The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-10-14
JOSH ASHLEY LEADS MOB.
After Travelling Scores of Miles Over
Muddy Roads Enraged Men Took
Their Victim.

GreenVille, Oct. 10.-In the DEPTHS
Of forest six miles north of Green
vile and armed mob Of 25 men.
headed my Citizen" Josh Ashley
of Honea Path, member of An
derson county's legislative delegation.
overpowered Deputy Sheriff Van b.
Martin of Anderson county and
Sheriff j. Perry Poole Of Greenvilla
county this afternoon and took from
their custody one Willis jackson. q
17-year-old negro charged with GRIM
inally assaulting the 11-year-old
daughter of prominent citizen Of
Honea Path at 7:30 o'clock this
morning. The trembling negro was
placed In the car in which Ashley
and four other men rode and follow
ed by a train of several automobiles
from Anderson and Greenville coun-
ties loaded with determined men and
bristling with shotguns and rifles the
ring leaders turned in their fury and
started toward Honea Path. Prom
ises were made the sheriffs that the
negro would be carried back to the
scene Of his crime and the colder
heads" Of the town consulted as to
what should be done with him.
The capture Of the alleged rapist
concluded one Of the most sensation
al man chases this section Of the
country has ever known.
About noon today Sheriff Pole re-
ceived word from the Anderson Sher-
III that he had sent negro to
Greenville for safe keeping and
asked that the prisoner be confined
in the county jail. Sheriff Poole
secured an automobile at once and
went to meet the parties bringing
the negro to Greenville. Shortly at
ter he left telephone call to his Of
fee from Piedmont stated that the
automobile containing the nogro had
just passed there and that about ten
machines. containing the mob, were
in close pursuit and were not more
than 10 minutes behind.
At o'clock the Anderson automo-
bile dashed through the streets Of
| Greenville and up to the county jail
door. At the Jail Sheriff Poole re-
ceived a telephone message from
Sheriff King at Anderson to spirit
the negro on to Spartanburg. A
change Of automobiles was quickly
made at the Jail and the flight to
Spartanburg taken up.
| Within ten minutes after the auto
mobile bearing the negro had depart
ed a big Anderson touring car, con-
tanning Josh Ashley and four other
men. steamed through Main street.
Citizen" Josh Ashley clutched a
Winchester rife in his hands and
eagerly inquired where the negro
had been taken. Upon being told
that the party had proceeded to
Spartanburg, the word of command
was given and the big automobile
dashed on up the street. Within five
minutes another Anderson car steam
ed into the city. closely followed by
another machine. and the mud-be-
| spattered occupants, upon being
readily informed by Greenville citi-
zens what way the negro had been
carried, applied the power to their
machines and dashed away.
| AT Greenville the mob divided.
some taking one road to Spartanburg
| and some another, and others took
to the Laurens road, thinking, per-
haps. that the officers would spirit
the negro to Fountain Inn or some
station on the Charleston & West
ern Carolina railway and place him
aboard train for Columbia.
Within a hour after the negro had
| been hurried through Greenville the
| lad who drove the machine reap
| peared in the city, together with
| members OF the local police force
who had accompanied the Anderson
deputies when they left for Spartan
burg. This led many to believe that
the negro had been taken from the
car when a few miles out of Green
vile and concealed in the woods
Within a few minutes after the lad
bearing Josh Ashley and his party