The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1916-01-22
FIVE NEGROES
LYNCHED BY A
GEORGIA MOB
WORTH COUNTY JAIL STORM
ED AND NEGROES SECURED
AND ALL HANGED ON THE
SAME TREE LIMB.

SFNIIG MI EtNtOs
| fifty men, acting with pi ecision in
| dic;aliye Of carefully LAID plans. took
five negroes from the Worth county
Jail at sylvester last night, carried
them in automobiles to Lee county
and hanged them all to one limb of a
tree close by the side of the principal
road leading into Starkvi!le.
The negloes were being held i'll the
| Worth county Jail in connection with
the killing of Sheriff Moreland of
Lee county, who met his death at the
hands of negroes in Worth county
during the Christmas holidays
StarkVille is hamlet three miles
from Leesbrg, the county seat of
Lee county
Cutting all wires leading north
from Sylvester. was included in the
plans Of the party, For that reason
the fate Of the negroes was not def
| IlltlN hibNH NlItll lOldN, ubuIS hlltI
hey had been lynched They were
| luickiy taken from the Jail. loaded
! nto automobiles and started north,
put nothing more 'than that was
| known for some time. The bodies.
perforated with bullet holes, were
old when found This morning
AT about 10 O'Clock last night Sher-
| i'f l.. A. Potts and his jailer at Syl-
We -teF We're wiz eHRd.- by four or-fiNe
men, who announced that they had
captured a negro and wanted to place
him in Jail They We're admitted
bearing a negro bound with ropes
Suspecting nothing the officers
watched the men as they calmly
io0sened the bonds. Suddenly the
situation changed, however, Ms the
liisitors seized the officers and de-
manded the keys to the cells They
were soon forthcoming At that mo-
ment several automobiles were driven
in front of The jail. The men In
hem huriiedly entered, joined the
men who had preceded them and all
who did not watch the two officers
helped get the negroes.
They were rushed out of the Jail
bundled into the machines and all
started north at rapid pace. The
officers Immediately attempted to re-
sort to the telephone to head off he
party, but 1t was soon ascertained
hat all lines north were out Of order
and later it was learned the wires
had been cut.
The bodies were found by Lee
county citizens who were out on the
road early today apparently under
the impression that there was reason
to believe that If any of the negroes
were taken from the Jail they would
be taken to Lee county where Sher-
| ff Moreland was popular. Going out
from Starksville a short distance
| they encountered the CHASTITY scene of
the five men hanging to one limb
within full view from the road. Ap'
parcntly they had been strung up and
then became targets for the men who
had taken them from Jail
-Four OF the victims were Of one
| family Lake and his three
sons. Frank Dewey and Major The
fifth was Robins Seamore.
1t was believed, however, that
James Keith, negro, was the pris'
oner most wanted by the lynchers. Il
was said that there was more evi-
dence against him than any of the
others.
Sheriff Potts, however had taken
the precaution TO remove him sew
eral days ago to some other Jail, the
location Of which he has not di-
vulged.
| Moreland was killed at the home
Of Fe,iX Lake when he went there to
arrest negro. 1t was reported that
more than one Of those in the house
shot him and all were arrested later.
Reports from Oakfield today were
that eight automobiles passed
through there late last night going
toward Leesburg Leesburg citizens
also reported that eight machines
passed Trough that town at about
1890 O'Clock this morning. Starks,
vile is three miles from Leesburg,
/ which Is between eighteen and TWEEN
| ty miles from Sylvester.
| Sheriff Potts stated today that the
men made no attempts to molest he
other % prisoners in the Jail The
negroes had not been cut down scy.
eral hours after they were found.
Grand Jury May Act.