Day of Attempted Lynching

In the Early Morning They Enter Sheriff’s room and Demand Key’s to Prisoner’s Cell. This morning about three o’ clock a mob of about fifty men assembled in front of the county jail, bent on lynching Henry Pratt, the negro man accused of attempting an assault on little Sallie Leona Rice. Had the mob ever got into the jail they would have also dealt out summary justice to the negro. who had just been brought down from Coaling charged with attempting an assault on Miss Anna Cobb of that place a few nights ago. The masked mob went into the jail dwelling and up the stairway to the room on the second floor where Sheriff Kyle was sleeping. When awakened he informed the mob that the keys to the jail were locked up in the safe in the sheriff’s office. After a discussion of some minutes the mob left the room and returned to the street. After staying around the jail and street some time, the mob finally dispersed. Sheriff Kyle took a determined stand in the matter and stated that he would use his weapons if necessary to defend his prisoners.