Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-12-02
LYNCHING BEE IN TENNESSEE.
Thr ~ Negroes Slain Near Famous
Reel Foot Lake.

Union City, Tenn, Nov. 24.-The
little town of Tiptonville, bordering
on Reel Foot Lake, which has been
the scene OF many stirring incidents
the past month, witnessed the lynch
ing late this afternoon of three ne
groes who were arrested this morn
ing for numbering Special Deputy
Sheriff Richard Burruss, and fatally
wounding John Hall, a deputy She
riff.
The Logroes names are: Marshall
Stinebeck, Edward Stinebeck, Jim
Stinebeck.
The brothers created q disturbance
at a religious meeting near Upton
vile Saturday night, and when the
two officers went to arrest them, a
fight ensued in which the negroes
, came out victorious and made their
escape.
1t was barely daylight Sunday
morning before q posse of citizens
from Tiptonyille and the surround
| ing country were in pursuit Of the
negroes, but they successfully eluded
morning when they were surround
ed and captured in a little swamp
near the village Of Ridgely. The
vicinity is known as the old river
bed canebrake and it is a difficult
matter to trace man or beast through
its tangles. Once captured, however,
| the negroes, covered by hundred
guns, were quickly landed in Jail at
Tiptonville. The negroes when ar
rested had two guns In their posses
sion, but had run out Of ammunition.
| The news Of their capture spread rap
| idly to the surrounding territory and
| in addition to several hundred men,
bers of the posse men began arriving
| by every road and soon the Jail was
surrounded by mob which had no
hesitancy in threatening a lynching
quickly and surely.
| In fact 1t was feared at noon that
the best townspeople could not pre-
vent the lynching from taking place
in broad daylight.
One Of the first citizens to mount
the steps of the Jail and make an
appeal to the mob was J. II. Burnett,
a well known lawyer.
He recalled the recent night rider
outrages which had disgraced the
vicinity. He admonished his hear
ers not to do anything 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 long grOwl of disap-
| proval, and Mr.. Burnett, evidently
seeing that his remarks were Of no
avail, pleaded with the men that If
they We're determined to lynch the
negroes to at least await until night
had fallen
Taylor Hall, brother of the
wounded deputy sheriff, followed Mr..
| Burnett. He said in effect that a
postpOnement Of the lynching until
night would be satisfactory to him.
The mob, however, was very rest
| less and 1t was soon seen that 1t
would be impossible to stem the tide
of feeling.
AS n last resort S. J. Caldwell, a
townsman, and Sheriff Haynes went
before Justice Lee Davis and explain
| ed the situation, telling of the men,
| acing attitude OF the crowd which
thronged the streets leading to the
Jail. Justice Davis at once agreed to
open his court at once, and at 5
o'clock summoned a jury Of twelve
men and allowed the negroes, after
all evidence that could be adduced
was heard, to be duly sentenced to
| death.
| Meanwhile Governor Patterson was
! advised by telephone of the situa-
| ton and ordered company of mill
tia in this city to proceed with all
haste to secure the negroes and con-
| duct them to a place of safety. The
| troops were started at once, but fail
ed 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 case was given to the jury,
| who. in a few minutes, returned a
verdict OF guilty and fixing the pen
atty at death.
The sentence had barely been pass
ed on the three negroes when the
mob. with whoop and yell,
swarmed into the court room. and
seizing the negroes. rushed them to
large tree near the edge of town
and hanged them, firing volley after
volley into the air as the bodies were
drawn up from the earth.