Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1922-02-17


ed two or three through a crack IN
the door Then voice called him
to come out, that it was he who was
wanted. Frightened, ne declined.
His front door was then attacked By
several men. Knowing they would
soon break in, he grabbed his shot
gun and ran out the back door. AZ.
he did so he was shot and In turn
shot Bennie DcVane and Harvey
Negro Asks Shelter
Making his way wounded To the
farm of R. f. Alien not far away,
he stopped at the home Of one Of
Mr.. Aliens negroes and asked him
for shelter, The negro, seeing there
had been trouble and hearing Jones.
story, was himself frightened, fear
| ing mob would be pursuing Jones
and would find him there and ac-
cuse him Of giving the fugitvc
shelter So he ran to Mr., Aliens
home for help in getting rid Of Jones.
Mr.. Allen responded and asked Jones
father-in-law nearby TO take care Of
/ Jones, but that relative possessed Of
the same fears as the other negro,
refused to have anything to do with
Jones. 1t was then that Jones re-
quested Mr.. Allen to take him To the
home of his pncleA9Tiek Hart, near
La Crosse, which Mr.. Allen did.
| Returning, Mr.. Allen went to Ella
| Vile, where he informed Cullen Bat
tie, local merchant and cousin Of
Sheriff Battle, Of what had trans
lpired. In the meantime the mob that
later lynched Jones had been organ
i ized and was searching the Allen
neighborhood for him. Cullen Bat
tie, according to information, sent
word to The mob that ii was no use
] to look there for the negro any fur
ther, that he had been taken away
from the neighborhood He told
them he didn't know where, but that
Bob Allen knew. Shortly the mob
appeared in Ellaville, Quickly locat-
ed Mr.. Allen, according to the story,
and forced him at the point Of pis-
tolls to pilot them td the negro
hiding place.
They were seen to approach small
shanty some distance from the road
and then firing was heard as il they
were driving the occupants out Of the
house. Then there was silence, foi-
lowed by new and greater fusilade
of varying volume. Then the mob
started fer town.
County Commissioner Williamson
and Mayor Williams, hearing Of tine
shooting, went to the scene and found
Jones where he had been left for.
dead. He was we'll riddled with buf-
let's, but it was said the number of
wounds did notswelI correspond with
the number of shots heard, indicating
that there were sonle poor narksnieii
in the crowd. They found the negro
perfectly conscious, it was said, and
he talked to them at some length
What he said has not been brought
out, but it is learned he named men
other than those already accused as
having formed part Of the mob That
attacked him at his home Sunday
night.
I These two men, Claude Mauk, sta-
! ton agent at Lacrosse, and othcrs.
phoned to Sheriff Battle of the shoot
ing of the negro, but it was more than
two hours after he had been notified
before he went to the scene, it was
/ said. After he took charge Of the
negro and brought him to the jail,
where he died at 5 pm, the sheriff
told reporter over the telephone
that the negro had not spoken
word. This statement was CONTRA
dicted by persons who were IN at
tendance on the negro, who declare
he was able to talk almost to the last
| and did so.
! Sheriff Battles excuse for not serV-.
Ting the cproncr's nine warrants wlfen
put into his hands at first is that they
were not properly drawn, that Cor
oner II. U. Rigsbg, who issued tha
warrants, was unable to write and
signed them only with his aiagk.
which was unwitnessed It was this
kind Of warrant WHICH he served
yesterday On Bennie DeVane and Oh
which he confined him in jail, how
ever, it was said
Mr., Battle has been sheriff for sew
en- years, and was reelected last year
] for four years in field of several
| candidates Those WHO oppose him
/ and call him incompetent and inef-
ficient claim that those whom they
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