The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-04-07
Black Ficnd Suffers for Aw-
full Crime on Young
Wife.
YOUNG BRIDE
WAS THE VICTIM
SFrusty" Sentenced to Is
Years for Manslaughter,
Brutality Ravishes Young
Woman and is Hanged by
rs Determined Avengers.
Lynching Was Conducted
90 Miles from Bay Minette.
specIa, TO The Journal.


Mobile, Ala, April 6.-Walter Clay
tom a negro convict ''trusty" at the
stockade at the Hand Lumber Com
pany, at Dolive, Ala, was lynched
about 10 O'Clock Saturday night by
20 determined men. The crime was
criminal assault on Mrs. Joseph
White, white woman, and the scene
the lynching about twenty miles from
Ray Minette, the county seat of
Baldwin county.
The criminal assault, successful in
dts purpose, was committed upon the
person of Mrs. White about $3.50
O'Clock on Saturday afternoon. 1t
was particularly brutal in its charac-
ter, and the timely appearance of the
young womans brother-in-law pre-
vented the negro fiend from adding
the crime of. murder to the first deed.
The negro was serving fifteen years
as a convict for manslaughter COM
mftted in this city ON Christmas eve,
1906, his victim having been John
Mckenzie, a white plumber. whose
throat had been cut from ear to ear
when the corpse was found early
Christmas morning near the corner
of Broad and Congress streets.
According TO the statements of
citizens OF Bay Minette and vicinity
yesterday. the negro Walter Clayton
stole Colts pistol from under the
Ipillow of one of the convict guards
He was under the influence OF liquor
ITO a certain extent and visited the
home OF Joseph White, at Rosington,
tsix miles below Loxley, near~the Doll
kve conyict camp in Baldwin county.
THE negro found Mrs. White 81 wears
Iold, and a wife since last November,
at home alone. He beat her over
the head with the pistol and accom-
blfshed his iendish purpose He
Faughingly told her he would repeat
fhe crime and then kill her. At that
Huncture the wOmans brother-in-law
sentered the lot and the negro ran
BACK TO the convict camp, where he
was captured
AS soon as Clayton was taken into
custody he was placed on board a
work train and carried to Bay Mi
nette for safe-keeping. He was in
charge of Sheriff Tom Booth and
Deputy Sheriff FIrAer Of Dolive. At
the depot the officers and their nris-
oner entered a buggy and drove rapid
ay 10 the jail. the negro being hand
cuffed to Deputy Fuller As they
started to enter the Jail yard seventy
five men arose from behind the board
fence and overpowered the officers
believing them Of their prisoner The
negro was loosed from the white man
and taken N the scene of the lynch
Eng, about twenty miles below Bay
Minette, in the VICINITY of his crime.
A rumor was in circulation in Bay
Minette yesterday afternoon that
clayton sullenly admitted his crime
against Mrs. White when the sheriff
and his deputy started to take him
60 the house for identification by his
victim With an oath, he is reported
as having said he had committed the
crime and advised the officers to take
nm to Jail. 1t was rumored the negro
was dragged TO the scene of the
pynching at the rear of a wagon. a
rope having been tied around his
neck. Up TO o'clock yesterday af-
eernoon the sheriff had been unable
to locate the body of the negro. and
was still searching the woods in the
vicinity. The lynching had been or
derly conducted and no excitement
prevailed In or around Bay Minette
yesterday afternoon. A stranger in
the place was unable to hear a word
OF discussion OF the fendish crime of
the negro and the lynching that fol-
lowed.
Walter Clayton is reported as hav-
fng boosted to Mr.. Warren White,
father-in-law of his victim of Satur-
DAY afternoon, that he had killed
John Mckenzie in this city on
christmas eve, 1906. and laughingly
told CT having cut that victims throat
almost from the body with a dull
pocket knife. Mr.. Warren White
corrobOrated this statement yesterday
afternoon.
Story of the Crime.
Mr.. Warren White, father-in-law of
the unfortunate young woman. tells
the following story Of the crime and
capture of the criminal:
Saturday afternoon my son and
myself were saving up wood three
quarters of a mile from home We
live three-quarters of a mile distant
from the Hand Lumber COmpany'S
camp at Rosingten. As near as
can figure out the time the assault
happened at $50 O'Clock A negro,
whom We found afterwards was Wal
ter Clayton. went to Joe White, my
sons house and there found his wife
Indoors. He was somewhat intoXi-
Gated and knocked Jees wife down
four times with a big heavy revol-
ver She then tried TO run and he
pointed the revolver at her and
(Conffnued on Secsnd pzoel