The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1919-10-02
NEGRO LYNCHED
BY OMAHA MOB
Rioters Battle Nine Hours After
Firing Prison Before Sheriff
Hands Over Prisoner
TRIED TO HANG MAYOR, TOO
Court House, With Jail on the Fifth
Story, is Stormed-Flames Endan-
ger Lives of Hundred Other
Prisoners in Their Cells.

Omaha, Neb.-William Brown. a ne
gro, alleged to have attacked a white
girl, was dragged from the county iail
Sunday and hanged 10 an electric pole.
following a struggle of nine hours by
an immense mob to wrest him from
the sheriff
Sheriff Michael Clark and his depu-
ties held the fort in the top story of
the court house, where is located the
jail. with hundred prisoners. until
the building, which had been fired by
the rioters, became a seething mass of
hames. and he was forced to submit.
After the lynching, city firemen
were for the first time able to get a
stream of water on the flames. At the
same time additional extension lad
ders were sent TO the third aSd fourth
floors, where many of the occupants
were standing on window ledCes on
the one side of the building that had
not been touched by the flames.
The negro was pulled out on the
south side OF the court house, giving
the firemen an opportunity to work on
the north side, where the fire started
primary object, it began to diminish.
The work of rescue then began. 1t
was apparent that the Jail story, on
the fifth floor Of the building, was
becoming intensely hot. The cries of
tie prisoners, about 100 Of whom were
trapped, spurred the firemen to great.
er effort
1t was discovered that an abortive
attempt had been made to lynch
Mayor Ed p. Smith when he appeared
TO appeal to the mob. Although re-
ports are conflicting, 1t is known that
rope was thrown around his neck.
A policeman cut it off before the mob
could accomplish its purpose.
The mayor was carried out uncon.
scious by a squad OF police officers
ard friends He was hurried to a hos.
pital.
Upon the request OF city authorities
u. S. army troops started from both
Fort Omaha and Fort Cook Before
they could reach the city the mob had
dispersed.
1t was learned that one man. Frank
Clancy, aged 20, had been killed. and
two others. Frank Morasco and James
Boards, were wounded.
Just after dark a crowd began sack.
ing a downtown gun and ammunition
store, the police being powerless to
prevent it for the time being The
crowd reached large proportions
Every street within a radius of four
or five blocks being jammed with hu
manity. Two negro policemen who
were among the officers rushed to the
some and were badly beaten by the
crowd. one of them receiy ng danger
Gus injuries. Several other officers
received serious but not dangerous in
juries.
The assault with which William
Brown was charged was committed
against Agnes Lobeck early in the
week. With an Escort, crippled be
yond the point Of resistance. Miss Lo
beck met her assanant a few blocks
from home in the southeast part OF
the city. He held the couple up at the
point of a revolver After robbing the
young man he attacked the young
woman in his presence, holding a re
volver at the head of her escort in
the meantime
Brown was arrested by police off
GERS and taken to the city Jail, where
both Miss Lobeck and her escort idcn
tilted him as the man who committed
the deed. Later It was stated that
Brown had made a confession Of his
crime.