The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-25
NEGROES ARE GIVEN TRIAL
BY JURY BEFORE HANGING
Governor Patterson Orders Out Militia
To Protect the Negroes But They
Arrive Too Late-Lawyer's
Plea of No Avail.


witnessed the lynching, late this after
noon, of three negroes. who were arrest
ed this morning for numbering Special
Deputy Sheriff Richard Bnrruss and
wounding John Hall. deputy sheriff.
The negroes names are:
Marshall stineback.
Edward Stineback.
Jim Stineback
These brothers created a disturbance
at religious meeting near Tiptonville
saturday night, and when the two officers
attempted to arrest them a fight ensued
In which the negroes came out victorious
and made their escape.
Negroes Get Away.
II was barely daylight Sunday naoruinp
before posse of citizens from TiptonvtiJa
and surrounding country were in pursuit
OF the negroes, but they successfully elud-
ed the white men until O'Clock this
morning when they were surrounded and
captured in little swamp near the VII
lage of Ridgely. The vicinity is known as
the old river bed canebrake. and il is
difficult matter to trace man or beast
through its tangles. Once captured. how
ever the negroes, covered by a hundred
guns, were quickly landed in jail at Tip
tonville. The negroes when arrested had
two guns in the their possession but had
run out of ammunition. The news of their
capture spread rapidly TO the surround
ing territory and in addition to the sew
eral hundred members Of the posse rrt,x.-ss
began arriving by every road, and soon
the jail was surrounded by mob who
had no hesitancy in threatening a lynch
ing quickly and surely. In fact, it was
feared at noon that the best townspeop1e
could not prevent the lynching in broad
daylight.
Plea of Lawyer.
One of the first citizens to mount The
steps OF the Jail and make an appeal to
the mob was j. I. Burnett a wetl-known
lawyer. He recalled the recent night rider
outrages which had disgraced the vicinity.
RE adinonished his hearers not to do any
thing desperate and to let the law take
Its course, at the same time promising
that full justice would be done the three
black men. This met with a long ssroHI
of disapproval and Mr.. Burnett. evidently
seeing that his remarks were OF no avail.
pleaded with the men that II they were
determined to lynch the negroes to at
least wait until night had fallen
Taylor Hall. a brother of the wounded
deputy sheriff. followed Mr.. Burnett. He
said in effect that a postponement OF the
lynehing until night would be satisfactory
to him. The mob. however, was very
restless and 1t was soon seen that il
would be impossible to stem the tide of
feeling.
As last resort Judge Caldwell, towns
man. and Sheriff Haynes went before
Justice Lee Davis and explained the sit
uation and telling of the menacing, atti-
tude of the crowd which thronged the
streets leading TO the Jail. Justice Davis
at once agreed to open his court al :
O'Clock, summoned jury of u men ana
allowed the negroes. after all evidence
that could be adduced was heard to be
duly sentenced to death.
Militia Too Late.
Meanwhile Governor Patterson was ad
vised by telephone of the situation and
ordered a company of militia in this city
to proceed with all haste to secure the
negroes and conduct them 70 a place of
safety. The troops were started at once.
but failed to arrive in time to prevent
the lynching.
At the trial only the evidence Of those
who had seen the killing was heard. and
in an incredibly short time the cases
were given to the jury who In few
minutes returned a verdict of guilty and
fixed the penalty at death.
The sentence had barely been PASSED
on the three negroes when the mob with
a whoop and yell, swarmed into the
court room and seizng the negroes.
rushed them to a large tree near the
edge of town and hanged them, firing
volley after volley into the air an the
bodies were drawn up from the earth.
Governor Acts Promptly.
Nashville, November 24-Iimmediately
upon official confirmation of the threat
ened lynching at Tiptonville Governor
Patterson ordered Captain Rogan at
Union City to dispatch % mflitiamen OF
the Obion county reserve to the scene.
They We're sent on a special train. The
governor, on being apprised OF the trouble
about noon, sent the following telegraphc
message to a half dozen or Tiptonvilles
prominent residents
Prevent lynching by all means: It win
hiring. additinnal dise-1rac. aud rotnriat,. A..