Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-05-25
Turner Spirited Away t.
Jail at Leesburg Yes
terday Afternoon
NOW IN RICHMOND PEN
Jail Door Opened to Mob Who Leave
Without Trouble-Turner to be
Tried by Federal Authorities.

A mob of more than 200 persons
bent on lynctiing William II. Turner
,colored. self confessed slayer OF l..
Morgan Moore of this city, and who
also attacked Moore's fiancee, Miss
Pearl Clark, secretary to Representa-
tive Britten of Illinois, last night at
midnight went to the Alexandria coun-
ty Jail in search for Turner who had
been spirited away from the jail at z
o'clock in the afternoon and who IS
new in the custody of the United
States authorities.
Members of the mob after searching
the>ja;l Thoroughly on two different
occasions left the scene Of the place
without any disorder and most of
them returned in automobiles. going
by way of Acqueduct Bridge.
Jailor Kines stated this morning to
Areporter for. ;he Gazette that he cx-
pected that mob would visit the Jail
The first news he had Of its arrival
was at 11.30 o'clock last night when
there was q rapping on his door. he
lives in dwelling directly adjoining
the Jail. He told the men that the
prisoner had been taken away in the
afternoon at 2 o'clock. This statement,
however, failed to satisfy the pen and
they demanded they be permitted to
go into the jail and see for themselves.
Jailor Kines at once complied with
their request and threw open the jail
doors and admitted the men,
On this trip about twenty-five men
entered the. jail and fEtssie@a close IN
specticn Of the eight prisoners con-
fined therein, which included one
white and one coored woman and SIX
men. white and colored.
The members of the mob remained
in tine Jail probably about twenty
minutes ard left feeling satisfied that
their man had been taken away, as
there was one man in the party who
Y would be able to recognize Turner it
is stated.
Without any demonstration the men
left the Jail quietly, and the only un-
toward incident that occurred accord
ING to Jailor Kines was the cutting of
the telephone wire Of the Jail. One
member of the party afterwar;g re-
paired the broken wire.
A second crowd of men about 12.l3
O'Clock this morning or about half an
hour after the first crowd left the jail
made an attack on the Jail Jailor Hines
. saws that some of them attempted to
force the door. He again opened wide
the iail doors and admitted between
: fiftv and one hundred and they too
looked over the prisoners confined
therein and left the place. apparently
dissatisfied at not finding Turner.
In the opinion of Jailer Hines ma
iority of these in the party were curi
ositv seekers. came and parkel
their machines some distance from the
jail, simply waiting to see what the
real leaders of the mob were gong TO
do. Ja:lor Kines says that they parked
{ their machines some distance away
from the iail and hence he was unable
TO obtain fair estimate of the crowd.
He. however. is of the opinion that
the second bunch of men who came to
the ia;l to get the slayer were in the
first crowd that arrived on the scene
but were simply unable to gain ad-
mitlance when the Jail was first open
ed hv him and simply wanted to be
satisfied that they we're not being
duped about the prisoner being taken
away.
The party bent on arenging the kill
: ing of Moore and the attempted as
saul. on Miss Clark began forming in
= this city before l0 o'clock. T'.cy net
at various points and motor vehicles
and trucks were used in taking them
10 the county jail. Several from Wash
ington also came over to Alexandria
and Joined the party it is reported
and it stated that number from
Alexandria county also were in the
group. The members Of the mob wen'
at different times and by dlfferen
routes and one group of men il !:
stated started to make the trip t
the iail on foot. but later were picked
up BY automobiles enroute to the jail