The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-28
Officers Hide Criminal In
 Steel Express Vault
MILITIA IS CALLED OUT
Sheriff and Deputies Try to Take the Negro to Another Town for Safety Hut They Are Surrounded
 By Mob

Weston, ". Va. December 27.-Wil- liam Furby, a negro, for hours tonight was between death at the hands of d mob and suffocation in the steel vault of the express. office at the Western railroad station. Outside the little building several hun dred persons wait ed from afternoon until late into the night, demanding the lif4 of the prls- oner for an alleged assa alt on Flora Anglin, a farmers daughter.
 While the mob waited and resorted tc frequent but feeble acts of violence a large squad of special deputies and the regular force of sheriffs guarded the express office and kept the negro locked in the large express safe, where he had little air to breathe. For hours the crowd waited but for want of 0 leader it failed to move with sufficient force to dislodge the deputies or fire the building.
 times, breaking all the windows and forcing open the doors, but were unable to gain access to the safe
 The only hope of the officers, how over, to get their prisoner to the jail at Clarksburg, as they intended to do when the mob collected, was in the arrival of state troops. An order. was issued early in the evening for the mobilization of the militia at several provided 1t was doubtful if the soldiers would reach the scene before early morning.
 Father of Girl Appears
 The appearance of MT. Anglin. the father of Miss Anglin, an aged man with long gray whiskers, upon the platform of the station, telling the crowd that the story of his daugh- ter was true as steel set the mob wild with excitement
 Prosecuting Attorney Sprint made continued efforts to appeal to the peo- ple from a truck on the depot plat form, but the truck was drawn from bepeath him and the crowd yelled hi\ down. The officials were wholly un- able to cope with the situation.
 At 7:15 the mob burst open the door of lliS CApltSS IODiH WltTt LDe SIltTllIS ana their prisoner had locked themselves in. All the window lights were broken and the mob demanded the negro's life, but the latter was pushed into the concealed vault of the express company for safe keeping, where he had hardly breath of air
 An appeal to Governor Glasscock at (Tha-faStoD fin at immediately by an order for the mobiiza- tion of the militia at Clarksburg, Graf ton and Parkersburg and their dispatch here by special train. Until the arrival of the militia it was necessary to con fire the negro in the airless vault. All though that might mean death to him from suffocation, 1t was considered a greater peril to release him while the mob's frenzy was at such a height.
 Held Without Bail
 After the negro's preliminary hearing this afternoon he was held by the grand jury without bail to answer to the charge Of assault and attempt to murder.
 TEe Anglin girl took the stand herself and told how Furby attacked her when she was returning home from the dairy on her fathers farm last Saturday night. While she struggled he dragged her full lN 0Ub ydIuS dIu lOllONiuS biic dtldChS he was she alleged, in the act of mur- dering her by strangulation when. rail- road flag1nan came running to her rescue. The negro ran to a horse tied up nearby and made off, but the animal fell, throw ing the rider. His shoulder was dislo- cated and he was easily captured.
 Following the trial a mob collected at the courthouse and demanded the negro S person, but, with the organization of a large squad of special deputies and the regular force, Sheriff Perry G. Alfred succeeded in getting his man to the rail road station, planning to take the $50 train for Clarksburg. The train was an hour late, however, and the mob mean while grew to such proportions that when the train did arrive the authorities yere unable to carry. out their plans.
 A mob of over 150 men, who were ex- pecting Furby to be taken to Clarksburg on the evening train, intercepted it at Fisher Summit, near the Anglin home, and held the train up for 20 minutes look ing for the negro. When they found that he was not upon the train they all came to Weston and joined the mob at the sta- tion An oil well driller, the man who appeared when the express door was burst open, was immediately arrested. Com pany K is expected to arrive on a spe- cial train at 12:30 Central time) from Clarksburg to reinforce the guards here.
 Furby is still confined in the vault. At midnight the crowd around the depot had mt diminished.