Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-08-20
SPARTANBURG JAIL DYNAMITED.
Mob Was BenU on Securing Negro As
Sailant of White Woman,

men, Frank Eppley, J. C. Owensby
and John Turner were seriously
wounded tonight when a mob storm
ed the county Jail in an effort to
| lynch VIII Fair, negro prisoner,
charged with assaulting a young
white woman near here to-day. She
riff White and deputy, facing the
mob alone, repeatedly drove them
back with pistol shots when the ad-
vanced with battering rams of logs
| and steel rails.
Members of the mob finally return
ed the fire and in the darkness the
three men were struck. They were
not fatally wounded, but were taken
to "a hospitaI fora attention.. ,.ss.
Dynamite Later Used. y
Several charges Of dynamite were
exploded late tonight by the mob in
an effort to enter the jail. After
they had blown down portion of the
outer wall they were impressed by
the show Of strength inside the Jail
and retired, but threats were made
to return later with nitroglycerine,
which they proposed to obtain from
railroad construction camp. Hun
dreds Of pistol and rifle shots were
fired when the dynamite was set of,
but so far as can be learned no 9TH
ers were injured.
Governor Blease was appealed to
late tonight to call out the militia
to protect Fair. He refused, but an
nounced that he would order a spe-
cial term Of court to try the negro.
Shortly after midnight mob raid
ed the armory and secured II rifles,
but militiaman on guard held them
/ II n OF hn ntrt
them to place the rifles back in the
racks. The mob then went out and
broke into hardware store, but be-
lore they could secure arms or am
munition from this place a Gordon Of
police surrounded them and forced
the men 20 leave the shop empty
handed.
The mob then qcieted down for a
| while, though about o'clock a hun
dred or more men starred for the in
terurban construction camp bent on
securing nitroglycerine with which
they declared they would again at.
tack the jail in an attempt to secure
the negro before daylight.
At O'Clock 1t appeared that the
sheriff had won his fight.
Story Of Brutal Crime.
cused is one Of the most heinous in
| the criminal annals Of the county.
While her lrsband, well known
planter, was work in the fields, on
his farm near White Stone, and the
girl (she is 10 years old and q bride
of last Christmas) was alone in their
cottage, she was attacked by a ne
gro. Though in an agony of fear,
she battled desperately in defense of
her honor and did not cease her
struggles until a blow on the head
with a heavy stick laid her on the
floor unconscious.
1t was about 1890 o'clock when
the assault was committed. The
young woman had been to a neigh
bor's house. On her way home,
through a patch OF woods, she saw a
strange negro, who leered at her.
trembling, she hurried on, followed
by the black, and when she entered
her home she locked the front door.
Under her own roof she gained as
surance, and as the negro had SEEM
ingly continued on his way she gave
the matter no further thought, but
went to her room and was brushing
her hair when the next chapter OF
the tragedy was written
Suddenly she heard footsteps at
her back and almost Immediately a
hand thrust from behind her was
pressed closely against her mouth,
another hand seized her by the neck,
and the rough voice OF a negro said:
IF you yell I'll kill you" The girl
threw every ounce OF her energy into
an EFFORT to escape from the negro's
clutches, but In vain. Picking up a
heavy stick which lay on the window
sill, the black brought it down upon
her head with crushing force, and
the girl, bleeding from an ugly scalp
wound, dropped like dead person.
When she regained consciousness