Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1915-12-31
SLICK OFFICERS KEEP NrccgRs
FRoN BEiNG BURNED AT srAKE
Auskogee County Prisoners. While
Mob Thrcatcns.l Jail. wcrc Ds-
gutsed A. soidicrs and Splr-
ited Away--Thc Militia
Was Called Out.


WIN Winters. alias WIN Green
and Homer Mathews. negroes. whs
were IN Sail at Muskogee eharrcd
with the murder of Policeman SAN
Neal AZ 1:so O'Clock Sunday mora.
INK. were spirited away that night
While an angry mob OF men crowded
the streets about the Jail. being kept
At bay by the LEGAL company Of the
Oklahoma National Guard.
Sheriff BarEer outwitted the BID
crowd that was clamoring for the ne.
ErOes The two prisoners and an o.
ficers were dressed in military uni.
forms and hantcnffed. They were
rushed into an automobile and driv-
en- away from the Jail 10 point on
the edge Of the city. where another
csr vas waiting 10 take them ont Of
the city. The prisoners were switch
ed 90 the waiting car and taken out
% TOWN. presumably TO Tulsa The
waiting crowd. which was held in
Inc several hundred yards from the
iail- thought the prisoners were sol
diers making their rounds. and did
not learn the truth until the prison
ers we're miles out OF the city.
During the evening two hardware
stores we're broken into by whites
end guns and ammunition conffscat-
&C. The mob was organizing 20
march TO the Jail az midnight. b0.
The crowd dispersed when Il was
found that the prisoners had been
spirited away. Just before the sher-
iff's coup. three young white men
were arrested on the charge OF incit-
Ing a riot as they approached the jaii
armed with shotguns-
Policeman Neal was on his way
home Saturday night after doing his
regular shift. when he saw a negro
come out OF hardware store carry
ing sack He rushed 20 the store
and told the man to halt The negro
WHIPPED out a revolver and fired
hitting the officer in the right arm.
Unable TO use his gun. Neal grappled
With the negro. and during the ssrur-
tle vas shot through the head. He
knew his aSsailant and lived long
enough TO tell other Officers who the
negro was II IL said that another
negro Was standing on guard when
the store was robbed and mag have
fired the shot that killed Neal.
A conductor on the Midland vsl-
ley passenger train running out or
Nuskogee had description OF the
negrO- He saw a man whom the de-
seriPtion fitted get on the train xfth
another negro az a water tank a few
rniies oct OF town They were high
" excited The conductor telegraph
ed ahead 10 POrum and Deputy sher-
III Dick Shumake and Oscar Pool got
on the train AZ that station. When
the officers entered the2nesro apart
ment and tried to arrest the negroes
one OF them opened fire. Shunaake.sI
gun failed 10 fire. and he grappIed
With Green. while Pool struck him
over the head Mathews vas ther
overpowered and both negroes were
brought TO Muskogee in an automI-
bile and placed in jail When ar
rested the negroes had three guns
that had been taken from the hard-
ware store, where Green had been
employed
Both negroes admit that they had
a fight with officer Neal. hut each
accuses the other Of having fired the
shot that killed him Green came
here thrse years ago from Platts-
burg. Mo
Early in the evening crowds began
10 collect on the streets and about
the jail. threatening violence to the i
two negroes- The situation became
20 alarming that Judge Degrzffenreid
authorized the calling oat Of Com
Dany y. National Guard. Who were
and placed around the jan. |