The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-07-07
SHOT TO DEATH.
Eight Prisoners Lined Up and
Riddled With Bullets
BY DETERMINED MOB.
One OF the Victims Was a White
Man, Whom Citizen and the
County Jailer Begged the
Mob to Spear, but II Re.
fused to Do SO.

Mob to Spear, but II Re-
fused to Do SO.
A mob entered the jail at Watkins
vile, Ca, at Gwo O'Clock Thursday
morning and took therefrOm nint
prisoners, eight Cf whom were shot tx
death and the ninth escaped only by
being thought dead by the mob. The
prisoners taken out and lynched were
che murder Of Il. M. HolbroCk an(
wife Of Oconee county, and seven ne
groes, Rich Robinson, Lewis Robin
son, Claud E der, charged with The
murder Of the Holbrook couple
Sandy Price, a young negro, charged
with attempted rape upon the persol
of Mrs. Weldon DColey; Rich Allen, {
negro convicted and under sentence o.
death for the murder Of win Robert
son, another negro; Gene Yerby, an
other negro charged with the burglary
OF q rifle from Mr.. Marshall, and Bot
Harris, q negro, charged with shooting
another negro.
q dispaooh from Watkinsville says
there were about SO to rs 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 the house OF Town
Marshal l.. II. Aiken and quietly
called him to the door. AS he put
his head out Of the door he was seized
and told that he must deliver the jail
key. He refused and men put pistols
In his face and overpOwered him, he
being q rather small man. Aiken re,
fused to dress, but some Of the party
. dressed him and carried him along,
The mob next seized Courtney Elder,
q blacksmith, and made him bring his
tools along with him. On their way
to the jail they were met by A. w.
Ashford, q prominent citizen OF Wat.
kinsville, who had heard the noise at
the maIshal's house and came down
town rs soon as he could dress.
Mr. Ashford begged the men to dc
sist and let the law take Its course,
especially pleading for Aycock on the
Y ground 4that the evidence had not
asa,a ,areas 20 ssaarfant his conYics
tion. He also begged them not JC
lynch these not charged with capital
crimes. They told him that they were
cool, sober and determined and that
he might as well GO back home and
60 to bed. The jail was then opened
by the town marshal under cover Of
several pistols ard inside The jail the
mob held up JaiiOr Grow and demand
ed the keys to the cells. He refused
at first, but surrendered them after
being menaced with guns. JailUr
Grow begged hard for Aycock Oh the
same ground that Mr.. Ashford dld
and also for the Two negroes who were
not charged with capital crimes,
Members or the attacking party told
him to shut his mouth. Tney knew
what to do, they said, and they were
going to clear out the whole jail.
The mob got every prisoner In the
jail except Ed rhrasher, negro
charged with gambling, who was On
the misdemeanor side OF the prison
and was not noticed. The prisoners
were carried to point some 100 yards
from the jail and tied to three fence
posts by their necks Aycock protest,
ed his innocence to the la t. He said
they were killing an innocent man,
While the general belief Ia Ocunee
county is that Aycock was not guilty,
still there were many who did not be.
lieve so. Rich Robinson said iJ was
all right, 80 far az he was concerned,
but tnat three more negroes were in
the Holbro0k murder. He named
Sidney Norris, Jim Taylor and Wiley
Durham az the three implicated
These negroes had been in jail before
after full investigation by the con
mi to-, n ia
open their mouths during their march
to their doom.
After the prisoners had been tied
TO the fencepOsts, the mob lined ur
and fired five vOileys into their bOGies
All died without a struggle, With the
exception Of Joe Patterson, a negro
who was charged with pointing a gur
ct Albert Ward. Patterson was sn0j
several times In the body but was
alive after the mob left and will recUv
or. Aycock's body was fairly rlddec
with shOb, a great hole was tori
through his heart and another Uhrousf
his right breast TIE mob left quickly
after doing its work, and none OF its
members went toward Athens. 1t j!
believed that the men were from neigh
boring counties, as the repCrt wa!
brought to Watkinsville Wednesday
afternoon by A. N. Bostick of Morgal
county that a mob would likely alacl
the jail Wednesday Inis rumor, nov
ever, was not given mucn attention
since SO many Of It's kind had come
before.
Sheriff OVERLY was on his farm Wed
nesday afternoon and he was not noti
fed by Mr.. BosGick. In fact the pur
pose of the mob was accomplished 81
quietly that the sientf. VINO lives
mile from the jail, knew noJhing 0
the occurrence until II ,ufsday NOM
ing, and the residents CT Watkinsvlll
were taken completely by purprise
The people Of Oconee county arc hor
rified at the occurrence. They hat
borne With patience the delay neces
sary to securing the evidence agaiDs
the HolbrOok murdercrs and had agree
to let the Law take It's course. Th
impelling cause Of the lynching with
out doubt was the attem pied rape b.
Sandy Price, which excited the people
all over that section.
Killed aL LodZ.
A dispatch from Lodz says tina
General Marmusoif, commander OF TIT
troops at LODI, was asSaSSinated. TN