-28
THAT ALABAMA !
LYNCHING.
Made Effort to Save,Him
Troops Too Late-A Sheriff's
Bravery. ::
Faithful to the Last.
\ Disgrace to thu State.

A Disgrace to thu State.
HUNTsyILLR, ALA. July 23.-Elif,b
Clark, the colored man who yesterd.x
assaulted MISS Susan Priest. a thirts.r-
year-old girl. was taken from the fail
in this city this evening and lynched
near the spot where his crime vss
committed. His body was riddled
With bullets. Sheriff Fulghsm de-
tended his prisoner to the last. but a
dense smoke, from q combination or
tar, feathers and oil. fred By the crs-
~ mob, was too much for him, and he
was dragged from the Jail and plsced
under & physicians care. William
Vining. an employe OF the street rail
way company, who attempted to rush
through the crowd AMI up the fail
steps was shot and dangerously wound
ed.
A crowd Of 15o men, principally en-
ployes of the big cotton mills at Dal-
las, suburb Of this city, searched ths
woods all night fer CLARK, who wsE
1dentltia I'd at the time he assaulte5
Miss Priest by her little sister, M
success attended their Efforts. aud
early this morning Sheriff FulRhang
started out with posse. and before g
O'Clock had captured CLARK on Beaver
Dam Creek, ten miles from Huntsville.
de was soon landed in lad. aud by I
o'clock the news OF the prisoners esp-
ture was herslded 80 all parts of the
city. A mob composed OF mill opera
tives and men of all eallings was soon
formed and marched to the jail, where
they stood for a time apparently wait
ing for leader.
APPEALED TO GOVERNOR.
Sheriff Fulghsm, seeing thathe had
Q desperate crowd TO combat, wired
9ov. Johnston the facts in the case.
Ihe Governor responded to the eject
that he had ordered the militia az Bir-
Montgomery, and Decatnr
to proceed with all haste to the SCENE
The Sheriff then telephoned Judge a
ID. Stewart and asked for an immedi.
ats trial OF the colored man aud the
Judge replied soon after that he had
arranged for q special session of court
ct o'clock before Judge d. O.
The mob by this time had assumed
alarming proportions, aud the sheriff.
thinking 60 quiet the storm, sppeared
at window and announced that a
special train had been arranged for
the prisoner, and that he would hs
brought before the court at 8 O'clock
In the afternoon. This WAS greeted
with jeers by the crowd of citizens
and cry Revenge" went up.
The outer door TO the Jail, q wooden
barrier, was soon battered down, and
the mob gained entrance to the first
floor Here they encountered the
sheriH's wife, who pleade ed with them
to refrain from violence aud let the
law take its course. Sheriff Fulgham,
however, on hearing the door being
forced, retreared with his prisoner to
the third hoor, where he locked him
self in with CLARK. The mob then
stopped to devise ways and means of
the prisoner without doin0
harm to the sheriff, who is q great fae
vorite here. A dozen times the sher.
ID. as he appeared At the window way.
ing his hands to the mob to go away.
could have been shot. but the lyuchers
chose strategy as the most effective
way out OF the difficulty.
COMPELLED TO RETREAT.
A large amount Of tar, feathers, and
oil was sec red and piled upon the ca.
ment h0or OF the Jail aud q match az
Piled. A su6ocating smoke arose and
spread quickly throughout the fail,
the sheriff again retreated 60 the COR
ner farthest from the odoriferous pile,
taking his prisoner with him. More tar
and feathers were brought in and ig-
nited. The sheriff was seen to disan-
pear from the window and the mob
waited. He did not reappear, and
Chief Of Police David Overton broke
through the crowd and ran up the
stairs through the binding and suffo-
cating smoke. Reaching the third
floor, he found Sheriff FuIghsm In
semi-cons cious condition. Tbs sheriff
was dragged to q window, where the
air partially revived him.
"Come out of here, Fulgharn vow
will be suffocated," said the chief
mo Dave" fesbly responded FuIe-
ham, Il will stay here. 1 will die do
ing my duty"
Without further words the chief of
police dragged the hslf-consoious man
from his perIlous position and down
the two flights Of stairs into ths
street.
The sheritf's departure was the sip-
nsl for the mob to proceed to their
o.