The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-08-11
SOUGHT CAPTURE
OF MEN CHARGED
BRAZELL MURDER
One Hundred Or More
Riding In twenty-five
Autos Made Raid On
Richmond County Jail
and Stockade Late Last
Night But Were Too
Late

Augusta, Ga, Aug IA mob of
p,asked men from South Carolina
points, estimated at 100 or more,
travelling in 90 cars, made an unsuc-
oessful raid on the Richmond county
Jail and stockade between and 5
- o'clock this morning. their purpose
Eeirg to secure G. o. Fox and Jesse
Gappins, charged with numbering VIM.
BraZell, a 10 year old taxi driver and
college student Of Columbia. S. c.
Sheriff Plunkett, though, outwitted the
men.
Meagre reports of men gathering al
various parts of South Carolina had
filtered through during the latter part
of the night and ut 1890 o clock last
night. the sheriff placed Fox and Gap
pins in an automobile and rushed
them to jail at some interior point
in ,ie2rgia, the destination of the
sheriff being known by himself and
the jaiier.
The mob had previously visited the
county stockade about two miles from
The heart of the city and, after search
Ing that place, made their way to the
Jail, which is located on Watkins
street in the lower end Of the city.
Arriving at the Jail three men were
chosen by the ring leaders to make
a search of the premises to verify the
assertion of Jailer Whittle to them
that the men had been removed
There was every indication at the
outset that the mob contemplated
tearing the big iron gates down and
shooting their way into the jail.
Cooler heads prevailed, though, and
they decided to send q committee of
three through the Jail to make a
search.
Before the parley had been com
pleted outside the gates, half dozer
or more men had clambered over the
high brick walls into the Jail court.
The committee Of searchers entered
the Jail yard with Il flourish of guns
Each of them wore a mask across his
face. The jailor acted as plot. The
sixty odd prisoners stood about in
their cells with mouths agape, or hud-
died in frightened groups as the
masked men quietly but thoroughly
pred into every corner of the prem
ises. Each cell in the corridor was
inspected. The searchers left the
building a few minutes later vowing
to get the men "if it takes weeks
After the Jail was searched the men
left the city, the leaders declaring
they We're going to the state peniten-
tiary at Columbia and make search
there. Remarks by members of the
moi led the local officers to believe
that the majority of the raiders were
soldiers from Camp Jackson at Co.
lumbia. Several were uniforms and
upon leaving swore their determina-
ton to get Fox and Gappins, if "lJ
took the whole of Camp Jackson"
All of the men were heavily armed,
some of them carrying rifles, some
shot guns and others as many as two
pistols. All was quiet about the Jail
and city this morning.
When the searching committee hail
entered the gate of the Jail swearing,
Jailor Whittle raised his hand and in
quiet voice remarked: This is also
my residence, sir
One Of the men replied: 81 beg
your pardon, sheriff.
There was no swearing inside the
gates after that.
Jailor Whittle, who lives in the Jail
lad moved his family to another
neighbor S house before the mob ar
rived. The jailor stood on the sec
ond floor of the building and talked to
the mob gathered outside the prison
wall.
He told the men that the police had
notified the Jail that 25 cars, one be-
hind the other, had passed over the
river leading into Augusta and that
Fox and Gappins had been removed to
a place of safety. -.r
In their excitement several of the
mob allowed their masks to drop from
their face and the jailor believes that
he recognized one.