Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-06-18
gAILER AvERTs LYNcH1NG.
rpSd OF Fifty Attempts to Take Ne
gro from Walterboro Jail.

Walterboro, June 16.-What came
near being lynching at the county
jaH here on Friday night just came
to light this morning. On account
OF the taciturnity Of the officers of the
law, the attempt to take Obbie Boges,
colpred, from the Jail and lynch him
lGwassnot made public until this morn
Ing after the prisoner had been
transferred to the penitentiary for
safe keeping.
Lucas Padgett, deputy sheriff of
Coileton county, and keeper Of the
/ tall, had quite q stirring time with
! the would-be lynchers when, in the
eaniy hours of Saturday morning, a
kcro'@d of about fifty came to the Jail,
and by sending forward one of their
number who was well known, receiv-
ed admission into the jailer's quart
eTsso the prison.
phraatening to enter the room
where the wife OF the jailer was
sleeping in order to secure the keys
to- ehe cells, the crowd was held back
by Che deputy sheriff at the point of
a. gnn, and seeing the determination
| of Hr, Padgett, they finally desisted
i'm heir efforts and left the Jail, but
lsCIiF'4dtelSu TO return later.
1ihe trouble was started by the
negfo, Obbie Boges, beating his wife
| iseyAl'ely, forawhich he was placed in
| Jail The warrant; however, was
wit drawn, and Boges returned to
| his home, near Stokes, in this coun-
| tys ii find that his wife's father, it is
sale had carried his wife away by
! fore and withaher had taken nearly
/, all Nf$BogeS's worldly goods
BRcoming enraged, the negro went
fmme diately to the house of his wife's
fatn&r r, and shot the old man, inflict-
ing Painful, but trifling wounds. He
then went to the town OF Stokes,
Whefe, acting on the advice of the
ma strate, who had been. notified of
the occurrence, j. M. Bennet,
proni ipent citizen Of that town, at
tenn ed to arrest him. az
the negro resisted and attempted,
to shoot Bennett. After struggle
Ben not secured t'>e gun OF the negro,
an . fashioned mu2zle-loader. and
hal gAs ~ lille the wife OF another
wn eEtizen i1fsldS ssssss sss4ss Ffssst
with ropes After being securely
tied the negro made threats against
the entire settlement, stating that he
would kill the entire crowd as soon
as he could get out OF Jail, and 1t was
these threats which later led to the
attempted iynching.
Negro's Threats Enraged People.
AT ] o'clock Saturday morning ON
Ger Padgett opened the jail door lead
ing into his living apartments after
some one had knocked loudly there
on. With a rush more than ten men
entered the apartment. Threatening
to hold the officer while others en-
tered the room where the jailer's
wife was asleep, the crowd was about
to put such a plan into effect when
Mr.. Padgett hastily regained the en-
trance to the room, and held the
crowd back.
Through their spokesman the
crowd threatened to blow up the
back of the Jail and secure the pris-
oner by that method, but Mr.. Pad
gett urged them to go away. Seeing
the grim determination of the Off
Ger, the crowd left the Jail, and after
holding conference returned and
notified the officer that no further at
tempt would be made that night.
| Later on Saturday messages were
received by the officers in which it
was stated that the crowd would try
again on Saturday night. This led to
a heavy guard being stationed in the
Jail all night, but Sunday came with
out the appearance Of the lynching
party.
The officers before this had gotten
in touch with Governor Blease, who
ordered the prisoner carried to the
penitentiary, which order was carried
out on Sunday, and the entire affair
made public this morning.
1t appears that the negro was a
desperate character and quite ter
ror to the community, and this was
probably the cause of the attempted
lynching, for the crowd had learned
to take the negro at his word and
wanted to remove him before he
would have chance to carry out his
threats.
All-Day Singing at High Falls.