The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1913-08-16

the declaration Of the solicitor that
q speedy trial would be given. a mob
OF 1000 men tonight at 1880 o'clock
ynched Richard Puckett, a young
negro. charged with attempted GRIM
inal assault.
After overpowering the sheriff and
his deputies the mob broke down two
doors. one to a steel cage, and secur-
Ing the negro carried him to a rail-
way trestle near the passenger sta
tion. where he was strung up to a
beam. Several hundred shots were
fired into his body. The mob then dis
persed. At midnight many were ar
riving In town from all sections of
the Piedmont. Just before ne was
killed the negro denied his guilt. Sher-
iff John " Owings said tonight that
the negro had confessed to him dur
ine the afternoon. The confession, it
Is said. was not made known to the
attacking crowd.
At = lonely spot on the road to
Laurens from Madden the negro this
morning at n o'clock attacked a we'll
known young woman of the county.
He dragged her from the buggy as she
was driving To- Laurens. The negro
was CT ached under some bushes and
after she had passed he ran and or
dered her to halt. She called to her
brothers. who were following In an
other buggy. The negro fled. She
drove on To Laurens and stopped at
the home Of Il. A. Coo"er. solicitor of
this circuit. No general alarm was
given. but a search was begun by the
officers. Solicitor Cooper aided. I'm the
ssarch. Going just beyond the place
Of attack the officers found several
negroes at a house. Richard Pickett
walked away from the house and So
licitor Cooper directed Mat he be
held. When taken before the young
ypwsus She could not positively iden-
tify him. The negro was carried to
trufehs and placed in Jail under a
heavy guard.
At 7 o'clock tonight bloodhounds
from the state penitentlary were
brought To Laurens and placed on
the trail The dogs trailed the negro
from the scene of the crime to the
house where ne was found by the Of
hcers. ...
~ During the afternoon several hun
dred men from all sections OF the
county arrived I'm Laurens. AS night
came on the crowd increased until 1t
was estimated that there were fully
1000 persons crowded into the public
square. Realizing that the crowd was
bent on violence several deputies were
sworn In by Sheriff Owings and
placed within the Jail
: At . O'Clock about so men ad,
vancsd on the tsfL Sheriff Owings re-
fused TO give up the prisoner. Tho
crowd broke down o wooden door In
the 'reaf1shd proceeded to the second
moor. where tho negro was confined in
. steel caEe. The door was soon bat
tered dov.. The sheriff and his dep
uties were overpowered.
Taking the negro from the Jail the
mob proceeded TO the union passenger
station. A rope was tied to one OF
the beams on the Charleston az
Western Carolina railway trestie to
the South. about IL feet from the
ground. and the neg was hanged,
He denied several times that he was
guilty OF the crime.
When the negro had been strung up
several hundred shots were fired from
the crowd OF 1000. The mob then
dispersed and proceeded To their
homes. ~ midnight many from ad-
Joining counties were arriving in the
city.
This Is the first lynching To occur I'm
Laurens county within the past IS
years and II Is the first time that a
negro wss ever taken from the Jail.
Just before the mob attacked the
Jail solicitor Cooper made o speech
urging that the people let the law
tske It's course. lie promised To Sc
cure spcedy trial for tho negro.
Several other well known citizens of
Laurens spoke to the crowd without
avail
The body was left tonight swinging
To the beam Of the trcstle and the in
quest viii very probably he held to-
morrow.