Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-11-16
SHIP GOES TO JAIL.


time in American history, six men are
III prison tonight for contempt of the
supreme court Of the United States.
For the first time, too, the federal
government has placed men behind the
bars as an outcome OF the lynching of
a Negro.
At the United States Jail in this city
Capt Joseph f. Ship, former sheriff
of Chattanooga; jeremiah Gibson, his
taller and Luther Wilson, Nick Nelson,
Henry Padgett and William Mayse of
the same city, begun this afternoon to
serve terms of Imprisonment imposed
a few hours before by the supreme
court.
Ship and Gibson were found guilty
of failing to protect from mob ED.
johnson, whose legal execution for
rape had been stayed by the supreme
court until it could review the case.
The others were found guilty of par
ticip&tion in the lynching of q federal
prisoner. Shipp. Wilson and Nelson
were given sentences of 80 days I'M
p.isonment each, while Gibson, Pad
gett and Mayse eacn received SO days.
AS the big barred doors Of the Jail
swung open to receive the prisoners to-
day, Immediately after sentence mad
been muosed, Warden Mckee stood
before them.
at least we are in the hands OF a
soldier" exclaimed Capt. Shipp, who
was in many fight for the Confeder-
acy, as he noticed a G. A. r. button
in the lapel of Warden Mckees coat.
Then, turning to his five fellow prs
oners he said:
"Boys it will be all right"
About a year ago. during tho i'm
priscnment of an unusually large num-
Der of women the warden had store
room on the fourth floor of the Jail
fitted UP as quarters for female pris-
oners It was in this large room, per-
haps 20 by 80 feet, that he locked the
six prisoners. In the rom were beds
for each of the prisoner, while at one
end was a table upon which "Trusti"s'
will set their meals three times day.
A bath room adjoining the room vii!
be used by the prisoners exclusively.
Four large circular windows open to
the south and west. giving excellent
views of the front of the buildings.
In cact, so pleasant had the prison
ers found the quarters that Capt. Shipp
sent his attorney, Major Gift, to the
office of the supreme court to withdraw
a request he made when sentence was
imposed to he sent to the federal prls-
on at Atlanta, Ga, instead of to The
iail in this city.
During the afternoon the six men
received calls from Tcnnesseans and
others.
| The contempt case was taken up as
soon as the justices took their places
in the court room. Solicitor Bowers 81
the department of justice called the At
tenti9n of the court to the fact that TN"
defendants were in court and suggest
ed that the court impose sentcnc"
| Tho chief Justice directed Clerk Nc
Kenncy to cali the defendants before
the bar.
| Reading from memorandum
| Chief Justice Fuller began:
| "You John f. Shipp, Jeremiah Glib
son, Luther Williams, Nick Nolan,
Henry Padgctt and William Mayse arc
before this court on an attachment for
contempt"
After reciting the conviction of the
men ana the denial of their petitions
for rchcaring he continued:
"Thc grounds upon which the con-
clusion was reached are set forth in
the opinion filed here May "A, 1909 and
need not be repeated. nor need we
dwell upon the destructive conse-
mences Of permitting the transaction
ccmrlaincd of to pass to precedent
for unnunshed contempt
| He then recited the judgment of the
court that Ship, Williams and No
| ian be imprisoned for 90 days and Glib
son. Padgett and Mayse 50 days in the
iail of the District of Columbia.