The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1906-09-05
ATTEMPTED ASSAULT.
Two IAstNs Girls, Arrestsd. -Lodgvd
In Greenville JaT.

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| and on the streets were throw,
into Juror of rage and excite
ment, when Mr.. I'll. Frank Smith, Of
the Griffin church section of the
county, came into town and Con
suited with some Of his frien ds
and Sheriff Jennings, talllug of the
foul crime that had been attempted
against the persons of his two
little innocent girls, aged about
seven and nine years respectfully.
At first, Mr.. Smith was so
wrought up, he thought of taking
ths law in his own hands and made
for the negro with an axe, the only
weapon he had handy, but Zeta
took to the. tall timber" at first
intimation of danger. Then Mr..
Smith, rather than arouse the
neighbors and have a lynching
scrape, come to Pickens and told
his story in all of It's narrowing
details. Sheriff Jennings, as soon
as he heard Of 1t, got together a
tried and true crowd Of deputies,
consisting of Congressman George
s, Lga,e, Fl. A. Noaly and George
Chapman together with his two
sone, Earle and Richard, and won't
to the home of Mansel Hemphill,
who lives just beyond Secona
church, which they surrounded
and upon demanding admittance
they got the man they were after.
They had no lights, bnt kept strik.
ing matches hunting for a lamp
and in the intervals Of darkn ess
zeta, who was sleeping in another
room and finding all avenues of
escape cut OF, was making stealthy
steps toward the door through which
the sheriff had entered, his inten-
ton being to take advantage OF the
night and make a. break, but in
this he was foiled. He had not
counted on 80 many being in the
house, for while Congressman
Lagare and Hovey Nealy were
covering each other's movements
by alternately lighting matches
and searching. Sheriff jennings
quietly and thonghtfully dropped
inside the room by the door we'll
up in the shadow whore he could
observe all that was going on and
at. the same time guard this outlet.
Zeta saw what he thought was a
good opportunity to 60 through
this door, so began edging toward
it and ran right into the sheriff. g
hands. He was brought Oh to Pick
ems and Immediately hustled over
to Greenville and lodged IN Jail.
Considerable excitement Yves
manifested, but no mob spirit ruled
and we doubt, very much, if the
prisoner had been placed IN the
Pickens Jail that there would have
been any attempt at lynching.
We think the people are perfectly
willing that the law should take its
course.
The story, as We can gather, is
that the negro had been taking the
children at various times and play
lEg with them and hugging and
kissing them and had made at.
tempts upon their person and had
scared them into silence under
threats of killing them, but they
told one of their little neighbor
school mates, who in turn told it's
mother, she carrying the dreadful
news into the Smith household on
Saturday evening. Heta, who was
farming up there and kept his
mule in Mr.. Smiths stable, drove
up in few minutes after the re-
voting tale had been told to Mr..
Smith. who was so shocked at the
discovery that he could not grasp
the meaning of it in all of its
enormity. AS Zeta drove into the
yard Mr.. Smith grabbed his axe,
the first weapon, of offense or
defence that came to his hand and
made for the black brute, who im-
mediately threw time to the winds
and left for a section less temper.
; tuous and stormy, landing at Man.
sell Homphill's for IL nap, but his
rest was rudely broken by the
sheriff and his posse and after
, court the probability is his neck
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