Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-12-25
NEGRO IS LYNcHED
BY A masked MOB
coLoREp FlEND TAKEN FROM
JAIL, STRUNG UP, AND RID
DIED WITH BULLETS.
CONFESSES HAVING
ATTACKED WOMAN
Sixty Young Men Avenge Outrage at
Annapolis, Md.-PeopIe Who Look
Out of Windows Warned to Stay
Indoors on Pain of Death.

Annapolis, Md, Dec. 22.-Henry
DAVIS, alias Henry Chambers, a negro
who attacked Mrs. John Reed, Of
Brownsville, five miles from Annapo-
lis, last Friday, and who had confessed
his crime, was taken from Jail here
Friday by a mob of about 60 masked
men and lynched. He was strung up
and his body riddled with bullets.
Gov. Warfield is here, and it is more
than possible that the shots, 100 Of
which were fred, were heard in the
vicinity of the executive mansion.
The Jail Is situated in Calvert street,
in the western section of the city, and
is isolated. The mob had no difficulty
in securing the prisoner. Taking him
from his cell, they carried him along
the road leading to the scene of his
crime.
The plans of the lynchers were kept
quiet, no one except those who partici-
pated knew what was to take place.
Officers Covered with Revolvers.
In statement made after the man
was taken from the jail Deputy Sheriff
Ruben L. Smallwood said that about
two o'clock man appeared outside
the Jail, rang and said he had a pris-
| oner. Smallwood saw that he had no
prisoner and refused to admit him,
whereupon he left.
| Soon afterward the mob appeared
before the Jail with whipping post
and endeavored to batter down the
door. Unsuccessful with that means,
the masked men procured a seldge
and pick and broke open the door.
The crowd rushed the four officers
gathered inside, covering them with
their revolvers. Deputy Sheriff Small
wood pleaded with the intruders to let
the law take Its course. He was told,
he says, to "get up those stairs, we
want that niger, and we'll get him or
kill every man in the jail" At the
point of pistol the warden, George
Taylor. surrendered the keys.
In few moments more Davis was
secured and carried out bodily. He
made no resistance. His appearance
outside the Jail was greeted with yells
He was kicked and beaten by mem.
bers of the lynching party, and in a
few minutes was taken to Brickyard
hill on the Annapolis, Baltimore &
Washington railroad. There Davis was
questioned. He again admitted that
he had attacked the woman.
BY this time Davis was nearly un-
conscious from fright and the blows
which had been rained on him. While
in this condition he was hoisted up to
the limb of tree and general firing OF
rifles began.
After few minutes the body was
cut down, few of the lynchers took
pieces Of the rope and clothing as
souvenirs, and the mob dispersed
Police Let Mob Have Its Way.
The personnel of the mob is not
known, but reliable witnesses to the
occurrence state that all of those who
composed it were young men. All
wore masks, had their faces blackened
and each was armed with a revolver
The negro was carried through the
negro section Of the city, but no one
interfered. When people appeared at
the windows they were warned to re
main indoors if they did not want
harm to come to them.
The police permitted the mob to
have its way, none of the officers ap
parently interfering.
Mrs. Reid, the negroes victim, was
confined to her home for several days
in serious condition as a result Of
her injuries.
Davis had served term in the pen
itentiary for a crime similar to the
one for which he was lynched. In
1900 he was convicted of an assault on
a negress and served two years in the
penitentiary. Mrs. Reid is a white
woman.
| Historic Scotch Church Burns.