The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1909-06-03
Sheriff White Tells Of win Mack
Incident.


Brandon, Miss, May "a. 1909
Editor of the Clarion-Ledger:
B In the issue Of the Daily Clarion
eral Fridge, Mai. G. j. Won Seutter
following news item:
ut Us reported that ABUNDANT Cen
eral Fridg, Maj. G. ]. Ven Seutter
and Sheriff White, of Rankin county,
had left the city quietly night before
last fer Grenada. with instructions
from Governor Noel to thansfer VIII
Mack, the Pelahatchle negro wanted
at Rranncn for an assault on the
young daughter of William Myers, to
the Warren county Jail at yicksburg,'
So far as the above refers to me,
il is absolutely incorrect was in
Jackson at the time these gentlemen
left for Senatorial, but knew nothing
about the matter. z
While correcting ati
i 1919 This statement,
desire to make a plain statement OF
the fact as understand 1t. On the
morning of the 18th inst, received
information from Tate county that
negro, supposed to be Will Mack, was
confined in Jail at Senatobia for some
offense committed in that county. I'm,
mediately after receiving the inrorfna-
tom l called up Mf!' Owens at Peiar
hatchie and asked him II he could go
to Senatohia and identify the negro.
He said he would go, and keiE en- :.
the Z O'clock train that evening The
next morning about nine o'clock MIR.
Owens called me up and stated that
the negro was Will Mack without any
dodIbt, and asked me what to do.
told him to bring the negro to Jack
SON; that would meet him there and
we would put him in theHinds county
Jail fer the present. | went TO Jack
SON, but never heard any more about
the matter until called Governor
Noel UP from my hotel and told him
what / had done. Governor Noel re-
piled that he had given orders to the
Sheriff OF Grenada county to take
charge Of the negro ard hold him fer
further orders; that he tried to COM
municate with me, but failed to reach
ne. This is all right, so far. The
next morning | called up Governor
Noel and he repeated to me what he
had told me over the phone the night
before-that the negro was in the
Grenada county Jail and suggested
idea to let him remain there, fcr a
while at least, or words to that effect.
AIT the time the governor was telling
me this. General Fridge and Major
Seutter, acting on orders from the
governor, given the night before, were
ON their way from Senatobia to
vicksburg with the negro
Now, why the governor would mis-
represent in order to deceive me, or
rather hide the negro from me, is a
matter cannot understand.
am a sworn officer of the law, and
1t was as much my duty to take care
of this negro as lit was Governor
Noel's. Ny oath of office is as sa-
cred to me as his oath of office is
to him.
Besides there wasn't the least in
dication of riot or trouble of any kind
and had not called en- the governor
for his militia or for any other help,
as it was not necessary.
Again, Mr.. Owens obligated me
to the sheriff of Tate county to pay
$3.50 before he (the sheriff) would
release the negro. Mr.. Owens bought
pair of leg irons for which he paid
$3.50, which were taken off with the
negro. / was entitled to mileage for
conveying the negro from Senatobia
to Jackson, which would have paid
the expenses of the trip, all of which |
is lost to us.
Therefore, Governor Noel's actions
were not only disccurteous and un-
warranted, but worked an injury on |
Mr. Owens and myself, both of us
having spent considerable money out |
of our pockets to capture this fiend
WALTER WHITE,
Sheriff Rankin County. |