Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-10-11
10 Bsa'l Of City, |lfufialsd Citizens
Attempt vsDgsaes Op,a Az
eyed Attempted aspIsl.
uoTA|nG lAemIs. OUT LEADER
South carolInans Fight With Police
and Militia for Possession Of Negro
Svspeet-petermined Stand Of o.
ficers Repuised Attaek-Governo
Sends Reinforcements.
(By Associated Press.)


SPARTANBURG, S. C.. Oct. 10
In the heart Of SpartanbIr2 with III
90. 900 people. mob OF Infatuated
citizens. at times numbering 1000 OF
more fought today and tonight with
the military and civil authorities fol
the possession of John Irby. negro
who is alleged TO have attempted &c
outrage Miss Lille Dempsey earlier
in the day, while the young woman
was on her way here from Saxson
Mill. village three miles away.
Four persons were wounded, one
OF them seriously. and John Sparks
restaurant keeper. WAS arrested and
held without bail oil the charge oil
shooting Sheriff Nicholas, who was
slightly wounded i'm the exchange OF
shots between the mol, and the au
thori,ies who were protecting the
prisoner
Lacked . Leader.
Beginning about noon the crowd
saIlen and bent on vengancS on the
negro, roamed about the courthouse
square. approaching at times the
very gates of the high wall enclosing
the jail, but NO Leader. appeared, and
By $3.50 o'clock tonight the mob had
practically spent their fury and CON
tented themselves with jeers and
curses.
The first shot came from a window
Of the Jail and il was followed by
others from the same quarter. An
h@f IA
crowd. This broke window in the
jail and slightly wounded Sheriff
Nichols.
Sparks was accused of the shoot
ing. and was Immediately taken into
custody. His attorneys offered $1,000
bail, but this was refused.
The Wounded.
Those wounded by the officers when
they fired upon the crowd were:
George Fowler. fourteen years old
shot In the arm and hands; Earnes;
Foster, 20 years seriously wounded
in the shoulder; 'Andrew Garner, %
years old. slightly wounded In the
hip. All mill operatives.
Just before nightfall the guard al
the Jail was augmented by the arrival
OF the Morgan Rifles. fifty strong
from Clifton. a suburban mill town.
The company came in on the cleo
trio car line and were rushed to the
jail.
Governor AnseI let his home in
Greenville forty miles west Of here
on a special train tonight.
Feeling Extended to Others.
While today's crime Of the negro
Irby was the chief cause Of the mob's
fury. the presence in the jail Of two
other negroes. against whom there
have from time TO time recently
been threats Of violence. added to IL
excitement.
One OF TIE negroes. Clarence
Agnew. wrecked a passenger train or
the main line Of the Southern Rail
way two weeks ago near Duncan, 8
G.. and the engineer and fireman
were killed in that wreck.
Courts Are Slow.
II was said that Agnew would b,
tried at the last term Of court bu
for some unexplained reason. he wa
not tried.
. The other ncgrS. Will Foster. wal
twice convicted OF che revolving mur
der Of John Young. a white man. las
November.
Irhy's arrest was affected shortly
after the commission OF L.s crime
ard close 10 the scene OF his attack
He was captured by mill operatives
and vas taken before the Young NO
man who Immediately Identified him
and sss then carried into the woods
negro Nearly Iynehed-
His csptors vere about 20 iyBct
him when mounted police arrived AM
wrcstrd him from the crowd. no;
/! however. before the negro had beer
| badly beaten.
The negro was taken TO the Jail snf
J almost Immediately the stosming o
tho jail began.
Sheriff Nichols sworc in ngmbcj
Of deputies. and the military wcr'
ordered oft The mob tried TO gail
insress ny means of sfepiadders. bu
that tao. vas Intellectual
saussiea sin rhrestenins.
late tonight the situation AGAIN n
came alarming. Tb- crowd va
augmented by 500 persons from
: Grccnviiie, tho home Of the easineel