Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1916-01-21
HANG
FIVE NEGROES To
LIMB OF A TREE
Suspects Held for Murder of
Georgia Sheriff Taken
from Jail.
MOB GAINS ENTRANCE
TO JAIL THROUGH RUSE
Wires Cut TO Prevent Alarm as
Victims Are Hurried
Away.

| ALBANY. Ga, Jan. 21.-FiVe
negroes taken from the Worth county
Jail at Sylvester last night were
hanged to one limb of a tree. on the
outskirts of Starkville some time dur
ing the night. The bodies. containing
many bullet holes, we're cold when
found this morning
Forty or fifty men acting with pre-
cision Indicative of carefully laid
plans took the five negroes from the
Jail and sped away in automobiles.
! They were being held in connection
with the killing of Sheriff Moreiand.
of Lee county, at the hands OF ne
groes during the Christmas holidays.
Starkvile is a hamlet three miles
from Leesburg, tho 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
nitely known until hours after they
had been lynched.
Get Into jail by Ruse.
At about 10 O'Clock last night Sher-
ift l.. a. Potts and his iailer at Syl-
Vester were awakened by four or five
men. who announced that they cap
tured 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
loosened the bonds. Suddenly the
/, visitors seized the officers and took
the keys to the cells. Several more
automobiles were driven in front of
the Jail and the men in them joined
those who had preceded them. All
who did not watch the two officers
helped get the negroes, who were
rushed out of the jail. bundled into
the machines and started north at
rapid pace. The officers Immediately
attempted To telephone TO head off the
lynching party, but the wires had
been nut.
The bodies were found by Lee coun-
, tv citizens out on the road early to-
day, 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 Sheriff Moreland
was popular. Going out from stark
vile a short distance, they encoun-
tered the five men hanging to one
limb within full view from the road.
Apparently 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-Felix Lake and his three
sons, Frank, Dewey and Major The
fifth was Rodius Seamore.
James Keith, a negro, was the pris
oner most wanted by the lynchers,
but Sheriff Potts had taken the pre-
caution to remove him several days
ago to some other jail, the location of
which he has not divulged.
Moreland was killed at the home
Of Felix Lake when he went there
TO arrest a negro 1t was reported
that more than one of those in the
house shot him, and all were arrested
later.
Reports from Oakfeid today were
that eight automobiles passed through
there late last night going towards
Leesburg. Leesburg citizens also
reported that eight machines passed
through that town at about 1890
o'clock this morning. Starkville is
between eighteen and twenty miles
from Sylvester.
Sheriff Potts today stated that the
men made no attempt to molest the
twenty-three other prisoners in the
Jail.
The bodies had not been cut down
several hours after they were found,
but preparations were under way for
The coroner to take charge of them
and hold an inquest.
SYLVESTER, Ga, Jan. 2i.-So we'll
executed were the plans of the men
who took five negroes from the jail
here and lynched them that Sheriff
J.. A. Potts saw only three, he said
today.
The first ! knew anything was
wrong was when one of the men who
had brought a bound negro to the
door, pointed a pistol at me and told
me to get into a bathroom. They had
told me they wanted to keep tho ne
gro in Jail at least over night he
said today. "I was completely at
their mercy, so, of course, | complied
with their demands to get into the
bathroom and also to give them my
teys. These men were not masked.
There is no lock on the bathroom
door, so two of them remained with
me, keeping me covered all the time.
! Within a few minutes heard a shrill
whistle and then footsteps as if
many men were entering the Jail
! I'm a little while the same whistle
was blown again and my two captors
suddenly left me and rushed out of
the jail Within minute or two
after that ] heard several automobiles
going north at rapid rate of speed.
II had never seen the men who
first came to the door, but / would
know them if l saw them again."