Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1915-07-27
MOB SURROUNDS
JAIL At denton. Md.
Presence OF a Thousand
Men Alarm Sheriff and
Residents
SHEPPARD IS
TERRORIZED

DENTON, Nd, July 27-At late
hour last night the Denton jail was
surrounded 10y about a thousand men
whose presence caused much anxiety 10
Sheriff Temple and terrorized Aloysius
Sheppard, colored, who is locked up in
the frail prison awaiting the resump-
ton Of his trial today OF a charge Of
felcnious assault upon Mildred Clark. Is
years old, daughter of Enoch Clark, IL
farmer, near Fredericksburg.
AZ the session of the court Yesterday
nearly all OF the witnesses for the State
were examined. At Z P. m. the court
took recess until s. Immediately
upon recovering, at 9. the court ad-
iourned until today, Sheppard being
taken back to Jail.
Last evening the town was startled
by a rumor that during the day a note
threatening the lives OF the judges sit
ting il the case had been found dnder a
bench in the court room. Judge Con
stable, on behalf of himself and his col
leagues. positively denied that any such
note had been found OF that any at
tempt had been made to intimidate the
court.
Sheppard was placed on trial at a spe-
NldA ~fnrifH ~ Nht AHNnll AONll lhl
Caroline county today.
Unlike the Leo Frank trial where
catcalls, h9ots, Kisses. eroans and other
denonstrative noises were made by the
spectators. the hearing OF Sheppard was
remarkably quiet. The proceedings at
both the morning and afternoon sessions
were frequently interrupted, however, by
the shuilling of feet. The heat at times
their coats. Farmers within a radius of
50 miles drove into the town before the
sun was we'll above the trees on the
Court House ground.
At Z O'Clock in the morning some Of
the more anxious went 10 the second
floor of the building. on which is located
the court room, and there took up their
station before the door As the hours
wore away. the crowd was augmented
Until the corridor was SLED and the
Towd reached all the way to the first
Aoor. Hundreds were gathered about on
the lawn waiting fer the doors to be
opened so that they might work THEN
way to the second floor. Those who
waited in the UPPER corridor became i'm.
patient as the morning advanced. for il
had been announced that the trial would
begin at 10 O'Clock.
Associate Judge Philemon 3 Hop
per was late in reaching Denton.
however, and the heat became so in
tense in the corridor that FIVE men
tainted and had to be carried from
the building In the meanwhile the
crowd on the outside of the Court
House had been growing larger and
larger. All eyes we're focused on the
fail. and about 1890 o'clock there was
a concerted movement toward the
place where Sheppard has been in
carcerated since late Sunday after
noon. when he was brought here
from Baltimore by way of steamer
to Love Point and from the latter
place by automobile.
The prisoner was not brought from
the Jail, however, until about a hall
hour later. and when he was taken
to the Court House by Sheriff James
Temple he was surrounded by TWEEN
ty deputies. The men gathered along
the street in the rear of the Court
House and who formed a line through
which the sheriff, his deputies and
the prisoner walked made no demon
stratiOn
The Crowd Rushed In.
When the prisoner was brought
into court Chief Judge Constable
ordered the doors opened to the
spectators Sheriff Temple and
several deputies went to the doors
and opened them intending to al
low only one or two persons to en-
ter at a time. The jam in the real
Of the hall was so great that az
soon as the doors were opened III;
sheriff and his deputies were
brushed aside as though they haC
been men of paper, and those whC
had waited for over four hours
rushed for places of vantage Ever!
available seat was filled and thi
overflow filled three aisles Thos'
in front we're forced between tho
rail and the front seats.
States Attorney Frederick r
Owens then read the indictment Il
Sheppard and he was asked whethe
he wanted to plead guilty or no
guilty Sheppard. in a clear voice
replied that he wished TO plead no
guilty and. asked how he wante'
to be tried elected to have his cas-
taken from the jury. The jury wa
then discharged and the case wa
formally opened
The testimony of Miss Clark, III
young girl who was attacked. tina
~ her mother, Mrs. Enoch Clark
that of Mrs Roxie Williams, wit
discovered the girls plight. an
other female witnesses was heard Il
p a room adjoining the court room
Only the judges, the attorneys, tn
prisoner, representatives of the pres
and few men TO represent the
county at large were permitted Il