Milford chronicle., 1931-12-11
[COntinusd from Firn PGgel

was rushed to the hospital, where,
few minutes later, it was reported
that he was dead.
At the time of the shooting, Mrs
Lena Tingle, a stenOgrapher, was il
an adjoining office. She told police
that she heard no word spoken be
tween her employer and the negro
before the shots were fired. 1t is be-
lieVed that Williams entered the of
flee while Elliott was telephoning
walked up behind his victim anC
pressed the muzzle of the pistol tC
his head. The bullet passed through
Elliott's head and lodged in a films
case nearby.
Having killed Elliott, the negro
then turned the gun upon himself
firing shot through his head. The
bullet lodged in the wall. The gun
later taken by police from the
younger Elliott, was found to con-
tain three cartridges. All had been
fired.
Lynch Spirit Rose Suddenly
Lynching spirit rose suddenly in
the city, shortly before 8 o'clock
Friday night, after it became gener-
ally known that the negro had not
died, as first reported. Several men
standing near the courthouse green
suddenly shouted, Lets lynch Will
liams."
They started toward the hospital
repeating the cry. From all sides,
men Joined with them. From stores,
side streets, and corners, new re-
cruits swelled the party. By the time
they reached the hospital, it was es-
timated there were more than 800
men in the mob.
Hating a short distance from the
main entrance, the crowd stood or
derly and quiet while four men ap-
preached the door. Police Chief N.
H. Holland and Deputy Sheriff John
Parks blocked their way. Repulsed,
the four men retreated, considered
the situation a moment, and then
circled the hospital, going to a side
door.
AS they entered, q nurse pleaded
with them to conduct themselves in
an orderly manner, and to consider
the condition of other patients. As
surfing her they would make no
noise and that no one but Williams
was to be harmed, the four men
pushed forward to the ward in
which the negro and eight other col
ored men were located, on the first
floor.
Swiftly and quietly they went
about their work. AS the other ne
groes in the ward covered in ter
ror, they picked Williams from his
bed and handed him out the window
to waiting hands. Then they crawl
ed out after him.
His head so heavily swathed in
bandages he could not see, Williams
was guided to the center of the mob,
and then escorted to the courthouse
green, at Main and Division streets.
A rope was produced and it was
flung over the limb of tree, 25 feet
from the ground. Two men slipped
a moose about the doomed mans
head.
AS the knot slipped into place, 4
group of men tugged the negro Is
feet from the ground, where he
dangled as the mob, swelled by this
time to 1000 or more, shouted. Sew
eral times the body was raised and
lowered. For 20 minutes, the negro
was suspended in the air. Then the
rope was slashed and the body fell
heavily to the ground.
Picking up the body, the mob then
surged IN a shouting mass toward a
lot on Poplar Hill avenue, within
easy view of scores of negro homes.
Broken boxes and other pieces of
wood were hastily gathered into a
pile, and the negro's body was
thrown across it. The lumber and
corpse were drenched with gasoline
and a match applied.
Women, Children Watched Burning
AS the roaring flames licked at
the body, 1000 men, women and |
children, grouped about the pyre, re-
fusing to disperse until the last J
flames had flickered out. A short |
distance away, the red glare of the !
fire lighted up a huge sign board, |
upon which was pictured the Lord,
with hands Outstretched in plead
ing.
After the fire died out, the char
red body was again strung up, this
time to a lamp post. 1t was later
recovered by police.
At the hospital, where he had
been taken Immediately after mur-
dering Elliott and then shooting
Williams told States Attor-
ney Levin C. Bailey that he shot his
because Elliott had been
'robbing him" through payment of
only Is cents an hour for his labor.
Mob Leaders Not Identified
1.-THE man must have been drunk"
he younger Elliott said. There had
been no quarrel between father and
lim. He had been working for us
or seven or eight years. We gave
lim work whenever we had it. He
las even worked here this week, but
We did not have any work for him
1t was impossible to learn the
IDENTIFY of any of the mob leaders.
rhe sudden action by the mob is
attributed to the high feeling Great
ID by the fact that this is the third
rhine in the last few weeks in
which negroes have been charged
With wronging whites. Yuel Lee,
layer of a Worcester county family
# four, and George Davis, accused
4 attempted assault on a white '
IN hA Dol nsf |