The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1908-02-12
ELI PIGOT LYNCHED.
PAYS THE PENALTY OF HIS BRUTAL
CRIME AT THE HANDS OF
A MOB.
The Prisoner FOrCibIy Taken from the
Sheriff and Soldiers and Shot to
Death on Streets of Brook.
haven.
No Member of the Mob or Soldier
Seriously Injured.
The Special Term of Circuit Court the
Shortest on Record.

SHUTIESt Uu kECUTu.
Special to the Times Democrat.
Brookhaven, Miss, Feb. TO-
When Judge Wilkinson called the
special term of the Lincoln Coun-
ty Circuit Court to ORDER at 8
O'Clock this morning the business
for which this special term was
ordered had already been disposed
of in an extra legal way. In TAX
ing his place on the bench, the
court, after rapping to order the
crowd that half filled the room,
simply said:
There is no business to come
before the court, for reasons
which you all understand; it is
therefore adjourned for the term.
Jurors and witnesses who were
summoned to serve at this term
can 60 to the clerk, claim their
attendance and receive their pay" :"
This summary proceeding by
the court was due to the fact that
an hour and a half before the time
set for it to convene, Eli Pigot,
the negro charged with assault On
Miss Matte Williams, a delicate
young white woman, near Ruth,
in this county, on Dec. 81, had
been taken from the sheriff and
two military companies ordered
Out by the Governor, shot to
death and then swung to an cleo
trio light pole in the heart of the
city, in front of the courthouse,
Just block away.
SOLDIERS GAURD NEGRO.
Pigot was brought here on the
fast mail train from Jackson, due
at 1904 a. m., under escort of
Sheriff Greer and two deputies
and Company F, Mississippi Ma
tional Guard, accompanied by Ad-
iutant General Fridge and under
direct command of Capt. Fairly.
Company II, Mississippi National
Guard, of Brookhaven, Capt. !.
l.. Storm commanding, had been
ordered to meet the train at the
depot, to act as an additional es-
cOrt.
Train No. l, on which the pris-
oner and his guard we're to arrive,
was ten to fifteen minutes late
when it reached Brookhaven and
this threw it behind the arrival of
the local train from the south,
which was loaded to the guards
with resolute white men from
South Lincoln county and large
crowd from the immediate vicini-
ty where the crime had beer per-
petrated.
A special train on the Natchez,
Columbia and Gulf Railroad had
been run in from Ruth to connect
with this local train on the Illinois
Central, and j. T. Williams, the
father of the negro's victim, head
ed the Ruth crowd. The Times
Democrat correspondent learned
from Mr.. Williams, and from
others who accompanied him, that
it was their fixed determination
when they left home not to resort
to mob violence, but leave it to
the court to first deal with the ac-
cused in an orderl y manner, aud
this would have been done, they
declare, had it not been for the
display of military force. 1t had
been their understanding that the
whole matter would be handled by
the civil authorities, and they had
made up their minds not to inter
fere with the lawful authorities or
to harm the negro, unless there
was a miscarriage and failure nt
justice by the court.
When they arrived here few
minutes before the train from
jackson and saw the Brookhaven
soldiers already drawn up in line
and conjured up in their minds
that the negro might 10 some way
escape speedy justice under mill
tary protection, they decided to
take no chances, but resolved~to
seize the negro at all hazards be-
fore he reached the Jail and make
short work of him.
The first onslaught by the mob
was made before the prisoner and
all of the jackson military com
pany had fairly alighted from the
train. The mob here secured par.
tial possession of the negro, and
lie was cut two or three times,
given several blows on the heao
and thrown to the ground before
the guard could beat back the mol
land make a start for the Jail
| Then tie soldiery led by the sher
j if holding to his prisoner with bis
left hand and brandisbing a big
forty four in bis right, started
southwark along the railroad at |
double quick, with The intention
of reaching the Jail and there loci
Pigot up until wanted by tht
court. The mob followed IN ho
pursuit, increasing in number al
it went, and by the time the pris
oner and his guard had left th,
railroad aud turned up ChickasaN
street some seventy five yard
toward the courthouse, lad swell