The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-07-30
Negro Is Lynched After Terrible
 Battle At Jail
ONE LYACHER IS KILLED
Twenty Members of the Mob Receive Injuries, Some of Them Fatal, During Attack on Jail
 Late at Night.

Montgomery. July 2s.-A special to the Advertiser from Pensacola, Fla, says:
 Two men dead and score wound- ed. three fatally, is the record O. an attempt tonight by a mob to storm the county jail. and take out the negro, Leauder shaw who today assaulted Mrs. Lillian Davis near here.
 The dead are q. C Kellum, street car conductor; Dud Nichols.
 The fatally wounded are: A. N. Knowles. member of mob; Charley Fur ner, member of mob, and Jailer Eaton.
 The mob numbered probably 1000 per sons and gathered early, but there was no apparent indication that the crowd, which completely surrounded the jail, contemplated making a rush until nearly two hours later.
 The first indication was when a railroad iron was brought into play by about dozen men upon the iron gate of the jail yard At the same moment the entire mob seemed to catch the spirit and with yells and curses dashed for the jail en- trance. Some climbed over the tall iron fence, while others hammered upon the gate.
 The sheriff, with half dozen deputies, stood in windows upstairs with drawn revolvers and riot rifles. The sheriff pleaded with the mob, at the same time telling them he would defend the prisoner at the cost of every life present.
 His words had no effect, and the mo- ment the first blow was struck on the gate volley of shots flashed from the upper windows of the jail. This was an- swered by the crowd, which poured vol ley after volley into the jail windows, wounding two deputies The mob was momentarily driven back with many wounded and one dead as result of the deadly aim of the sheriff and his deputies.
 At midnight the mob, which had in the meantime been reinforced by many resi- dents of the surrounding country. made another attack upon the jail.
 The sheriff and officers were over powered by some of the men who had crept over the rear wall and covered them with rifles and revolvers. Others broke down the cell door and took Shaw out.
 The negro was carried to the center of the plaza and hanged to an electric light pole, after which fully 800 shots were fired into his dangling body.
 In this latter fight H. c. Kellum, street car conductor, was killed. while two deputies and four or five of the mob were wounded.
 At o'clock this Crhursday) morning everything is quiet and the mob has dis persed.
 Sheriff Van Pelt, in an interview short ly after the lynching, said:
 while I regret the death of the two men. and the wounding of many others, have done nothing except what l was called upon to do when l took the oath of office I pleaded with the mob for more than an hour and told them what would be the consequences if they at tackled the jail I was in duty bound to protect the negro and proposed to do so.
 "They would never have gotten him but for the fact that I and my forces were engaged with the mob in front when portion of the men climbed the rear wall and overpowered us.''
 At midnight the body of Shaw was swinging from the pole bearing this plac- ard: God Bless Our Home."
 Shaw was captured about o'clock this evening. It was not until o'clock that any shots were fired, when the mob start ed to batter down the gates. Then the firing became promiscuous. Deputies were firing from the jail windows while the mob climbed the fence surrounding the jail and fired at the deputies,
 .'Dud' Nichols, whose son is deputy, and who only today had tried to prevail upon his son to leave the service Of the county, was one of the first to be killed.
 Two hours later the attack was re- newed and by a flank movement the mob succeeded in eluding the officers in front. and climbing over the back wall in large numbers, overpowered the officers, bat tered down the cell door of Shaw, secured their prisoner and hustled him to the pub lie square the plaza, where he was quick ly strung up and hundreds of shots fired into his body.
 CHANGES IN NAVY.