The Washington times., 1906-07-16
LYNCHING FEARED.
THREATENING MOB
IS AT SALISBURY
Situation Critical, Result
of HeinouS Murder of
Lyerly Family.

RALEIGH. y. C.. July 1.-THE situa-
ton at Salisbury IL still critical tins
morning, but ;he militia Is IN charge
and the sheriff is hopeful that he VIII
be able 10 maintain order.
Men from all the surrounding country
are at Salisbury, and only the fact that
the sheriff had gotten Henry Gillespie.
the negro Under suspicion Of having
murdered the Lyerly family, out Of
town, prevented "a Iynching despite the
guards. Other negroes vino are suspect
ed Of being Implicated in the crime are
being sought. and II any OF them are
found a lynching or a bloody clash be-
tween the mob and the authorities is
certain.
Sheriff Wallace says Chat he wiz up
hold the law at any cost. He has been
apprised that the would-be lynchers are
in the city and he believes that an eff
fort VIII be made during the night to
set the negroes.
Sheriff Is Determined.
While ne would regret to have to use
violent methods TO uphold the law. he
says that ne viii be true to his oath as
an officer OF the law. A correspondent
has Just returned from the Jail. where
he saw and talked with all FIVE of the
prisoners. There seems 10 be little doubt
as TO the innocence or IT least three OF
the five.
John Gillespie, Henry GiIIespie and
JACK Dillingham; were all arrested on
suspicion. The two first named claim
they We're plowing IN field two miles
from the Lyerly home when the officer
ar -
der they were both at home. and this
they say. they can establish without the
slightest trouble But they are steDsons
of Mitchell Graham. who. it is believed.
did the murderous act. and they are
held as accomplices. me fifth man
Gage Irwin, has acted strangely since
his arrest. and IL is generally believed
that he watched outside while Graham
entered the house and dealt the death
blows to the four victims.
Had Troub1s With Lyerly.
Graham had lately bad several diff
fculties with Isaac Lyerly. He admits
this now. He says that the old man
did not treat him right n the matter
OF a small settlement, but denies that
he ever raised his hand against him.
When asked tonight If he was not
afraid he would be hanged for the
crime. he said that every turn of the
jail key frightened him almost into
COnVulsiOns. lie IS constantly on the
lookout for a mob 70 enter the Jail and
take him 10 his death.
The fact that Graham Is so much
more alarmed than the rest leads the
officers to believe IN his guilt.
That the high rate OF speed at which
the engineer was driving the train at
the time the accident occurred was the
cause Of the wreck was apparently
brought out at the hearing today
The train conductor, who was one of
the witnesses examined, testified that
the train was running nifty miles an
hour. when it took the turn where it
left the rails The usual speed in max
ing this turn. he stated, was about thir-
ty or forty miles an hour.
When the conductor made this state
msnt. Major Pringle, the governments s
Inspector who has made an investiga-
ton of the wreck, interviewed saying that
the train was running between sixty and
seventy miles an hour when II reached
tha curve and IL was an impoSsibiIity
for the v heels to stick TO tie tracks at
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