The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-08-27
MOB ATTACKS JAIL
SPARTANBURG OFFICERS KEEP
PRISONERssSAFE
THREE men WOUNDED

THREE men WOUNDED
Sheriff and Deputies Cause Crowd
Bent on Lynching Negro Charged
With Criminal Assault to Disperse
BY Threatening to Kill First Man
Entering Prison Gates.
Gentlemen, beg you not to pro-
ceed through this gate. I am in dead
ly earnest. I will kill the first man
who advances a step, though he
should be my best friend" W. J..
White, sheriff Of Spartanburg Coun-
ty, thus addressed q mob bent on
lynching Will Fair, negro prisoner,
accused Of assaulting white woman,
when a crowd of five hundred men,
after being repeatedly repulsed with
pistol shots, blew down the gate In
the outer wall Of the county jail late
Monday night with dynamite. The
mob were impressed with what the
sheriff said and dispersed.
Earlier in the evening three men
were shot when efforts were made to
batter down the Jail gate with logs
and steel rails. Sheriff White and a
deputy held the crowd at bay at first
by firing blank cartridges. Members
of the mob returned the fire with bull
lets, however, and in the confusion
and darkness Frank Epply, J. c. Ow-
ensby and John Turner were wound
ed, though it is believed not serious
ly. They were taken to a hospital.
Hundreds Of pistol and rife shots
were fred when the mob began to use
dynamite, but so far as can be learn
ed only one man was wounded. A
bullet passed through his hand. His
name was not learned.
VIII Fair, a negro, was arrested
Monday afternoon charged with as
saulting a nineteen-year-old white
woman, near Whitestone, Monday
morning. It was about half-past ten
o'clock when the assault is alleged to
have been committed. The young
woman, a bride OF last Christmas,
had been to a neighbor's house. On
her way home through a patch OF
woods she saw strange negro, who
leered at her. Trembling, she hur-
ried on, followed by the black. She
entered her home safe and locked the
front door. Under her own roof she
gained assurance, and as the negro
had seemingly continued on his way,
she gave the matter no further Sc
rious thought, but went to her bed
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 negro said:
eff you yell I'll kill you" The girl
then threw every ounce Of her energy
into an effort to escape from the ne
gro's clutches, but in vain. Picking
up heavy stick, which lay on the
window sill, the black brought it
down upon her head with crushing
force, and the girl. 'eding from an
ugly scalp woul 1pped like q
dead person. When s, , regained con-
sciousness, half hour later. she had
been dragged to another part OF the
room.
The unfortunate raised herself un.
steadily to her feet, thinking to fire a
shotgun, which was suspended from
the wall and thus summon her hus-
band. She swooned again as she was
reaching for the gun, and was lying
on the floor unconscious when her
husband happened to enter the house
a few minutes later.
The husband took his wife to his
fathers home, half-mile away, call
ed a doctor and then went to Glen.
dale and gave the alarm. About SOC
people, including number OF Glen
dale Mill operatives, started in search
OF the negro, of whom good descrip-
ton was given by his victim. Sheriff
W. J. White headed one posse and
Chief Moss P. Hayes, Of the Spartan
burg police, another. A posse OF
which Samuel J. Nichols, a well
known spartanburg attorney, was a
member, found an old negro who said
he had seen within fifty yards OF the
scene OF the assault a negro CORE
spending in description to the assail-
ant, and told Of the direction In
which the man was walking. He
said the negro they were seeking was
named Will Fair. Will Fair was trac'
ed to Glendale. where he was seen to
board a car for Spartanburg. Other
clues were obtained which led TO the
arrest OF Fair several hours later at
the Southern Railway station in
Spartanburg by Rura! Policeman j
VI. Williams. Officer Williams con-
cealed the negro in the bottom Of an
automobile, which he pressed into
service, and carried him into the
county jail by the rear entrance be-
fore any but one or two people knew
Of the arrest. Fair denied that he
was the negro wanted, but officers
said they felt confident that the chase
was over and we're only waiting fol
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