The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-03
WEST end CHASE
PROVES EXCITING
Negro Has Narrow Escape
from Lynching
HAD INSULTED LADIES
Posse Had Been After Man pa Hours
and Presence of Women and
Children Was All that
Saved Him.

Saved Him.
The presence of a large number of wom-
en- and children was probably all that
prevented the lynching of Nose Johnson.
a negro preacher, in West End early yes
terday afternoon.
A posse had been after him for over
"a hours. and the men composing 1t were
in an ugly frame OF mind when they cap
tured him. Had there been the chance to
have gotten him in quiet place for a
few minutes out of sight of the women
and children quick work would have un-
doubtedly been done in Riding the world
of him. For several days he had been
frightening women while his attempted
crimes were of the most henious nature.
Tuesday morning about o'clock he
appeared at residence on Second ave-
nue., West End, between Elyton and Pop
lar streets. He entered the house and to
the feminine members of the family, who
were the only ones at home, offerd in
suits. He was finally driven away at the
point of a pistol.
After leaving there he came up to tho
eastern end of the town, Princeton, max
ing his way along the edge of the town.
He entered number of the residences
and yards and acted as before, and each
time was frightened away. 1t was some
time before the matter was reported to
the West End authorities, but when il
was learned a group of men searched the
town for the negro, but without sue
cess.
Several negroes tallying with the de-
scription furnished by the ladies' he had
frightened were taken in charge during
the afternoon, but upon being taken to
the various homes were not Identified as
the guilty one and were released. A large
posse lay In wait all night, suspecting
another negro, guarding number of
negro houses. Yesterday morning the
search was again taken up and contin-
ued all the morning.
About o'clock yesterday afternoon the
negro again put in his appearance at the
residence on Second avenue which he Wis
tied yesterday morning. He was driven
away and the alarm given. Gathering
at this place the group of men scattered
in different directions and searched every
where, but the few minutes start had
| given the negro too much of a chance to
get away.
| A short while afterward one of the
ladies in Princeton whom the negro
had frightened yesterday noticed him
passing her house. She screamed
! There's the negro who was here yes
| terday." At this the negro turned
around and started running for dear
| life. John Mcnamara, a 14-year-oId
boy, took out after the negro, letting
out a few yells as he ran. The commo-
ton brought out few men, but the
| negroes superior length of leg caused
| him to outdistance them. He passed by
| a new house on which a number of car
| penters were working but despite the
screams of the boy pursuing him, and
| the large number of women there
wasn't a man In the group brave
passed close enough for them to have
| struck him.
| The negro started down Lomb boule-
ward and after running few blocks
| turned out. Three of the men who had
been searching the opposite end of the
town happened to be on the lower end
Of Lomb avenue and saw the negro run
ming toward them and then cut out of
the street. He was about three-quar-
ters of a mile away at the time. AL
! though they couldn't tell whether It
was a white or black man running they
| became suspicious and started on a run
up the boulevard. After running a short
along the alley which parallels the
| boulevard and headed him off,
He stopped and pretended that he
| had just left his home and was going to
| a drug store for medicine for his wife
| His heavy breathing, however. betrayed
him as having been running. Seeing
! that he was caught ne attempted to get
his hand into his pocket but put them
up In a hurry whom guns were drawn
on him.
He was taken back to Princeton and
positively identified by the ladies he
had frightened. The neighborhood was
greatly wrought up. Frightened chill
dren were clinging to their mothers,
while one little woman was fearlessly
walking along with two huge revolvers
| There were mutterings of lynching the
negro right there. but there were too
many women and children. and the talk
| quieted.
The negro was taken to the various
homes in the other end of town and
also identified, one woman saying, II
could tell him a mile away" He was
then taken before Justice of the Peace
Ellis and several warrants sworn out
against him. Afterward he was re-
moved to the county jail. the talk Of
lynching getting stronger. 1t devel-
oped that he was a negro preacher.
living at Powderly. He was Of huge
statue, being over s feet inches in
height and very black. There was no
sign of whisky about him.