Two Men Shot as Mob Raids Jail

• Cornelius Robinson and William Thompson

TWO MEN SHOT AS MOB RAIDS JAR Negro Boy Was Sought For , 9 Criminal Assault. MOB INVITED TO SEARCH JAIL While Seacti Was In Progress Firing BeganRoy Hoyle Was Fatally Shot and Alderman Lyons Slightly Wounded. – ‘ Mobile,, Ala., Oct. 4.Roy Hoyle, a special officer of the Mobile and Ohio railroad, and one of the most widely knowa and best liked men in this vicinity, was fatally shot, and Alderman Sidney., Lyons, chairman of the ccouncilofMobile-was-alight– ly wounded in, the hand Tuesday night during a, fight at the county jail between 41eputy sheriffs and a crowd of men, determined to capture Dick Robineon,a young. negro.- The mob is still hunting the negro, and will lynch him if possible. The negro, who is only 17 years of age, and was said to be wearing his first pair of long trousers, Tuesday attacked Ruth, the n-year-old daughter of Blount Sossaman, who lives about three miles from here. The girl was parsing, a secluded spot not far from her home when she was attacked. Later she was found lying unconacioUS :by the roadside, and was taken to her home. .Detectives were placed on the track of the negro, and within ‘three hours he was captured. When found he had ‘Substituted his short pants for the trousers he had had on eaw:lier in the day. He was taken before the Sossaman girl, who at once. identified himri Deputy Sheriff Patch,- knowing that the life !zkf the negro would ‘be taken ,by’, a mob if be brought him into the city, caused him to be conveyed to a station several miles up the Mobile and .0hiö railroad. He was not taken to the jail at all and was at least. 8 miles frotn the city when the mob determined to have him approached the building. There have been several assaults upon white women within the last few weeke; and the ‘news-of -this’ latest outrage caused intense Wrath and excitement – As early as 6 o’elock in the evening crowds -of men commenced to ‘gather In the -downtown streets- and by 6:30 boo men had formed at the intersection of Royal and Dauphin streets. The crowd was , harrangued by sew tral speakers,- whoorged them to take-the life of the negro if he could he found, and in a short tithe the, entirek. Crowd wwe on the ,mareh for the jail. Sheriff Powers met the leaders of the mob and informed them that the man they were seeking was not in the jailand neverbeen- brought-there. He offered to let. anybody whom he ,personally , knew pass through the corridors and some of them returned and assured the members of the mob that the man was not there.-. While several Men; including Royle and Lyons, were still in the jail a portion of the crowd, led by a tall,. raw-boned man, whose name is not known, seized a telephone pole, which had been blown down in the recent stormi, and – dashed it against the closed part of a double door, one-half of which was open. The door fell with a crash and almost instantly a shot came from a revolver in the bands of a man standing in the gate. At once the members, of the mob commenced a tusilade and about a dozen revolver shots were fired, and then came several shots from a rite held in the hands of a man who lesteled it above Ilia head,and worked it vligorousiy while holding it in that ,positiOo. Not more than a dozen men took part in the firing,’ and as the-shots. rang out there was a stampede on the part of the crowd for shelter. 1 The mob was widely scattered, and in a few seconds Alderman Lyons, who had been On the Inside of the jail, came out,. and holding up his hand, ,from which tie blood was streaming, announced that behad been shot, and that Roy Hoyles had received a bullet in ‘the left lung. There were loud calls for a physiclan, and one who was in-the crowd hastened to the fail, and ccin:ng ont inside of a few minutes. Informed the crowd that Hoyle could live but a Very short time. Hoyle has been exceptionally popUlar, and the fact that he had been shot while looking through the jail in order to ascertain if the negro was there took all the fight out ot the mob,, and for the most part it dispersed quietly. The big man who had led the gang with the telephone pole, however, was anxious, for further vengeance on the negroee, and passionately urged the crowd to follow him to the negro section of the city. He stalked away, followed by a few men, who deserted him before he had ‘gone three oquareS Negro In Birmingham Jail. Birmingham, Ala,. .0ct..3.—Two deputy sheriffs trosu Mobile reached Ddrmingtam early Wednesday, baying lin charge Cornelius Robinson, the young negro Who is alleged to have ‘aseaultad a 12-year.old white girl near that city ‘Mayday afternoon end be. ans of trt.loh Mane a, snob attempt aftS,.. .1 -etl to storm-the Mobile Jail TuesdaY NI 1 night, two men being shot. Robin- “Rik son was placed in the Jefferson coun- 411i ty jail for safe keeping.- He denies. 0101 his: gullt,but- was-identified by- his victim. The officers say that after the arrest and itientification’of Rob y r inson he was rushed to the Mobile 44 jail, but kept there only long enough to secure a team, when he was driven 4 – to Carey’s Station, on the Southern dr railway a few miles out, where a train iiii, to Birmingham was caught at 6130 y 1 o’clock Tuesday evening. Robinson was not in the Mobile jail when the 1TA mob gathered.

“Two Men Shot as Mob Raids Jail.” The Selma Times (Selma, AL), October 04, 1906.