Brought Here For Safe-Keeping

Case(s)
Source Type: Newspaper
Author: n.a.
Publisher: The Birmingham News
Place of publication: Birmingham, Alabama
Date of publication: 10/3/1906
Transcript:

While one man Is dead in Mobile and another Injured, as the result of an attack upon the Mobile county jail last night, Cornelius Robinson, the negro whom the mob sought and who was Identified as the man who criminally assaulted Ruth Sossaman, a lS-year-old white girl, today occupies a cell in the Jefferson county jail. He protests his innocence and does not apparently realize that he owes his life to the precaution of the Mobil authorities. While the mob was forming In Mobile last night, he was Removed from the jail there, driven through the country in a buggy to Careys, a station about four miles from Mobile, and placed on the train which reached Birmingham shortly after 8 o’clock this morning. He was In charge of W. B. Powers, chief deputy sheriff, and Phillip Fateh, another deputy. Both deputies say that feeling was running very high in Mobile yesterday afternoon when news of the assault spread through the city, already bowed down with sorrow and distress, caused by the storm, and news of the attack on the jail was no surprise to them. They expressed regret over the death of Roy Hoyle, a special officer of the Mobile and Ohio railroad, who was In the jail when the mob fired. They also deplored the fact that Alderman Sidney Lyons, one of the best known men in Southern Alabama, was shot in the hand. It simply shows what a mob will do,” said Chief Deputy Powers. Both Hoyle and Lyons were in the jail for the purpose of being convinced that the nfegro was not there. Others in sympathy with the crowd were in the jail when suddenly the outside door was battered down, according to report, and a fusilade of shots fired at their own friends. ( The Second Mobil Negre. When the deputies reached the Jefferson county Jail this morning with Robinson, he was locked up in a celt near the one occupied by Will Thomp son, another negro who was brought here about four weeks ago to escape the wrath of an angry Mobile mob. The Thompson negro, it will be recalled, was Identified as the- man who criminally assaulted two little girls. The Jail was surrounded at that time, as in the case of Robinson, but the authorities resorted to the same method pursued last night, bringing their man to Birmingham. V ABked concerning htmselL- the negro Bald that he, is 21 years of age and that he lives at Maysvllle, about three miles from Mobile. He is a black negro, about 5 feet 3 inches high, and has no particular trade. It is said that he has been working for a contractor. Story of Assault. It was 2:40 o’clock yesterday afternoon when we were informed by a man giving hla name as Bowling that the twelve-year-old daughter of Blount Sossaman, a restaurant man, had been criminally assaulted by a negro within 100 yards of her home, said Chief Deputy Powers in discussing the crime before returning to Mobile today. – The Sossaman home Is in a suburb of Mobile, reached under ordinary conditions by a street car and telephone line. Owing to the recent storm, the care are not running and phones are out of commission. This caused a delay In word, of the outrage reaching us. Mr. Bowling having to walk several miles. Summoning four othgr deputies we went immediately to the scene of the crime. It was in a secluded spot and we were told that the child was returning home from school when she was attacked. Inquiry revealed the fact that a negro had been seen by several neighbors less than an hour before the little girl, who lay In the road In an unconscious condition for quite a while, was aroused and told her harrowing story. Finding the Negro. During our Inquiry we learned that the negro had a rope when last seen and, further investigation brought to light that a negro answering the same descrlpjtion had been seen with a cow. There is a dairy in the neighborhood and we went there to see what we could team. Our first clue was secured at the dairy. A negro had been there for the purpose of leaving a cow which had been sold to the dairy by a Mr. Paxon. – We lost no time In finding Mf. Paxon, a contractor, and it was through him that we’ learned the name of the negro -who had driven the cow to the dairy. Going to the negro’s home at Maysvllle, we found him sitting on the front porch. No resistance was offered when we placed him under arrest, but he denied, being the right one. Girl Identifies Negro. , – – ‘”Taking tho negro In the buggy with us, we drove to the Sossaman home, where, the little girl was con fined to her bed. She screamed when she caught sight of the negro and said ho was the, one who choked her into insensibility. ‘ By the time we Peached the Mobile Jail with the negro new of the eseeult. and the capture of Robinson bad spread all over the city, which was so recently wrought up over a similar affair. Changing our team we drove for Carey’s where we caurht e Southern train, coming to Etanhur-ham by wey of Selma.

Citation:

“Brought Here For Safe-Keeping.” The Birmingham News (Birmingham, Alabama), October 03, 1906.