The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1909-05-28
ATTACHMENTS IN SHIPP CASE
SUPREME COURT ACTS IN THE
JOHNSON LYNcHING AFFAIR.
Ex-Sheriff Must Answer to Charge of
Contempt of Highest Tribunal.

ANO z" ms IhC PlOCCSuluSS III IuS |
case of Ed Johnson, who was
lynched, the Chief Justice pointed out
that even before the case was
brought to the Supreme Court, there
had been many threats of lynching.
Continuing, he said of the proceed
ing on the night of the lynching
"The assertions that mob violence
was not expected and that there was
no occasion for providing more than
the usual guard of one man for the
Jail in Chattanooga are quite unrea-
sonable and inconsistent with state
ments made by Sheriff Shipp and his
deputies that they were looking for a
mob on the next day"
The Chief Justice pointed out that
the Jail had been left entirely un-
guarded and in charge of Deputy Glib
son when every precaution to guard
the prisoner should have been taken.
Ships Interview.
He quoted literally from an inter
view given out by Shipp some days
after the lynching in which Shipp
said that he "did not attempt to hurt
any of the mob" and in which he
charged the Supreme Court with the
responsibility for the lynching be-
cause of its interference in the case.
Commenting on this utterance, the
Chief Justice said:
He evidently resented the neces-
sary order of this court as an alien
intrusion, and declared that the court
was responsible for the lynching. Ac-
cording to him, the people of Hamil-
ton County were willing to let the
law take it's course until it became
known that the case would probably
not be disposed of for four or five
years by the Supreme Court of the
United States But, he added, the
people would not submit to this, and
do not regret it.
Politics in 1t.
I'm other words, his view was thai
because this Court, in the discharge
of its duty, entered the order which
it did, that therefore, the people o.
Hamilton County would not submit tt
it's mandate and hence the Court be
came responsible for the mob HI
took the view expressed by severa
members of tn mob on the Afternoon
of the 18th and before the lynchins
, when they said referring to the Su
Court, they had no business interfer
/, ing with our business at all. Hi
reference to the people was signif
cant, for he was candidate for re
81 ho1 tn1 hnt
> saving the prisoner from the first al
tempt to mob him would cost him hi
;. place, and he answered that h
= wished the mob had got him befor
! he did.
"It seems to us that to say tn
Sheriff and his deputies did not ar
|, ticipate that the mob would attemp
! to lynch Johnson on the night of tn
!, 10Th is to charge them with gros
9 neglect of duty and with an ignoranc
q of conditions sin matter whic
4 vitally concerns them all as officer
q and is directly contrary to their ow
q testimony. 1t is absurd to conten
C that officers of the law, who hav
II been through the experience these dt
g PENDANTS had passed through tw
). months prior to the actual lynchin
+ did not know that a lynching proI
q ably would be attempted on the 19tl
=. Charges Duty Neglected.
i. The Chief Justice also declare
that after Johnson was taken frol
&C the Jail the Sheriff had made no e
# fort to go after the lynchers or
# reach the police or militia or other
6 when" he said, "Shipp reached tt
6. iail he could have gone about thre
% blocks to the police station and g
N the police. No attempt was made
II. summon a posse He sent no OF
O. after the deputies, and he made 1
,e effort to send any one for help. A
v though Shipp was in the mid
n Of or near the members of the me
of for about an hour, he did not see
Nv to identify any of them, and he tes
q. fes that he does not know any mel
er Der of the mob"
Il. Reaching the conclusion with re
Is erence to Shipp, the Chief Justi
m said "that Shipp not only made Il
d. work of the mob easy, but in effe
SIS aided and abetted it,"
Gibson's Case.
The Court found Jailer Gibson
en- be involved in the same condemn
m ton. though under less responsible
Of Consenuentlv attachments were