The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-14
Crosby is Also Given His Freedom. ENDS CHAMBLEss CASE Bitterness Due to Political
 Campaign. Chambless Was Taken from Guards When Approaching the Missis-
 sippi Notwithstanding
 Circumstances.

the penltentfary Ot ten years eath aos murder were pardoned by Governor Jeiks yesterday. They are Thomas J. Brit ton and John T. Hambrick of Washing ton County and German H. Crosby or Chiffon County. Britton and Hambrick were convicted of participating in the lynching of Chris Chambless In Wash ington County in 1892 and Crosby was sent to the penitentiary for killing W. c. Ogletree white man near Thorsby, Chii- ton County.
 | The iynching of Chris Chambless. a | white man, in 1892 created sensation In South Alabama and until this date there | is hardly a session of the Circuit Court l of Washington County without case on the docket growing out of the tragic event.
 The Iynching took place about the time l the Jcnes-Kolb campaign was ~ fever | heat It was contended by the frfends | of Chambless that he was the only Jones supporter in the beat and that In order | to make the beat unanimous for koIo. Chambless was taken out and lynched. on | the other hand 1t was set forth that Chambiess bore a bad character and that | he had burned the residence of a well to do farmer.
 Arrest Was Peculiar. | Washington County is on the Mississippi line and adjoins Wayne County. Miss. It was said that chambless had been arr rested, by the peculiar methods of magts- trate courts on a warrant charging him with committing a petty offense in Wayne County He appeared before Washing ton County justice of the peace who, t was said, ordered that he be taken back | to Wayne County without further ado | The distance was not very great and | Chambless set out on the journey in com pany with several guards appointed by Ithe justice of the peace.
 Guards were necessary to accompany Chambless because of the bitterness fell against him in the neighborhood. While en route to Mississippi and not very fal from the State line Chambiess was taker from the guards by some forty men anc hanged from bridge across small stream
 At the next meeaing of the grand jury of Washington County indictments wert returned against thirty-nine we'll knowr men of the neighborhood in which tht lynching occurred, charging them witf participating in the murder of Chambless
 Many of the men, some of whom were said to be the leaders of the mob escaped and went to Texas. They have returned
 from time to. time. have been captured
 and some of them convicted. Others
 have been permitted to plead guilty o
 manslaughter and pay fines while stil
 others were acquitted of the charges. | Wss Confederate Soldier.
 Eight men altogether were convicted
 and in nearly each case were sent to tho penitentiary for terms of ten years. Foul
 of these men have been either pardoned
 or paroled. Britton and Hambrick mako six who have been given their liberty
 William A. Few and Jerry M. Few arc
 still in the penitentiary. They were con-
 victed after Britton and Hambrick and were sentenced to ten years each.
 Sentiment in South Alabama and ir Washington County was divided as to tho
 punishment of the lynchers. It was said that the settlement in which the lypchine
 occurred was especially lawless and that Chambiess had incurred the enmity oi
 some of the leading men, Voluminous
 petition have been sent to the Execu- tive Department in each of the cases anc lawyers have been very active in secur- ing pardons for them.
 Britton and Hambrick were Confederate
 soldiers and it was shown to Governor Jelks that there is grave doubt of theil
 participation in the lynching. The Rail | road Commission acting as Advisory Pardon Board nearly year ago recon IT. ended pardons for these men and tho | new Pardon Board. which consists of tht I
 torney General yesterday recommended | their pardon.
 l Britton is 65 years old and is confined fin the penitentiary at Wetumpka. Ht
 served throughout the war between the
 States as a member of Company F, 25tk | Texas regiment. and removed to Ala bama several years after the close of the war. He Is not in good health and has a l wife and nine sons and daughters. The I nxySAA uh hal hn uyar r,At Apt
 at the lynchjng, but there was evidence | to show that he was probably one of the | agitators of the trouble.
 | In issuing pardon to Britton. Gov | error Jelks said:
 l This man was one of several who was charged with Iynching one Chambless in | Washington County number of years
 ago. Several participants in the crime | certainly as guilty as Britton could be were pardoned more than two years ago | The Board of Pardons unanimously rec ommend that this man be given his free. | dom. very lengthy petition sent te | this office months ago pleads for his de. | livery.
 ''I think the ends of justice will not be interfered with by his release.
 Let pardon issue"
 Was Helpless Tool In recommending Hambrick to clemency | the Pardon Board says he appears tc | have been a tool in the hands of the lynchers rather than an active agent | Hambrick was one of she guards who was
 taking Chambltss to Mississippi, and | from whom the prisoner was taken by | the mob. He swore that he was persuad- | ed to act as one of the guards by the l justice of the peace who told him that he 1 the justice of the peace. had the author | ity to call upon him to act as guard | to the prisoner. Hambrick swore further | and was sustained by the testimony of | Wilkins. another guard, that when they | got to the bridge across q stream the | mob demanded the prisoner and that | Hambrick refused to give him up. Ham, brack. according to Wilkins held on to | the rope which the mob displayed. and | cid all in his uower to keep the mob from | lynching Chambliss.
 | Hambrick has been leased to the Hand | Lumber Company at Dolive. He has | written several pathetic letters to the | Governor in which he declares his inno- | cence of the crime. His wife died just | before he was senterced to the peniten-
 tiary, and he says he has three young | sons who are dependent upon him. | In issuing a pardon to Hambrick, Gov | ernor Jelks made the following endorse
 ment upon the record:
 This man was one of several persons
 convicted in 1899 of the Iynchng of one ! Chambless. Several persons charged witl the same crime and not less guilty than Hambrick were set at libI rty several years
 since A largely signed petition asking