The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-23
QUIETLY LYNCHEO
Mob of Mobile Citizens Take
Negro From Jail
And Hang Him without Dis
turbing Their NeighbOrs.
He KILLED A SHERIFF
And Wounded Another Officer
Resisting Arrest.
Suspended From a Limb on
Prominent Street Corner.

Mobile, Ala, Jan. $3.50 quietly did
they go about their work that the usual
serenity of Mobile past the midnight
hour was but slightly disturbed when,
at lis this morning, a handful of de-
termined men took a negro from the
county Jail and lynched him almost in
the heart of the city's residence dis
trict
The victim, Douglas Robertson, a
mulatto, powerful of build and for
years regarded as a desperate negro,
who on Thursday shot and killed Dep
uty. Sheriff Fatch. and wounded an
other officer, was led from the cell in
the county Jail to the place of the
lynching, so quietly that residents
along the path of the mob's march
We're undisturbed.
The mob had intended, it is thought,
taking Robertson to the scene of his
crime, but on account of his cries, in
spite of an effort to gag him, his cap
tors hanged him to a tree on the
southeast corner of St Emanuel and
Church streets, just one block removed
from Mobiles most prominent residence
thoroughfare.
According to one authority. two men
walked into the Jail and covered Dep
uty sSheriffs ellis and Krous with re-
VolverS and commanded them to throw
up their hands, accompanying their or
der with a demand that they open the
door leading to the cells. The deputies.
powerless and caught unawares, obeyed
without resistance. Probably twenty
more in the meantime had gone up
stairs leaving the two men to guard
the deputies. Later two of these came
back down and demanded the keys to
Roberson's CELL which were given them
Gillis and Krous were then left alone
and ordered not to leave their seats or
use the telephone under penalty of
death. The, mob securing the man.
quietly left the Jail and started with
their captive toward the scene of his
crime.
The negro was not heard to utter a
word when his captors started away
with him. However, before they had
gone more than three blocks, he in
some way extricated the gag from his
mouth. Like a flash, three revolver
shots disturbed the quiet of the night,
and in a moment, large three-quarter
inch rope was thrown across limb
and Robertson was hanged.
A feature in connection with the
Iynching is that in spite of the fact
that it was freely whispered about the
city last night that an attempt would
be made to lynch Robertson early this
morning after the street cars had
stopped running and when few people
would be stirring, such remarks were
received with a smile and no one be-
lieved they had any foundation How
ever as 1 o'clock approached, rumors
became very frequent, but no one
At 2:15 o'clock the coroner arrived on
the scene selecting a jury, which ad-
journed to the police station. after
Viewing the body, the following verdict
was rendered:
''At an inquisition taken and held,
this 23rd day of January, 1909, upon
the body of Douglas Robertson, we, the
jury. find that he came to his death by
being hanged by parties unknown to
this jury
After hanging about one hour. the
body was cut down by the police and
taken to the guard house, where it viii
be turned over to the city sexton later
Robertson was clad in his undercloth-
ing and his hands were tied.
While trying to arrest Robertson
Thursday on a charge of assault and
battery, Deputy Sheriff Fatch and
Deputy Sheriff William McCarron were
fired upon by the negro at close range
the first bullet striking Fatch in the
stomach, from which he died Thursday
night McCarron was but slightly
wounded in the left foot.
The negro was captured after the