The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-09-29
Negro Lynchcd, Courthouse
Burned During Night
of Mob Rule.
TROOPS PATROL CITY
Chief Executives Law Firms
Defense CT Blacks Aroused
Mob Against Him.

VnleI Gxecut.Ve'6 Law Elrm,0
Defense CT Blacks Aroused
Mob Against Him.
Omaha, Neb., Sept 29-Ths eendi.
ton Of Mayor Ed r. Smith, injursd
last night when a mob attempted 70
lynch him, was very satisfactory
at $3.50 o'clock this afternoon, hid
physician, Or. e. c. henry. an.
nounced. An x.rsy examination
showed the wound over the mayors
eye was not caused by q bullet, and
that he had not suffered a fracture
Of the skull.
Omaha, Nsb., Sept. 2s.-Ths con.
dition of Mayor E. p. Smith, whom
members Of mob attempted to hang
whom he refused last night 70 Dc.
liver to thsm William Brown, . ns.s
gro, who was accused Of assautino 1
white girl, was repirtod by his physi.
clans to be slightly improved today.
Inc mayor, who suffered from cuts
and fractured bones, recovered con.
sc'ousness at noon.
Latest reports of the rioting esti-
mate the number of injured all the
way from forty-five to sixty, Oniy
TWO persons were killed, however.
These were William Brown, negro.
VINO was taken from the county TAIL
ana lynched, and a white man be.
lieved to be Clarence Clancy. aged
%, of Omaha.
When Mayor Smith regained con.
seriousness his first question Of a hos.
pitai attendant was. What did thew
40 with the colored man." He was
told.
The mayor was unable to give a
coherent story of the mob's attack ON
MIN. He he'd been on the roof of the
courthouse and had Just come down
10 ask the mob to obey the law when
he was seized.
Inc MOB, reports show, was come
posed ic. the most part of young men
ana boys, but the police were powers
less 70 cncck them. Criticism wan
heard today that there was a lac), Of
leadership In the organization of the
! torces combating the mob.
\ Washington, Sept. 2s--Mai.. Gen.
leonard Wood, commanding the cen.
Tai departne II, with heaSquar ters m
eheago, has been directed by Saere.
. sary Baker to proceed to om,ha.
Neb., where federal troops were 50 nt
'ast night to queIl race riot.
Mr.. Baker communicated with Gen.
wood after he had received a vass !.
sage from the governor of Nebraska
asking TOR federal aid. The troops
|ore wore ordered from Fort Omaha BY
sen. wood, TIE secretary said.
An appeal for help was reee,ved
. late last night by Senator Hitchooek
:. tdemoeraD, Nebraska, from ths
u sheriff at Omaha. II was referred 10
= Mr.. Baker.
n Mayor Resains conse,ousnss,.
: Mayor Smith was seized by the mon
n on seventeenth street. near the court. !.
mouse, about 10 o'clock and was
e threatened with lynching. He was
hustlcd to Harney street and stopped
9 at the foot of a trolley pole On tbs
u cross arm Of which was a coil of rome
J. Tive us the key 40 the jatI:" ~
= !, we cant | t the negro wen lynch
" you; hes no better than the mig.
A ger; he's negro lover" vera
y shouts heaid among the mob. "Get
=, tnat rope some one shouted II we :
:. puiied down bv loose end, but wa
a NOT iohg enough to reach. A man
climbed the pole and with a knjfe c,It
:, the rope. 1t was brought down and
placed around the neck OF the MAYOR.
d ,,,, Many Voices in Protest.
% ihfow 1t up over the pole and
voices.
q ue mayor was the center of n
i cruSh so great that 1t almost over.
t turned an automobile standing near
s Inc rope was placed around tbs
mayors - fck. Appalled, at the posi-.
d olity or numbering the city's chief
n executive. protests began to be heard
i we wont stand for hanging the
o mayor; that won't get US the Mig
|. GER" let i'm co." tell i'm to get
our or here" Then two officers cut
e the rope, carried the mayor to an
automobile and rushed him tn n
e hospital. :
. County Records Destroyed.
+ The fire started in the courthouse
te teL. that structure mass Of runs.
. me me property was valued at $780,.
Voo' The damage to the records
couid not be estimated early today.
opt IL Is believed many have been de.
l. stfoyed beyond RECLAMATION, statis.
) tics vital to county affairs since tha
y county was organized are believed
10 ne badly damaged. For several
, hours the lives of mole than 100 'pris.
. . oners In the county Jail were endan.
4 gcred by the flames In the lower
o hoors of the building. 1t was fnallv
necessary to send them all to the
a roof. Sheriff Clark stood off tha
angry mob until the flames caused
n the prisoners themselves to taka
I action. They at first decided among
r themselves TO throw the negro from
d the roof to the pavement below and
ieaVe MIN to the destruction of the
e mob. 1t was at this moment that the
n mob that had gained entrance To the
0 burning building, pushed past
Sheriff Clark and his deputies ana
= forced their way into the corridor.
Here 1t was that the negro was
turned over to them. Throwing A
rope around his neck these men. mum.
oering about fifty. dragged him to the
ground floor. down suffling stair.
= ways and through binding smoke 10
: the street. When they appeared at
: the Harney street entrance to the
t courthouse they were greeted by n
e bowling mob Of thousands. Brown
8 was practically dead before he was
: ever strung to the light pole. Two
bullets were fired into his body an
he was dragged through the crowd.
He was never able to utter a word
and he was not given an opportunity
to speak before being stretched fun
length before the gaze OF thousands,
No Protection for Firemen.
The destruction of the courthouse
= came as a result Of lack of polics