Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1905-07-05
White Man and Eight Negroes Are
Shot TO Pieces
WAS A VERY BLOODTaIRSTY MOB
Jail at Watkinsville, Ga, Near Athens
is Entered by From SO to rs Masked
Men at a. M, and of Ten Prisoners
One is Overlooked and Another
Miatakinsly Left Dead, While the
Other Eight Are Shot to Death

entered the Jail at Watkinsvillc at .
O'Clock Thursday morning and took
therefrom nine prisoners. eight of
whom were shot to death, and the ninth
escaped only by being thought dead by
the mob. The prisoners taken ont and
lynched were Leon J. Aycock. white
charged with the murder of +. NJ. Hol-
brook ana wife. Oconcc county. and
seven negrCes-Rich Robinson. Lewis
Robinson. and Claud Elder. charged
with the murder of the HolbrOOll
couple; Sandy Price. young negro.
charged with attempted rape on the
person of Mrs. Weldon Dooley: Rich
Allen, negro convicted ahd under SEN
tence of death for the murder of VIII
robertson. another negro; Gene Yer
by. another negro charged with the
burglary of rifle from Mr.. Marshall.
and Bob Harris. Il negro. charged with
shooting another negro.
MADE OFFICER OPEN JAIL,
The mob came quietly into Watkins
vile little before , n. m There were
about 80 to 80 men in the crowd All
were heavily masked and no one knows
whence they came or to what point
they returned. They went at once to
tho house of Town Marshal l.. III. Aiken
and quietly called him to the door
AS he put his head ont of the door he
was seized and told that he must de-
liver the Jail key. He refused and the
men pun pistols in his face and over
powered him. he being rather small
man. Aiken refused to dress. but some
OF the party dressed him and carried
MIN along. The mob next seized Court
ney klde:, blacksmith. and made him
bring his tools along with him.
CITIZENS PLEA uISREGARDED.
On their way to the jail they were
met by A w. Ashford, a prominent
citizen of Watkinsville. who had heard
the noise at the marshals house. and
came down town as soon as he could
dress. Mr.. Ashford begged the men to
desist and lot the law take it's course
especially pleading for Aycock. on the
ground that the evidence had not been
secured to warrant his CONJUNCTION. He
also begged them NOT 10 lynch those
not carSed with capital crimes. They
told hom that they were cool sober
and determined and that he might as
well s" back and go to bed. The
Jail was then opened by the town mar
shal under the cover @f several pis-
tolls. and inside the Jail the mob held
up Jailer Crow and demanded the KEYS
TO the cells. He refused at first. but
surrendered them after being mcnaced
with guns. Jailer Crow begged hard
Tor Aycock on the same ground that
Mr.. Ashford did and also for the two
negroes who were not charged with
capital crimes. Members of the attack
ing party told him to shut his mouth .
lhey knew what to 10. they said. and
they were going To clear out the whole
jail.
WHITE MAN DIES PROTESTING.
The mob got every prisoner in Jail
except Ed. Thrasher. negro charged
with gambling, who was on the misdc-
meanor side of the prison and carried
to point some one hundred yards
from the jail and tied to three fence
posts. by their necks. Aycock protested
his innocence to the last He said they
were killing an innocent man. While
the general belief in Oconee county is
that Aycock was not guilty. still there
are many who did not believe so. Rich
Robinson said il was all right. so far
as he was concerned. but that three
more negroes were in the Holbrook
murder. He named Sidney Norris. Jim
Taylor. and Wiley Durham as the three
implicated. These negroes had been in
jail before on this charge and had been
released after full investigation by the
committee. The other prisoners did not
open their mouths during their march
TO their doom.
ONE NEGRO WILL RECOVER.
After the prisoners had been tied TO
the fence posts, the mob lined up and
| fired five volleys into their bodies. All
died without a struggle with the eX-
ception of Joe Patterson negro. who
was charged with pointing a gun ut
Albert Ward. Patterson was shot sew
eral times in the body. but was alive
after the mob left and will recover.
Aycock's body was fairly rdded
with shot a great hole was torn
through his heart and another through
his right breast.