Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-26
MOB TAKES MEN FROM COURT
Three Negroes who Had Just Becn
Convicted of Murder Are
Lynched.

ONlON u Tenn, Nov. 5.-Ihe III
tie town Of Tiptonville. bordering on Reel
foot lake. which has been the scene Of
many stirring incidents the past month.
witnessed the lynchins, late YESTERDAY after
noon, Of three negroes, who were arrested
this morning for numbering Special De-
putty Sheriff Richard Burruss. and fatally
%wounding John Hall. a deputy sheriff.
The negroes names are:
EDWARD STINEBACK.
MARSHALL STINEBACK.
JIM sTINEBACK.
These brothers created a disturbance at
a religious meeting near Tiptonville, sat
urday night, and when the officers at
tempted to arrest them. a tight ensued
in which the negroes shot the officers
and made their escape. 1t was hardly
daylight Sunday morning before a posse
Of citizens from Tiptonville and surround
ings were in pursuit of the negroes. but
they successfully escaped the white men
until s o'clock this morning, when they
we're surrounded and captured in a swamp
near the village of Ridgely.
The vicinity is known as the Old River
bed canebrake, and 1t is difficult to trace
man or beast through its tangles.
once captured, however, the negroes,
covered by a hundred guns, were quickly
landed in Jail at Tiptonville. The negroes,
when arrested. had two guns in their
possession, but had run out of ammuni-
tion.
The news of the capture spread rapidly
TO the surrounding country and in addition
to the several hundred members Of the
possee men began arriving by every road
and soon the jail was surrounded by a mob
which had no hesitancy in threatening q
lynching quickly and surely.
One of the first citizens to mount the
steps OF the jail and make an appeal to
the mob was J. L. Brunette. a well known
lawyer. Mr.. Burnette recalled the recent
night rider outrages which had disgraccd
the vicinity. He admonished his hearers
not to do anything desperate and let the
law take its course, although at the same
time promise that full Justice would be
done the three black men. This met with
a long growl OF disapproval and Mr.. Bur-
nette evidently seeing that his remarks
were Of no avail pleaded with the men
that If they were determined to lynch the
negroes to wait until nightfall.
Taylor Hall, a brother of the wounded
deputy sheriff, followed Mr.. Brunette. He
said in effect that a postponement Of the
lynching until tonight would be satisfactory
to him. The mob, however, was very rest
less and it was soon seen that it would be
impossible to stem the tide of feeling.
AS a last resort, s. J. Caldwell a towns
man, and Sheriff Haynes went before JUS
tice Lee Davis and explained the situation
and telling of the menacing attitude of the
crowd which thronged the principal streets
to the jail, Justice Davis at once agreed
to open his court at 5 o'clock. summon a
s-.u - t-uIa. ranA an1 ,1Ilu th1 -rz
after all evidence that could be adduced was
heard, to be duly sentenced to death.
Meantime Governor Patterson was ad.
vised by telephone of the situation, and or.
dered a company of militia in this city tc
proceed with all haste and, If possible, tc
secure the negroes and conduct them to a
place Of safety, The troops were started
at once, but failed to arrive in time to
prevent lynching.
At the trial all Of 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 sentence as death.
The sentence had hardly been passed on
the negroes when the mob, with a whoor
and a yell, enhered the court room, and
selling the prisoners, rushed them to a
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. rfe