1
THE BEE: OMAHA; v MONDAY, SEPTEMBER ' 29, 1919.
jOjLQRED ASSAILANT OF AGNES LOEBECK PAYS FOR HIS CRIME
Grriaha Mnh Harifrs AnH "Rums Mporvn WViAlConductor's Nerve ll Iki i m "hi
Omaha Mob Hangs And Burns Negro Who
White Girl Aftei Court House Is
red By Fire And Many Are Injured
Destroy
Crowd Gathers Early . Sunday Af ternoo n in front and Rear of Court House and
; ;,,:Is Swelled From Then On Until in Evening Thousands Aid in it Building Set
; . ' Ablaze and Prisoner Finally Turne d Over to Crowd Mayor Smith Almost
Lynched Court House Completely Gutted. ' -....V
i, .. . I '.""V. , ' "'
... (ContisiMd Tnm Pm-e Oh.) i .
Part of the rope with which the negro was lynched was cut up into short lengths
and carried off as "souvenirs."
"Givex me a piece of that rope," one man shouted to another.
"Can't do it, Bill, it's got a hunk of blood on it and I wouldn't parfr with it," was
the reply. ,:. "' '; ' ' - . .
Lieut.-Gov. P. A. Barrows called Secretary of War Baker on the long distance tele
phone and troops from Fort Omaha and Fort Crook were ordered out. It was necessary
for the order to come though Major-General Wood, who is enroute to Deadwood, S. D.,
and as soon as he reached the order came to Omaha. . )
Jn direct charge of Major Henry C. White of Fort Omaha, the Ninth,, Twelfth and
Twenty-seventh' Balloon companies of soldiers were detailed on downtown streets at 11
o'clock to disperse the crowds. A radius of one . block around the court house was under
heavy patrol. No one, save firemen, was permitted to pass the lines. Lieutenant Gibson
was in charge of the Twenty-seventh company. ; Lieutenant Batson was in command of
,tne lwentn. Many oi tne men nave seen auty overseas.
At midnight Lieutenant Governor Barrows and Phil Bross, secretary to 'Governor
, AicKeivie, naa 4uu special state agents sworn in ana a special train ready to bring them
to Omaha. When the mob started to disperse state officials decided to hold the men in
Lincoln. . - . w
" 'r CROWD GATHERS IN AFTERNOON.
' , The outbreak which resulted hvthe lynching of Brown was started early Sundav
'memoon wnen a crowa oi neariy x,uuu gamerea at tne narney street entrance of the
t court nouse. At 5:45 sergeant bamuel Morns of the police department telephoned head
, quarters lor assistances In about 15 minutes a patrol wagon responded with a -few
policemen. . . ' ' t ':;
, " The crowd gathered in numbers and increased in boldness. Two lines of hose were
lextended through second-story windows and water was turned on the crowd. Bricks and
stones were obtained from a vacant lot across the street and the missiles were hurled
through windows as high" as the third floor. One pf the Harney street doors was battered
in and many gained admittance, running upstairs and quickly appearing in the windows
tncourage others to follow. v
j . Every "minute after 6 o'clock added to the tenseness of the scene. Several incipient
gasoline blazes inside of the court house occurred about 8 o'clock and it was not long be
fore the flames were seen enveloping the office of County Treasurer Endres. The flames
spread to most of the court house, breaking out of windows on the Eighteenth street side.
) V FIREMEN COULD NOT WORK.
, , When the fire department responded to an alarm the crowd was in no mood to allow
the firemen to extinguish the fire. '
, - All through the evening the crack of pistol shots was heard in and around the court
house.. Victims were carried out to nearby drug stores for attendance. Many of the mer
chants in the vicinity of the, court housetosvi their doors shortly after 9 o'clock.
- During the early evening some M the crow mounted the stairway of the court
house to the sheriff's office and were met by fumes of liquid formaldehyde which had been"
strewn upon .the floors. : ;.:'..;.:,.': ,.: t
: Pandemonium reigned among the prisoners in t!ie county jail when the smoke
'reached the cell rooms. Tae negro prisoners were panicstricken. ' :
A neara named . Smith' wag1?''
negro
nanged to a
telephone
m
was
across.
. . - v . IT W
trora the Boyd tneater 'At years
ago. -This negro was charged with
assaulting a" white g'rl The Omaha
uaras, wno wexr' suptng at -tne
in' the Jtfeater, in bhenan
" jp summoned, from the
bur were unable to avert1. the
mg.
Td to Be Ready Passed
round Early Sunday Morn
day morninir th word wai
d" around ik Gibson that an at-
t would be .made to lynch
wn in- the afternoon and that all
rested should meet at Bancroft
eet school, Eighth and Bancroft
ts, at 3 mi the arternoon.
ree hundred residents of Gib-
some of them women. but
By boy 9. ' met at the appointed
and loliowed Millard Hoffman,
le. who witnessed the attack
pigs 'Loebeck, to tfie court
iiile the mob marched north on
teejith street, fcord was re-
Id at Central, police station of
intentions and Chief of Detec
ts joiin uunn, witn a crowa 'ot
ifcfirs. met tne iaob at ihirteenth
lid William streets.
'When Dunn ordered them to dis-
ere. shouw ot uo to Hen. came
ffbm tlie exkited crowd. Hoffman!
'is said to have brandished a revolver
and screamed "follow me." ;
At the court house the mob was
met by two dozen police officers.
Colored Officer on Guard.
I"1 Officer William Jtanfeom, colored,
was on guard at the south or Har-
iiev streec entrance o tne court
ihousc When the crowd pushed to-
Ivard Ransom he drew his revolver,
ncmbers of. the mob say, and
Ircssed , it to the stomach-, of .a
h.nth. : v ;
'i,ynch that black came
torn tntny mroats ana Kansom
sea into, tne court nouse pocKeting
his gun., i wo nours later Kansom
utif tuna in tne Dasement oi tne
ig. II is believed he escaped
i i Ti . ' tt .
id every officer on the force to
scene. Soon the court house
surrounded by more, than 150
formed men,
wad
unit
The jnob consisted principally of
iM(Mir mrri inu uura. maiiv ni wnam
uuu v -------
detrians and autoists from all parts
t the city .gathered at fte court
House as soon as tne wild-hre news
spread. The crowd? soon numbered
6,000 people. . , :
The mob surged about the county
... r r
building for more than an hour bV
fore a real1 attempt was made to
gain entrance to the building.
In the . meantime the police kept
breaking up the larger crowds and
keeping them away from the build
ing. . -V- '
J. T. Thomas, Gibson, Neb.; a
mechanic tor Andrew Murphy and
son, appeared , netore the crowd
about 4:30 wearing, a badly 'torn
shirt He had no coat. -
The crowd pushed along behind
him until he stood at the curbing in
front of the Harney street entrance
to the court house.
Thomas addressed himself to the
police who stood between the mob
and the doors.
"If that Loeback girl had been a
sister of yours you'd throw down
your, badges and clubs and lead us
into the bunding, Thomas said.
"Don't be afraid of losine vour iohs
Just let two or three of us in and
release the negro to them." . .,
His appeals brought laughs from
the police.
The crowd listened to Thomas for
several minutes and then with
ru,sh stormed the doors, 1 forcing
DacK the omcers who were guarding
tnem. . " , -.
: The glass panels in the doors
crashed in and a few minutes later
with another rush the doors them
selves splintered. ,
; 25 Officers in Building.
Twenty-five police officers vester
day took their places inside the build
ing. Kush alter rush against the
doors was repelled by the police,
The mob seized Robert P. Samard
ick, a police officer, and beat him
badly. Officer Harry Askwith res
cued bamardick and pushed him in
to a niche in the building. Ask
with fought valiantly to defend his
fellow officer. In a few minutes
a dozen officers . and detectives
pushed through the crowd and res
cued Samardick. , : ',
A fire hose secured inside the
building sent a stream of water into
the crowd storming the doors.
A shower of bricks and stones
from the vacant lot west of the
Y.' M. C. A. building answered the
stream of water.
Window after '. window on the
Harney street side of the, county
building was pierced with missiles.
Another hose shot a stream of
water from a second story window
and the aim of the missile-throwers
went to the upper floors of the
building. , - .
Rope Across Saddle Horn.'
- William Francis, Thirteenth dnd
Vinton streets, a "close friend of
the Loebeck girl," was mounted on
a horse. He was clad in a high
school cadet uniform. A rope lay
f 113
oi 5
mo
Some Table Beverages
such as tea and coffee
are. not .considered ood for 7 J
yofunc people, but nothing is
missed when.;you have
INSTANT POSTUM
lis rich flavor pleases, and it
contains absolutely nothincL
harmful.
. 77iere s a. Reason '
across the saddle horn. Francis
Stood in the saddle in front of the
court house and said a mob of ne
groes was forming at Twenty-sixth
and Grant streets. The excitement
of the crowd grew to fever ieight
with that announcement.
The police inside the building be
gin shooting down the elevator
shaft to frighten the crowd. That
move only intensified the mob's ex
citement. The crowd gradually
Walked around the building.
A lone negro, about SO years old,
appeared at Seventeenth and Far
nam streets about 5 o'clock. A mob
was on him at once. They struck
and kicked him several times before
Johnnia Lee, Omaha puglist and an
unidentified soldier could rescue
him. But for Lee and the soldier
the negro would probably have been
seriously injured. Lee and the sol
dier hurried the negro north on
seventeenth street toiiowea by a
raging mob. At Douglas street
they pushed him onto the running
board of a touring car bearing
license number 193858 Neb. in which
two men and two women were'
riding. The driver of the car hur
ried east on Douglas street with
the negro.
v oaves Negro From
Fury of the Mob
The nerve of a street car con'
ductor saved a lone negro from be
ing mobbed at the corner of six-
teenth and Farnam streets just about
dark..;:';,,
The negro had jumped on the car
at seventeenth. ipt conductor
swung the door shut and the car
shot down the Farnam hill. A mob
of jboys and young men failed to get
on, the conductor ' boldly, ignoring
their demands of "open the door."
Just as the car passed Sixteenth
the trolley was "pulled down. The
car sped down the hill at top speed,
too fast for the rioters to follow.
At Thirteenth the conductor
swung open the door and the negro,
safe, 4 jumped .off and darted up
Thirteenth street.
Loebeck Girls Chum
Appeals to the Crowd
With , Tears in Eyes
An incident that might have in
flamed the crowd to a frenzy was
an address attempted at the south
side of the court house Jof Miss
r ranees HobDs, a chum of Miss
Agnes Loebeck, assailed by the ne-(
gro Brown. , . . .
Breaking into tears, she appealed
to tne mob to hear her, and . was
hoisted to the shoulders of some of
the men.
, "This poor, innocent girl was my
chum " xh rriH "anrl T ocV
-. -w..w a aiv yu
. Yells interrupted her, and her es
cort, apparently fearful of the cofr
sequences, pulled her down and hur
ried her away.
T
Negro Seen in Car.
A necro was seen in an eastbound
frarnam. street car as it passed Sev'
enteenth street. A youth clambered
into an open window, struck the
negro twice and then leaped out
Some one pulled the trolley from
me. wire ana tne car roiiea aown the
hill to Sixteenth street without
power.-
Most of the mob then directed at
tention to the front doors of the
court house. The glass panels were
smashed in, but when police officers
in tne rotunda of the bnildinar be
gan to shoot the Crowd refused to
enter the portals.
Claude L. Nethaway, whose wife
was murdered m a lonely railroad
cut north of Florence two years ago
by a negro named Charles Smitt,
pushed his way through the crowd
to tne court nouse steps. .
Facing the crowd .
"My wife was murdered hv a neorm'
If I get mv hands on this one T'tl
i i. r .. . : ..." -
uurn nim. to tne stake i" r
Cheers greeted his announcement
and he started into the building.
xwo snots rang through the ro'
uinaa ana iMetnaway returned to
tne crowd.. . :
Guns and Ammunition Arrive.
When darkness bee-an to fall tne
mob. began to shoot in answer to
tne police. Guns and ammunition
began to arrive from the olundered
sporting gooas nouses and pawn
shops. ; -. .. ,
bomenone brought a laree ouan-
ttty of gasoline. Members of the
mob poured it throuirh' a window
into the city treasurer's office in
the Farnam street side of the
uuilding and touched a match to it.
As th file cases took fire brilliant
blaze lighted up the whole court
yard. The fire soon burned down
but it was started aeain. This time
it spread to other offices on the first
floor and then upward through the
building.
At 9:30 police - Officer Earl O.
Risk from South Side . station es
caped from the building. He had
fought his way from the fourth
floor, through the smoke and flamej
Risk ran for help to the fire sta
tion at Eighteenth and Harney
streets.
"When I left the fourth floor the
smoke and flame were terrible,"
said Risk. "Police Commissioner
Ringer, Captain Haze and some of
ficers are still up there."
ins police waved a white flac
from the top floor of the court house
at 9i42 o'clock.
Momentarily firing ceased.
The hook and ladder crew of the
Omaha fire department drove up
and stopped before the main span of
windows directlv under where the
officers were waving their flag. Four
omcers appeared in the window.
At 9:50 the ladder began to raise.
. Mighty Cheer Goes Up.
A mighty cheer went un from the
crowd. At 9:51 o'clock the ladder's
top touched the window sill on the
top floor. A few hit. and miss shots
were fired from the crowd. The
window pane above the officers
crashed and three of them ducked
to escape the bullets.
A few seconds later an officer he.
gan t0 descend. At the base of the
ladder a half dozen members f th
mob began to mount the ladder.
The officer at the top descended
slowly. Meanwhile the oowerful
Search light Of the fire denartm.n'-
played on the policemen in the win-
uow. ,
Two other noli
tn other, began to descend.
The first had reached the automo
bile. : , .'
He was seized hv iUm J
aragged bodily across the street
jviu mm, uon t let him
get away,' were heard. The mob
began to beat the officer. He was
soon unconscious. Across Harney
street the mob held the man against
tuc sicps oi me i. M. c. A. Men
jumpea up and down on him as
sauuing mm mercilessly.
Four or five pulled at his legs.
Burst Through Y. M. C. A. Doora,
The mob burst through the doors
of the Y. M. C. A.rcarrying their
victim with them. Officials and at
tendants ot the association along
wini vuiumeers oi tne mob attempt
ed to defendthe man from assault,
to no' avail. H UIoo aia
through the main lobby of the
building to the rear door leading
iu inc gymnasium.
Here the reporter lost sight of
nim. 1
Meanwhile the physical director
office at the association building had
been converted into an emergency
siauon tor wounded and injured
i wo young men, one wounded- in
the left shoulder by a glancing blow
and the other unconscious, said to
be suffering from internal injuries
and a broken leg, were cared for.
uthers came in at short intervals.
The officer is believed to. he dead.
The other officer with Commissioner
Kmger are thought to have escaped
from the buildins later.
Late in the afternoon Police Chief
Eberstein mounted the ledge of a
window on the Harney street side
of the county building and began to
address the crowd: , - f
""No, man in the city of Omaha or
the slate of Nebraska regrets the
crime this man committed more
than I do.', he said.
"Give us the negro 1" yelled the
crowa.'
; , Brick It Thrown.
The chief attempted to continue,
raising his hand for silence, when a
oric crashed throueh the window
-i i .
butc nis neaa. !
Immediately a hose was turned
on the mob. which scattered. Tt
tormed acain withi
however, and the chief resumed.
,'I want to say that the police are
uoing mi m tneir power to run down
the men who commit these crimes
i, . wumcn, De tney white or
DiacK, he cried.
Got 90 Days.
"The last one got 90 davs." veiled
a man. The crowd followed the re-
manc with jeers and yells that were
iieara diocks away.
We have xot the man " chneJ
tne ponce chiet desperately," and we
have got the gun he used. He has
been identified. But I aooeal to
you not to do this thing. Don't do
it, don't do it, boys. I ,ask you to
uispersye ana go home."
At this the cries of the mob
arowned Out the voice of' the chief
yc want inc nigger, tney yelled
n concert. The chief 4hen gaveup
inc auempi 10 oe neara ana retted
irom tne window.
A negro who was walkinc
.1 . . . . . . .
oixieenin street last nient esc
being shot to death when 1001
pie who had stolen shot euns ati
volvers from the pawn shops
mat street tired at him. The
ran the negro down an allev
he fell and thinking he was
nis pursuers waixea away,
the crowd learned that thei
fell to save his life and walke
uninjured. The crowd fired,?
snots at tne
The foUon
Sheriff Clark Tells Story
of How Wegro Prisoner Is
Turned Loose to Lynchers
Will Brown was handed over to thirty members of
the mob on tne tourtn noorvpt tne court house by Brown's
fellow prisoners according t Sheriff Mike Clark.
, Here's Clark's" story otothe capture of Brown:
"The deputy sheriffs had orders to hold Brown and
they did all in their, power ttb do so. When the flames and
smoke crowded us on tn tourtn floor,. Commissioner
Winger, Chief EDerstein, Mayor smith and some police of
ficers started for the freight elevator. The last men into
the elevator were Mayor Smith, Commissioner Ringer and
vThe women prisoner were screaming at the tops of
tneir voices. , we, iook iMieen women prisoners and re
leased them rather than, flave them burn like sheep there
in their cells. They escaped from the building.
"Later we took the Jlale prisoners out of their cells
when it became too hot ttfere and led them to the roof of
the building. They were panic-stricken. The colored
prisoners seized Brown alid tried to push him over the
cornice into the crowd below. The white prisoners and
deputy sheriffs restrained' them.
"I was on my way ufc 'a stairway to the roof when a
mass of bodies tumbled down over my head and sprawled
on the floor beneath me. I .
"The colored prisoners had bolted by me with Brown
in their clutches. They hurried him to the floor hoW an
turned him over to a cfowd of thirty, or more who had
cnmDea mio xne winao-vy irom an extension ladder. That
was the last I saw of Brpwn.
"We had 126 prisoners in the' jail Sunday morning.
We released fifteen women. Three men nriannprs p.
caped, two were confined for petty offenses and nr. fr.,-
burglary." ,
rested during the course of the riot
and booked at Central ponce nation
for investigation:
William Johnson, 881 North Twenty-
Lflfth street; Floyd Roblnron, Thirty-Becoiid
' i ... . , n n ... .... J""
Etna IN BirtltolBi D rvuiy, 1111 va.a Bircvi,
John Wllllems, 523 North Twenty-fifth
street; Frank KIchardson, 17, 236 Sprague
street; Paul Tapley, 2555 Manderson
stret; Homer Steeles, 2427 Parker street;
Onond Showalter, 805 South Eighteenth
street, and Lester Price, 222S Seward
street.
Later arrests for carrying con
cealed weapons included:
Gale Jrwin, 17. 4907 Some Twenty-thlrd
street; Charles Rhoades, 250S North Thir
tieth street; Irwin Wyer. 3435 Saylor
street; Frank Goggin, 18. 620 North Eight
eenth street; D. Smith. Tenth and Grace
streets: Joseph Watson. 18. 3230 Parker
street, and Leonard Kleldialy, 2563 Mason
street.
Loads of guns and ammunition of
all description were sent to the po
lice station by police from lower
Douglas street. When police ap
proached crowds firearms were
dropped and scattered and the guns
were collected and sent to the police
station.'
Wilson Arrives Home;
Condition Remains Same
Washington, Sept. 28. President
Wilson returned to ' Washington
Sunday from his interrupted tour
for the peace treaty. He was able to
walk through the . railway station
from his special train to a White
House automobile, and was taken
at once to the White House, where
it was said there was little change
in his conditibn.
Mob Enters Gun Stores to
Secure Firearms--Nothing
Taken but Ammunition
Police Arrest Negro Armed With Three Guns in Jack-.
,. son Street Basement and by Clever Ruse Escape
With Prisoner Armed With Shotguns, Police
Barricaded in Fire Hall, Hold Mob Back.
Approximately SO men broke into
the Townsend Gun company store,
1514 Farnam street, at 8 o'clock and
took 30 rifles and all the revolvers
and ammunition in the store.
Employes of the store said noth
ing was missing but the firearms
and the ammunition.
The lock on the, front door of
the store was broken.
Walter G. Clark, sportine eoods
house, 1408 Harney street, was also
entered by the mob and all of the
stock of guns and ammunition tak
en., -
Jackson Street Riot.
A negro and a white soldier en
gaged the police and the mob at
Eleventh and Jackson streets at 7:30
in front of fire halt No. 1. The negro
was armed with a revolver which
he fired into the crowd. The white,
soldier was armed with a club.
When a policeman interfered he
beat the officer. Here the mob took
hand.v
The white soldier was knocked
unconscious and the negro took
refuge in a cellar at 1110 Jackson
street. The mob, 'growing to more
than 4UUU prsons, many of them
girls and women, together with the
police stormed the house. The
negro held them at bay for 10 min
utes. A riot call was sent to po
lice headquarters and two automi-
bile loads of police and an ambu
lance responded.
Smardick Arrests Negro.
Policemen .Woods and Samardick
attempted to invade the cellar, but
were halted by shots from the
negro's revoiver.
bamardick-crept into the cellar
way in the darkness, during an in
terval of silence that followed, he
turned his flashlight into the cellar
and, locating the negro, ordered him
to surrender. The negro, taken by
surprise, surrendered.
The mob. learninor of the caoture
by the police, rushed into the door
way. Crys of "Lynch him.' "Let us
have him," were frequent. One man
pressed forward with a rope. The
police, led by Sergeants Russell and
Kose and Laptain Bnggs, held the
mob off while Officers Samardick
and Woods remained below with
Wie negro.
Use Clever Ruse.
Finally by a clever maneuver the .
man was rescued. Officer Samardick
later relating the story said: "We
agreed on a plan," "Sergeant Rus
sel instructed me to fire two shots
at the same time yelling "He' got
tne gun again," which I did. This
threw the crowd back for a mo
ment." s
In the interval that followed the
police pressed forward out of the
celler, and rushed the man (into a
waiting automobile in the 1 alley.
ine car darted up the alley artd to
the police station. The mobfol-
lowed to the police station.
The police were powerless to hpld
it off. Captain Heitfelt, in chalge
at headquarters, announced tlat
the negro had been taken to CouV-
cil Bluffs. The mob was uncoil
. 1, .. - -r 1 ..lj; 1 1
mite vi uicm soiuirrs. were oroue
into the police station and shouf
through the jail. There was b
one negro.
Turn Out 'Lights. '
waiter a. Hvrne. alM manas-J
U , . . . a L LUC 1 1. 1 1 111.-. L . , I LIIK TCI
aepartmenr, disconnected all of, t
Ak-Sar-Ben ornamental street jight
William Francis. Thirteenih and
Vinton Streets, a "erooH frienrJ nf
Miss Loebeck." rode horseback
through the rowd.
At 8 o'clock a mob. estimated at
about 1,000 men, accompanied by
about 300 automobiles,' formed out
side central police station.
Cries of We want him. We want
him." filled the air.
The few police on dutr at the
station tried to reason with the mob
and explain that the negro was not
there, and would not be broueht
there.
A rumor spread that the nesrro.
Brown, had been taken from the
county jail and rushed to Council
BluHs, but the story was said to be
without foundation.
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