Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-22


He surrendered the keys" was his
prompt admission.
Davis Faces Mob.
The warden and the other men on guard
were forced up the stairs to the third tier.
where Davis was, and the produc ton of the
keys by the warden enabled the mob to get
the prisoner out of the cell without any
further delay. In the meanwhile one of
the excited lynchers had discharged his
pistol causing some uneasness among the
prisoners on the lower floors. Davis, who
fully understood what was going on, left
his cot and appeared at the cell roor ready
to go to his doom without making a struggle
or offering a single objection. He was
then marched out of the jail. Some of the
lynchers wanted to go one way and some
another .
String him up to the telegraph pole"
was heard from one of the -lynchers. but
another suggested that an electric light pole
would serve the purpose better. 49,, )
Some Of the men in the party favored
hanging Davis in the city where his body
would serve as an object lesson for others
who might be inclined to commit assaults.
Not much time was lost in discussion. how
ever. for those who had Davis directly in
charge kept him moving. :
6ive me chance to say my prayers"
was the plea of the doomed man, as he
made an effort to fall upon his knees.
Then came a voliey Of profanity from
the mob, and one of the men dealt Davis a
blow with piece of board, breaking his
arms. AS the prisoner was led and
dragged through the streets to the West
street station, and from there down the
railroad tracks to othe circus lot, members
Of the mob kicked and cufYed him until
blood streamed from him in sufficient
quantities to leave a trail of crimson to
clump Of chestnut trees on the far end Of
the lot.
The crowd stopped at a big tree on the
banks Of College creek and some little dis
lance above the water. When the tree was
od nnyic fiooJ l1,
been beaten until he could not stand with
out assistance. The lynchers say that their
victim made the usual confession to them
before they tied two thtcknesses of cotton
rope about his neck and pushed him of
the bank, after swinging the other end
over a limb. Davis body swung in the air,
over the creek; but the swinging was of
short duration. for the members Of the
mob. who had already drawn their re-
volvers. began. firing. 1t Is believed that
one Of the bullets cut the rope and caused
the body to fall to the ground. The lynch
ers pushed and struggled about the body,
all bent on securing pieces of the rope from
the dead mans neck to carry away with
them. One bullet had passed through the
heart of the victim, another had gone
through his head. and still others had
lodged in other parts of his body and
arms. -
Crowds See the Body.
When satisfied that Davis was dead those
who composed the party of lynchers went
to their homes, and the claim is made that
none of them was seen and that none can
be identified The body was permitted to
remain on the ground until about noon,
being viewed by probably a thousand per-
sons, many of them being women and chill
dren. None of those who congregated on
the circus lot and viewed the CHASTITY sight
expressed word of condemnation for the
crime that had been committed under cover
of darkness. Persons in authority are now
telling of the Investigation that is to be
made and of what the grand jury is to do.
but they realize today that 1t is useless to
expect to obtain any testimony leading to
establish the identity Of any Of the
lynchers.
People have been lynched in Annapolis
before today was the significant remark
of prominent citizen. land the coroner's
jury settled them by finding that the
rascals had come to their death at the
hands of persons to them unknown
1t was made known here yesterday by
Sheriff Linthicum that the excuse given for
the lynchng, that of a delay in the trial
of the prisoner, had no foundation. The
to the attention of Chief Judge jones' and
the judge was to have been here today to
consider the question of calling the grand
jury together. -''i ...-
sheriff explained lis never discharged. but
its members are excused, subject to the
order of the court. and they can be re-.
called at any time. The chances are that
a special term of the court and disposed of
the case without waiting for the regular
term of the court next April.
States Attorney Nicholas Green was to
have presented the matter to the court, and
with his statement Of the facts in the case,
1t is believed, Judge Jones would promptly
have ordered a special session of the court.
Had he not called special session Of the
grand jury, it is thought, he would have
directed that the prisoner be removed to
Baltimore for safekeepng.
Il regret the occurrence very MUCH" said
Sheriff Linthicum to a Star reporter, but
did all in my power to protect the priS-
oner. l am not a believer in lynch law, but
the crime committed by Davis was such a
dastardly one that he merited just what
he got. / had heard rumors of a mob being
formed Wednesday and l remained in the
Jail all night, leaving there in the morning
with feeling that there had been no foun-
that lynch law is justifiable but certainly
the husband of Mrs. Reid would have been
justified had he killed Davis when he was
identified at his house. l really expected
took him to the house to be identified"
fastened Mob's Action.
Since the assault was committed upon
Mrs Reid, the sheriff stated, a white man
was attacked in the same neghborhood by
two colored men, and this second occur
renee, he thought, incensed the white peo
pie and fastened the tragedy yesterday
morning.
The colored people in Annapolis, the sher-
iff stated, are law abiding and as peaceable
as are the colored people of any other COM
munity. 1t was stated yesterday that a
number of colored men were in the mob
of Iynchers, but the report could not be
great many colored resi-
dents of the city had denounced the prison
err and said he ought to be lynched, and
some of them said yesterday that they were
pleased with what had happened on the
circus lot The husband Of Mrs. Adams,
the codored woman who was assaulted by
Davis six years ago, 1t is stated. expressed
himself as being particularly we'll pleased
with the mob's work.
Sheriff Linthicum experienced little diff
ficulty in getting the body buried yester
day. The colored undertaken who has
been accustomed to doing such work for
the county refused to touch the body. He
said he thought 1t was a pity that Davis
had not been killed long ago. but that he
would not take the job of interring the
body for $1,000 Then. too, it was stated.
those in charge of the cOlored cemetery
would not permit the burial of his body
there Undertakes Woolley and Feldmeyer
accepted the job matter of accommoda-
ton and inferred the body upon the site Of
the old smallpox shanty.