Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1904-07-02
MARTINSBDRG w. va. SATURDAY. july 2 1904. n


that he is hiding. Tuesday night a
crowd of about 100 residents of sJeifer.
son county went to Hancock over the
the Baltimore & Ohio, where thew ex-
pected 70 intercept the prisonerKand
lynch him, but thew were foiled by
the officers taking another ronte. This
party also Joined in the search
II is believed by all thatl II he Is
captured by the mob or even by the
officers that he will be lynched on the
spot, as the feeling is at such pitch
that they will not wait for the law to
take its course or give him another
chance to escape.
There is a great deal Of suspicion
surrounding the escape, and yet 1t Is
believed by many that the prisoner
WAS slipped away by an officer and
will soon be heard of in keeping in
some jail. The bloodhound when
put on the trail at noon, failed to
take up the scent 1t being too cold
They are somewhere in the woods
within radius of few miles OF Big
Pool, and dozens of men are securing
the place In the hope of getting
possession of the prisoner
TAKEN TO HAGERsTowN.
Before the negro was taken to
Hagerstown Tuesday afternoon,
Sheriff Stuckey. of Berkeley county,
telephoned to States Attorney Albert
j. Long, Hagerstown. saying he in
tended to bring the negro to Hagers.
town. Mr.. Long replied. "All right. "
As soon as the train pulled into she
depot Williams was pushed into a cab
and driven rapidly to the Jail before
anyone knew what was going on.
The negroes arrival, however, was
soon known. aud in an hours time q
great crowd of people was packed In
the street 10 front Of the Jail
SHERIFF DOWNING OBJECTS
Sheriff Hammond A. Downing, VIII,
was at Funkstown, did not reach
Hsgerstown until several hours later
and knew nothing of the negro's
arrival. After crnsuiting with his at
torney. he informed Sheriff Billmyer
that hs had no legal right to hold
Williams in Maryland and asked Mr.
| Billmyer TO take him away. Sheriff
Downing said there WAS considerable
hostile feeling in Hagerstown against
! Williams, and he feared Hagerstown
mob might batter down the wall OF
the Jail and lynch the prisoner. He
also had information that a posse of
500 armed men Of Berkeley and .reffer-
son counties was organizing to go to
Hagerstown. He was also advised
that If Williams remained in jail IN
Hagerstown he could be released on
writ of habeas corpus. as Sheriff
Downing had no authority to hold a
prisoner not fugitive from another
state.
BACK TO WEST VIRGINIA.
At $50 O'Clock Tuesday evening
Williams was put into carriage with
Sheriff Billmyer, Deputy Rogers, Con-
stable Alexander and two newspaper
men and driven to Kemp's Station, on
the Western Maryland railroad. Sever
al miles west Of Hagerstcwn. Here a
train was taken to Big Pool, where
kl.e aria IN hu oh
off and driven in carriage to Han
cock, from which point Baltimore &
Ohio train was to be taken to Keyser,
W. Va, where the prisoner was to
be jailed. Before the party leff they
gave out to the public the informa-
ton that their destination was. Pied
mont, w. Va, but privately they said
they would take Williams TO Keyser.
When the party left Hagerstown
fully 1000 persons were packed around
the Jail. Many hostile expressions
were heard, but no open attempt was
made to take the negro.
Ths Western Maryland train the
party took at Kemp's connects with
the Baltimore g. Ohio at Cherry Run,
but there is wait of two hours on
the train. Sheriff Billmyer received
word that mob would be at Cherry
Run in waiting. He was afraid to
risk the two-hour wait in the little
hamlet, so he got off at Big Pool. with
the intention of driving in round
about route past Cherry Run to Han
cock.
PISTOLS DRAWN AT BIG POOL.
When the train reached Big Pool a
crowd of excited people had congre-
gated, and as the sheriff's party alight-
ed from the train the mob demanded
the negro. The officers refused to give
him up and hurried him into the sta
tior Another damand waa made INV