Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-10-14
MOB HELD sPARTANBURG.
Storm Jail to Get Negro Charged with
Attempted Assault.

Spartanburg, Oct. 10.---In the heart
of Spartanburg, with It's 10000 peo-
pie, mob of infuriated citizens, at
times numbering 1000 or more,
fought to-day and tonight with the
military and civil authorities for the
possession Of John Irby,>a negro.
who is alleged to have attempted to
ravish Miss Lille Dempsey earlier in
the day while the young woman was
on her way here from Saxon mill
village, .nr'. mics away
-Four persons were wounded, one Of
them seriously, and John Sparks.
restaurant keeper, was arrested and
held without bail On the charge of
shooting Sheriff Nichols, who was
slightly wounded in the exchange of
shots between the mob and the au-
thorities, who were protecting the
prisoner N..H@
Beginning about noon, the crowd,
sullen and bent on vegeance Oh the
negro, roamed about the court house
square, approaching 1T times TIE very
gates of the high wall enclosing the
jail. Later the situation became
alarming. The crowd was augment.
ed by 500 people from Greenville.
There was some shooting in the
street and the MOB moved into the
public square.
The first shot came from a window
of the jail, and it was followed ny
others from the same quarter. An
answering shot was fired from the
crowd. This broke window in the
jail and slightly wounded Sheriff
Nichols. Sparks was accused Of tho
shooting and Immediately taken into
custody. His attorneys offered
81, 900 bail tonight, but this was
refused
Those wounded by the officers when
they fired on the crowd were:
Grover Fowler, IA years old, shot
in the arm and hand; Ernest Foster,
20 years old, seriously wounded in
the side and shoulder; Garner, %
years old, slightly wounded in the
hip; all mill operatives.
While to-day's crime of the negro
lrby was the chief cause of the mob's
fury, the presence in the Jail of two
other negroes against whom there
nave from time to time recently been
threats of violence added to the ex-
citement. One Of these negroes, Clar-
ence Agnew, wrecked a passenger
train on the main line Of the South
ern railway two weeks ago, near
Duncan, S. c., and the engineer and
fireman were killed in that wreck.
1t was expected that Agnew would
be tried at the last term of court, but
for some unexplained reason he was
not tried. The other negro, Will Fos
ter, was twice convicted Of the re-
voting murder of John Young, a
white man. last November.
lrby's arrest was effected shortly
after the commission Of his crime and
close to the scene Of his attack. He
was captured by mill operatives, was
taken before the young lady, who i'm
mediately identified him, and was
then carried into the woods. His
when mounted police arrived and.
wrested him from the crowd, not,
however, before the negro had been
badly beaten. The negro was taken
to jail and almost Immediately
the storming of the jail began. She
rin Nichols Swore In number of
deputies, and the militia was ordered
out. The mob tried to gain ingress
by means OF step ladders, but that
too proved Intellectual.
At midnight the mob spirit was
waning. The men that rushed into
the city from Greenville made a tour
of the stores where firearms might be
had, but found policemen at every
turn and after comforting with local
leaders the crowd evidently decided
to make no immediate assault on
the jail. The police arrested five al
legged leaders Of the mob about mid
night, this action having a Statutory
effect. :
A certificate from physicians at
tending the young lady was given
during the day, stating that the ne.
gro had failed to accomplish his pur-
pose.
Quiet Restored.
Spartanburg, Oct. II 1.-To-day has
brought decided Improvement in
the situation here arising from the
arrest yesterday of the negro, John
lrby, charged with attempted crimi-
nal assault on Miss Lille DEMPSEY,
the young lady book-keeper at the
Saxon Mills. The three companies
OF State troops are still garrisoned
In and about the county Jail and
pickets patrol the Court House
square, but a. no time since l O'Clock
last night has there been a crowd in
the streets approaching the ID. nor
tions OF mob. The negro, ynose
crime has thrown the city and coun:
ty into frenzy Of rage and indigna-
ton, is still in the Spartanburg coun-
ty jail and will not be taken to CO.
lumbia. This is the statement of
one who knows the exact situation
here tonight. The condition Of Miss
Dempsey, the negro's victim, is sat
isfactory tonight.
More than Enough is Too Much.
'TO maintain beoltb a n,trro ,,,,,,