The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1912-11-29
NEWBERRY MOB
LYNCHES NEGRO.
Will Thomas, Charged with the Muir
der of Spurgeon Johnson, Who was
Killed on October 18th, is Taken
From Magistrates Constab and
Chained to Tree and Shot.

a negro, accused of the assassination
of Spurgeon Johnson, a white farmer
several weeks ago, was taken from a
magistrates constable last night by a
party of masked men, chained to a
tree and his body riddled with bullets.
The lynching occurred about Id miles
from here, while the negro was being
brought to the Jail. The constable de-
clares he at first refused to surrender
his prisoner upon the mob's demand
and fired his pistol, but his "bluff" did
not work. He says he was then sur
ounded by the crowd, threatened
with death if he resisted, and told to
get down the road. He obeyed and a
few minutes later heard, he says, over
100 shots. The negro's body was
found still chained to the tree this
morning.
Charged With Murder.
Will Thomas was lynched for the
murder of white farmer, Spurgeon
Johnson, at his home 18 miles west
of Newberry, on the night of October
q, last. johnson was shot through an
open window with shotgun by some
persn on the outside while he was
sitting in his room with his family.
y Will Goggans, a negro, living near
the scene of the murder, was arrested
ten days ago, charged with the crime
in a warrant issued by Magistrate
Dorroh Of Floyd township and COM
mitted to Jail. The warrant for Will
Thomas was also issued by Magistrate
Dorroh and was given to his consra.
bic, Carey Johnson. Yesterday the
magistrate, while in Newberry, tele-
phoned to his constable to get Thomas
and bring him directly to Newberry.
$ Surrounded by Masked Men.
n The constable went after the negro,
and while returning with him, when
near the Workman bridge, was sur
sse mob of masked men,
who. took the negro from him and
told the constable to go on. Afte,
crossing the river, the constable
says, he heard about 100 shots FREQ
and supposed they were fired into the
negro, but did not go back to see nor
make further inquiries. That his sup
position was correct was confirmed
this morning by persons who came to
town by that spot and saw the dead
negro hanging by a chain around his
neck from the limb of tree close by
the roadside, few hundred yards be-
yond the bridge.
What sort of evidence there was
against the lynhced negro or against
the one now in Jail charged with the
same crime has not been revealed.
The coroner returned this afternoon
rom holding the inquest over the
dead body of the lynched negro. There
was no testimony except that of Mag
istrate Dorroh. He testified in refer
ence to issuing the warrant and his
telephoning yesterday from Newberry
to the constable to go after the man.
thus accounting for the late hour at
which the arrest was made. The tes-
timony of the constable himself was
that about 10 o'clock last night, about
300 yards beyond the bridge, crowd
of men came out of the bushes on the
roadside and demanded the prisoner;
that he fired his pistol as a bluff and
was told if he did that again he woulo
be shot; that they took the prisoner
from him and ordered him to move
on, which he did, and in short while
heard great many shots. Asked as
to how many were in the crowd he
said the woods seemed to be full or
them.
The constable had the prisoner
tied around the neck with a trace
chain and another chain was fas-
tened to the handouts, and the ends
of both chains were in the constable's
nands. 1t was the chain around the
neck that the negro was hanged
with-suspended from the limb of
a tree, with his feet touching the
ground and his knees bent. The BODY
was, as one said who saw it at 'tse
"shot to pieces"
AS to the evidence against the
negro, there is, so far as the public
seems to know, only the vaguest
rumors. Among these rumors is one
that Thomas was heard to say on the
morning of the day that Spurgeon
Johnson was asassinated that he in
tended to kill Johnson that night and
then go home and kill his own wife.
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