The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-10-12
ASSAULT AND MURDER
Indisn Attempts Criminal A.
ssult and Then Murders
Girl

Was Captured By ofioers and Taken IN
Through Two Counties 20 Ashe- r.
vile to Escape the Mob That Was =
i'm Hot Pursuit-Prisoner Uncon- =
cerned. ~
WaynesvfIIe, Oct. 9.--It was mar b
row escape from mob OF iynehers d
That Swain county murder Can In 4
dian named Ross French) had here {
Sunday night
He had been brought here Tor saIe-
keeping, and a mob from Swain coun-
~ set out TO come here and string
him IN. when Sheriff Palmer got
wind of their coming In time to get
the prisoner out of their reach.
He telegraphed Governor kitchin
Sunday afternoon TO order out the
local military company Company
HI. and the Governor promptly Or
dered the militia TO report TO the
sheriff, which they did, the snerln
and military officers finally getting
the prisoner through the country TO
a railroad station and taking him to
"a
held in Asheville jail.
Near Birdtown, in Swain county,
Ross French, young married In
dian, waylaid Miss Effie Shutter, VINO
was returning home from a store. He
grabbed her and dragged her into
thicket of woods and made desper-
ate effort to criminally assault her'
She fought the brute desperately.
The Indian being unsuccessful In car
rying out his purpose, became ell
raegd. drew his knife, and cut the
Young lady's throat, and left her
dead in the woods, where she was
1 found.
Z The finger of suspicion pointed TO
AAlRoss French as the perpetrator OF the
ltrocious crime. He was soon ar
Tested and lodged in Jail at Bryson
" lefty. Feeling against him ran 50
1,,lhigh that a mob Of nearly two nun
!. -,dred was soon organized.
~ Sheriff Roam, Of Swain county
/ knew what was in the air, and spirit
ed the Indian away in the carry par
M Saturday night. He was placeo
An the custody of Deputy Sherln )
sam Beck. who trampled all nign'
with the brute through mountain
sA.srai4a byways and hedges to sylvia
n distance of eighteen miles, 10 eiuo'
the mob, which was following nlm'
At sylvia he got a buggy, drove q
IBalsam. the Haywood County line
Onfckly he saw Deputy Sherln Berl
Plott. whom he dispatched I
Waynesville for Sheriff w. A. Palnr
zF=a41hiIn with an automobile o
5{N9asa with the sheriff OF Hay
ontinued III this time was follow
kyiew with In fifteen minutes
10 in their that Deputy Beck,
t1aa,s-L woods, could hear the
nv back-tracking and clrcul'o
ro,,tas he successfully landeo
-,riaoner in Waynesville jail, VINE
asremained only short perloo
+ima for some of the HayWo'
naople,s pulse had begun to De
quickly, and sympathy was with I
,nah from the sister county, WIN
we're then within less than two mi
of Waynesville, and croWo oee
TO gather around the jail.
The brute was spirited OUT
hack door by Sheriff Palmer ana
Swain officer, and taken 10 oiyue
an automobile, where he was pia'
on train and taken to Ashevlle
lodged in Buncombe jail.
At Tuscola, Sheriff Beck LETT
.r+omohile to board the east-oou
train to make sure the mop was
IN If Sheriff Palmer arrived
Clyde with the Indian SAFE.
Confessed the Crime.
After much maneuvering the
GERS finally landed him at Asne'
safely, where he will remain u
; October %, when Swain court c
vanes for trial and sentence TO
nassed. for he confessed the or
TO Sheriff Beck, when he thougnt
mob was going to get him, and
told the sheriff he wanted MS
80 sent to his folks for burial.
Asheville, Oct. 9.-Ross Frel
the Indian who was brought
Yesterday to escape being lyme
+ by a mob at Waynesville for or
nally assaulting and numbering
ethel Suler, in Swain County, is
In the county Jail here. and is M
tanning the sullen demeanor or
race.
He was seen today in cell
concernedly playing cards with
other prisoner.