The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1905-07-04
MOB LAW RULES
IN GEORGIA
NINE PRISONERS TAKEN OUT
OF JAIL AND SHOT.
Eight are Killed, but the Ninth, Al
though Left for Dead, Survives
One Of Killed was White

entered the Jail at w WatklnSYllle at 2
o'clock this morning and took there
from nine prisoners, eight Of whom
were shot to death and the ninth es-
capped only by being thought dead by
the mob. The prisoners taken out
and lynched were Lon J. Aycock,
white, charged with the murder OF
T. NJ. Holbrook and wife, of Oconee
county, and seven negroes, Rich Rob-
inson, Lewis Robinson, Claud Elder,
charged with the murder of the Hol-
brook couple; Sandy Price, young
negro, charged with attempted rape
upon the person Of Mrs. Weldon Doo-
ley; Rich Allen, a negro convicted and
under sentence of death for the muir
der of VIII Robertson, another negro;
Gene Yerbe, another negro, charged
with the burglary of rifle from Mr..
Marshall, and Bob Harris, a negro,
charged with shooting another negro.
The mob came quietly into Wat
kinsville little before A. NJ. There
were about fifty 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. H. Aiken and quietly called him to
the door. AS ne put his head out Of
the door he was seized and told that
he must deliver the jail key. He re-
fused, and the men put pistols in his
face and overpowered him, he being a
rather small man. Aiken refused to
dress, but some of the party dressed
him and carried him along. The mob
next seized Courtney Elder, a black
smith, and made him bring his tools
along with him. On their way to the
jail they were met by A. w. Ashford,
prominent citizen of Watkiasville,
who had heard the noise at the mar
shaps house and came downtown as
soon as he could dress. Mr.. Ashford
begged the men to desist and let the
law take it's course, especially plead
ing for Aycock, on the ground that
the evidence had not been secured to
warrant his conviction, He also beg
ged them not to lynch those not
charged with capital crimes. They
told him that they were cool, sober
and determined, and that he might as
we'll go back home and go to bed.
The jail was then opened by the town
marshal under the cover Of several
pistols, 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
menaced with guns. Jailer Crow
begged hard for .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 attacking party told
him to shut his mouth. They 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 Thrasher, negro
charged with gambling, who was on
the misdemeanor side of the prison
and was not noticed. The prisoners
were carried to a point some one hun
dred yards from the Jail and tied to
three fence posts by their necks. Ay-
cock protested his innocence to the
last. He said they were killing an in
nocent man. While the general be-
lief in Oconee county is that Aycock
was not guilty, still there were many
who did not believe So Rich Robin
son SAID it 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 I'M
plicatcd. These negroes had been in
jail before on this charge and had
been released after iull investigation
BY the committee. The other prison.
ers did not open their mouths during
their march to their doom.