The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-08-07
Accused of Murder off
 Lyerly Family.
MOB ENTERS SALISBURY JAIL
Senator 0vernlan and Others Plead
 for Blacks Lives.
Three Negroes Also Accused of Conn plieity gre Not Melested--Miltia- men, With Baank Cartridges,
 are Pewerless.

Charlotte. N C., Aug. s.--A mob of 5000 determined men, shortly. before Il o'clock tonight forcibly entered Rowan county jail, at Salisbury, re- moved therefrom three of the six me- groes. charged with the murder of the Lyerly family at Barber Junction, July IS. and IynchAd them. Nease and John posed to be the principals to the crime, were the victims of mob vengeance. The remaining negroes. Henry Lee, George Erwin and Bella Dillingham;, were not molested and later tonight of ficers hurried them off to Greensboro. The mob began gathering at sum down. Mayor Boyden promptly or dered the saloons closed and with other prominent citizens, United States Sena- tor overman, Judge Long. who was holding the special term of court to try the negroes. and Solicitor Hammer gathered on the jail steps and Ad~ dressed the crowd, which, at that time numbered two thousand. There were howls and cat-calls from the mob. but for a time there was no move--the mob lacked leader.
 While citizens were appealing to the mob, two men slipped through the crowd and were entering the jail with hammers. They were discovered and arrested. The mob continued its yell- ing. but there was stiIi no Sconcerted move. About g o'clock Mayor Boyden called, upon the local military company, \ the Rowan Rifles. for aid.
 Had Only HIanI<s.
 They assembled quickly but were supplied only with blank cartridges, having no orders to shoot to kill Fire man McL,endon of Charlotte. South- ern Railway empIoye. was shot in the stomach by bullet said to nave been fired by a member of the mob. He was fatally wounded.
 will Troutman. a negro drayman, was also seriously shot at about the same time. Both are said to have been accidental. occasioned by some of the mob, with the evident Intention Of frightening citizens.
 At 10 o'clock there was stir in the naoh--it was augpiented by Ally sos men who came, 1t is said, from Whit ney, where the whitney Reduction Company is developing the Yadkin wa ter power. It was but & few minutes after their arrival when a crowd of fifty, forming a sort of flying wedge. made break for the jail doors, over powered the officers and effected an entrance. The great crowd surged in behind the leaders and in a few mo- ments more emerged from the door with their victims.
 The negroes were quietly marched northward to Hendersons ball grounds in the edge of town. The negroes re- fused to either deny or confess and were so thoroughly frightened as al- most to have lost the power of speech.
 Riddled With Bullets.
 At midnight the ropes were quickly brought forward and adjusted and the three were strung up to the limbs of one tree and with howls and curses the crowd riddled the dangling bodies with bullets.
 George Erwin was taken from the 1aiI with his associates and closely ntIestioned. Then the mob led him back to his cell. Nease Gillespie maintain ed his innocence to the end. The other two would neither confess nor deny
 Fireman McLendon, wounded by a stray bullet from the mob, will die. His home is in Charlotte. He was simply an interested spectator of the scene,
 The crime, with which the negroes were charged and for which they were placed on trial at a special term of Rowan county court, was the murder on the night of July 13, at Barber Junction of Isaac Lyerly, his wife and two children. Feeling ran high at the time and an effort was made to lynch the negroes. They were hurried away and brought to Charlotte, where they remained until Sunday night when they were taken to Salisbury for trial,