The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-11-27
OFFICER SLAIN
And Three Negroes Were Quietly
Strung Up for the
DAsTARDLY CRIME

DASTARDLY CRIME
Three Brothers Resisted Arrest FOR
Disturbing Public Worship, Kill
ing One Officer and. Fatally
Wounding Another = Murderers
Caught, Tried and Executed.
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 hang
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, deputy
sheriff.
The negroes names are Marshall
Stinebeck, Edward Stinebeck and
Jim Stinebeck. The brothers Great
ed a disturbance at religious mee:-
ing near Tiptonville Saturday night,
and when the two officers went to
arrest them, a fight ensued in which
the negroes shot down the officers
and made their escape.
It was barely daylight Sunday
morning before posse Of citizens
from Tiptonville and the surrounding
country were in pursuit of the ne
groes, but they successfully eluded
the white men until s o'clock this
morning when they were surrounded
and captured in little swamp near
the village Of Ridgely.
Once captured. the murderers
were quietly landed in jail at Tip
tonville. The news of their capture
spread rapidly to the surrounding
territory and in addition to several
hundred members Of the posse men
began arriving by every road and
soon the jail was surrounded by a
mob which had no hesitancy In
threatening a lynching quickly and
surely.
In fact it was feared at noon that
the best towns people could not pre-
vent the lynching from taking place
in broad daylight.
One of the first citizens to noun
the steps of the Jail and make an ap-
peal to the mob was ]. T. Burnett,
well wnown lawyer. He recalled
the recent night rider outrages which
had disgraced the vicinity. He ad-
monished his hearers not to do any
thing desperate, and to let the law
take it's course, at the same time
promising that full justice would be
done the three black men. This
met with long growi of disapproval
and Mr.. Burnett, evidently seeing
that his remarks were of no avail,
pleaded with the men that If they
were determined to lynch the ne
groes to at least await 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 lynching until
night would be satisfactory to him.
The mob, however, was very rest
less and it was soon seen that II
would be impossible to stem the tide
Of feeling.
AS last resort S. J.. Caldwell
a townsman, and Sheriff Haynes
went before Justice Lee Davis and
explained the situation, telling of the
menacing attitude Of the crowd,
which thronged the streets leading
to the Jail. Justice Davis agreed 70
open his court at once, and at s
o'clock summoned a jury of u 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 sit
uation and ordered company OF
militia in this city to porceed with
all haste to secure the negroes and
conduct them to a place Of safety.
The troops were started at once,
but failed to arrive in time to pre-
vent the hanging.
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 %
a large tree near the edge of town
and hanged them, firing volley aft2:
yol1ey into the air as the bodies were