The Morgan County press. (Wartburg, Tenn.) 1916-1926, 1919-10-10
HUGE MOB BURNS
OMAHA COURTHOUSE
MAYOR SAVED BY oFFiCER-AT-
TEMPT TO LYNCH CITY Elk
ECUTIvE is FoILED.
Negro Hanged From Electric Light
Pole-Nine-Hour Battle Waged BY
Western Rioters-FIames Force the
Sheriff To Hand over Black.

Sheriff To Hand Over Black.
Omaha, Neb.-William Brown, ne
gro, alleged to have attacked wnlte
girl. was dragged from the county jail
and hanged from an electric pole, FOL
lowing struggle of nine hours by an
immense mob to wrest him from the
Sheriff. Sheriff Michael Clark ana
his deputies held the fort on the TOP
floor of the new court house, where
the Jail is located, with prisoners, I'M
til the building became seethlh@
mass of flames and he was forced 10
submit After the lynching the fire
men were able for the first time to
direct a stream on the flames. AT the
same time additional extension lad
ders were used to the third and fourth
floors where a number OF the occu-
pants were standing on window ledges
on one side of the building that had
not been touched by the flames. The
entire fire department was on the
scene and a number of the trucks were
rushed to tirehouses to obtain extra
hose.
AS soon as the mob had accomplish
ed it's primary object 1t began to oil
minish. The work Of rescue then be-
gan. It was apparent that the jail,
ON the fifth floor Of the building, was
becoming intensely hot. The cries OF
the prisoners, about 100 of whom were
trapped, spurred the firemen to
greater efforts. Troops started from
both Ft. Omaha and Fl Crook. Be
fore they could reach the city patrol
wagon was stopped by the mob, over
turned and burned. The mob appeared
to he bent on still more depredations.
The lynching following an afternoon
and evening frought with mob demon
STATIONS seldom recorded. When the
first rumblings Of possible attempt
To lynch Brown were heard Sherlf
Clark called in all his regular deputies
md sWore in a number of others. Inc
first act that indicated the mob was
In earnest was a parade on Harvey
street by about 80 men, who detralned
from street cars few blocks from the
court house. They marched on Har-
ney street at double-quick and were
at the Sheriff's headquarters before ne
realized what had taken place.
The Mayor had gone to the court
house and conducted consultation
with Sheriff Mitchell Clark. Emerging
from the courthouse he met the MOB
and began to make an appeal for law
and order. Some one shouted 'lyncn
him" and a member Of the mob threw
rome around his neck. Several men
dragged the Mayor half a block and
threw the loose end Of the rope over
a trolley pole. Twice they drew the
Mayors body from the ground. Eacn
time two police officers cut the rope.
Following the second attempt these of
ficers succeeded in placing The Mayor
in a police motor car and rushed him
to a surgeons Office near by.
Appeals were made to the police
station for help, and few uniformed
men were hurried to the place In
the meantime the Central Station tele-
phoned to every man on the force and
those on the South Side to report at
once.
Being Sunday, number of the men
could not be found. The result was
tlat several thousand persons had
gathered on the south side Of the
courthouse before the police could ar
rive In considerable number. The at
tack with which William Brown was
charged was committed on Agnes Lo-
beck early In the week. With an es-
cort crippled beyond the point Of re-
sistance, Miss Lobeck met her assail-
ant a few blocks from home In the
southeast part of the city. He held
the couple up at the point of revolver,
After having robbed the young man,
he attacked the young woman In his
presence, holding a revolver at the
bend of her escort In the meantime.