The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1903-10-16
orderly Mob Swooped Down on the
wickliffe Jail and Had No Trou-
bic Getting Him.
HALL CLAIMED TO BE INNOCENT

uhy ulgut iu hhiuinturt Ehcc Wnr
was taken from the Jail at wiokliff,
this morning at O'Clock and hanged
to tree by an orderly mob which
performed its work so quietly tina
even the nearby residents to the jsi
did not know lynching was IN pro
gress.
Hall was taken to wickliffe yester
day morning by Sheriff Lee Potter Of
Paducah who turned him over to
Jailer z. 7. Dulwort about 12 80 yes
terday and returned to this city yes
terday afternoon. Hall was safely
locked in . cell to await trial, the Jail
er never dreaming Of the probability
Of mob violence.
This morning about 1 O'Clock Jailer
Dulwort was awakened by . knock on
his residence door adjoining the Jail,
and hastily donning his clothes went
to the door, thinking that some one
had arrived with . prisoner. Instead
of seeing . blue-coated minion of the
law he beheld about half hundred
masked men covering him with more
than half that number Of guns and pis-
tolls. All were masked except one
man whom Jailer Dulworth says he
could not recognize, having never seen
him before. Iu.
The spok demanded Tom Hall,
the prisoner lately incaroerated, and
threatened no violence towards the
jailer unless he refused. Dulwort
seeing the only way to escape injury
was to accede to the demands accord.
ingly turned the prisoner over 70 the
mob.
Hall was marched out Of the jail
without any special violence, except
in one case when he was struck in the
head by one member Of the mob. us
ing a pistol as weapon. He tried to
offer An explanation to the leaders but
they turned a deaf ear, saying that
they knew what they were doing and
intended to have justice done.
When they had reached the yard
with the or.stricken prisoner they
pulled rope around his neck and with
out any ceremony threw the other end
over walnut tree branch and hung
him. Hall, while greatly frightened,
died game. Jailer Dulworth, who had
been held back by members Of the mob
until it was too late for him to raise
an alarm, was forced to witness the
entire proceeding, unable to protect
the doomed man left in his custody.
After the hanging was over the mob
dispersed and this morning about 0
O'Clock the body of the unfortunate
negro was cut down by Coroner Dan
Enlow and will be buried in the pot
ter's field at Wickliffe.
There was but little excitement at.
tending the mobs visit to the Jail and
Jailer Dulworth stated that more or.
derby body Of men could not have been
formed for such purpose. He said
that they were determined to-have the
negro and that resistance was useless.
After the mob had dispersed, he raised
an alarm but too late to render any as
sistance or to effect the detection OF
any members of the mob.
Crockett Childress. the white boy
who was shot, supposedly by Hall, Il
still alive but can not possibly, it IL
thought, recover. He was asked this
morning again IL he was sure Hall wal
the right man, and stated that he did
Manard Reed, who had the pistol due
with Hall, also states that he is posi-
tive that Hall is responsible for the
condition of young Childress. Reed
states that he engaged in close range
duel with Hall and shot him once. and
Hall bore the bullet wound to his
grave. Reed states that the negro he
shot was the one doing the shooting
on the colered side, aud that no mis-
take in the man could have been made.
The authorities at Wickliffe have
made no special effort to learn the
leaders Of the mob, but it is supposed
they were friends of Childress. The
residents about Woodville, where Chill
dress lived, claim that no mob formed
there last night and that it has been
suggested that the mob lived at Cairo.
Childress was informed of the lynch
ing this morning and when the news
Was related said nothing, the story
seemingly not having affected him in