Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-04-23
GUARDS TELL HOW
MOB BROKE DOORS
THRILLING SCENES WERE EN-
ACTED AT JAIL IN ADA WHEN
MOB LYNCHED FOUR STOCK.
MEN CHARGED WITH MURDER.

DALLAS. Tex, April 2O.-In a stan spe-
cial to the Dallas News, Joe Carter, one
of the four guards on duty at the time
Of the lynching OF the four cattlemen at
Ada. Okla, yesterday, is quoted as fol-
lows:
1.-The first knew of the presence of the
mob was at 2:lO. when six masked men
suddenly appeared at the waiting room
in the runaround near the cells and COW
cred me and Jim Mccarty with their
guns. McCarty and had the watch for
this part of the night. They told US to
step aside and hand over the Jail keys.
told them we had no keys; that gem
tleman In another room had the keys.
AT this moment about twenty more
men appeared thronging through the hall
OF the courthouse and over the tail fence
of the yard. and from everywhere else
Il seemed to me. saying, Keep quiet men,
and give up the keys
Men Wore Masks
'sThe men were all masked. They kept
me and McCarty under cover OF their
guns and proceeded 10 wake up Guards
Walter Coins and Bob Nestor and took
the KEYS away from them.
''Nestor rose from his bed with his gun,
and the masked men hit him over the
head with their guns and left him
stunned. The men forced Coins to open
the heavy lever doors to the cells.
They then took Miller from his cell
and fastened a rope around his neck and
bound his hands at his back with baiing
wire.
Jesse West was the next man taken
out. and the mob said. Tell us what you
know about this.
'West said. IN tell you nothing They
then hit him over the head with their six
shooters and said. Damn you, tell MS
what you know about It. West repeated.
TIL tell YOU nothing and gave fight to
the gang.
Pleaded for life
'sThe rest Of the prisoners then began
10 rlead for their lives.
Then I rushed through and went out
on the street for help. where I met the
two night policemen and we all went
hack and got one-third Of the distance
down the hali Of the courthouse. when we
were again held up and commanded to
retreat. and never saw any OF the mob
leave the courthouse or jail. as II was to-
tally dark on the streets"
waIten Coins. another of the guards.
said:
''I was awakened about 2:s0 O'Clock by
several masked men standing over me.
7 Immediately reached for NV gun. when
the men covered me with their guns and
said: Those other men haven't got any
KEYS TO the iail and we want them
told them could not give them the keys
when they told me they would have them
OF kill me.
Threw Keys to Mob
''I then dropped the keys on the floor
and they picked them up and tried the
heavy lever doors and could not work
them.
81 was still under cover Of their guns.
Failing to undo the heavy doors. three
or four Of the men took me bodily from
the room and at the print of their guns
70, ced me to turn tho lever,
Then they bound my hands with baimg
wire and left me IN the room with Guard
Bob Nestor. whom they had beat over
the head with their guns. l don't know
much about what happened later. as II
was totally dark outside and We could
see nothing. McCarty released me at
rome hour in the morning and l at once
went out for doctor for Nestor. There
were 40 or 80 men In the crowd and all
we're masked and they carried out their
work In orderly fashion